I am a big fan of the Wolfenstein series and when I finished Wolfenstein: The New Order, I thought that was it for a while. But then, out of the blue, came Wolfenstein: The Old Blood.
This game takes place in the events before The New Order, in an alternative history. It is 1946 and you still have a chance to stop Nazi Germany from winning the war. The story itself is a little disappointing and, by far, the weakest in the series. It is just about infiltrating Castle Wolfenstein and obtain a top-secret folder which reveals the location of a German scientist and mastermind, General Deathshead and some sort of secret special weapon.
Deathshead is the one responsible for developing superweapons that give Germany the advantage in the war, eventually winning it. You learn that a secret weapon is being produced and you set out to destroy it. It eventually appears to be some kind of zombie-creating gas. In the end, you find the weapon, which spawned/produced some sort of abomination monster thing, and, of course, murder his ass.
In the core, this game is just Wolfenstein: The New Order. It plays exactly the same and follows the same mechanics, controls, skill system, collectibles and cover. The exception is the pipe, which you can use as one big melee weapon, or as two nun chuck-like bars to fight dual handed.
The campaign in Wolfenstein: The Blood is a little short for my liking, for the simple story this game has, it could be expected, but still I hoped for a little more. For me, it redeemed itself with the excellent cut scenes the game offers, those enhanced the story dramatically.
In terms of graphics, they are the same as The New Order, but a little more polished. The explosions and bullet impacts have improved tough. Also, when talking pixels, I really liked the various Nightmare levels in which you play in 3D first person of the game, trough the pixelated old-school levels of the Wolfenstein 3D game. It was really fun to see a highly polished gun, firing on 2D pixels. The Sound design is the same as the original game.
What sets this game apart is its excellent combat encounters. The action is even better in this game than in The New Order. Fights are challenging, some new enemies are introduced like Nazi zombies (yeah boy) and overall, it just feels a lot more intense and balanced out. There are some stealth sections, which actually work, in comparison to The New Order, and the next moment, you go guns blazing, like you are used to.
The level design is excellent in Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. Combine this with the fantastic combat, as described earlier, and you are good to go. Every level was fun to play and felt rewarding. I was just really pleasantly surprised when scouring trough, the levels and the ease in which you go through them.
The new added challenge maps are also a lot of fun to play and, although hard as bricks, they are doable with the right practice. I think the most fun I had with this game, came from the challenges.
Overall, Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is a nice addition to the series and, so far, the best in terms of combat, in my honest opinion.
Definitely recommend trying it out for yourself.
