Review Mazinkaiser 5/5 · Mar 31, 2019
Wolfenstein RPG: A Mobile Hit
Wolfenstein RPG does the unthinkable: take the Wolfenstein series, make it a phone game, and make it even better than any entry that came out previously. Wolfenstein RPG is packed with fun and challenging elements that keep the player interacting with their environment at all times and making sure each weapon is used in creative situations.
Re-telling the tale of …
Wolfenstein RPG does the unthinkable: take the Wolfenstein series, make it a phone game, and make it even better than any entry that came out previously. Wolfenstein RPG is packed with fun and challenging elements that keep the player interacting with their environment at all times and making sure each weapon is used in creative situations.
Re-telling the tale of BJ Blazkowicz fighting a supernatural Nazi threat, you'll be traveling to eight different dungeon locations. The areas are fairly low-res but look much better than the mazes of Wolfenstein 3D, adopting the gently muddy colors of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. The sounds pop and don't feel grating, and an array of colorful characters and enemies wait around every corner.
The tone is sillier than ever, without feeling too creepily filled with Nazi designs. Chickens can be kicked, an NPC leaves behind steamy romance novels, and your ally is a double agent that proves to be quite the puzzle-worthy homme fatale later on. A well-meaning weird fellow even pops up every now and then to challenge you to a card game of War. There are important items stashed around every corner and secrets have very good tell-tale signs if the player is observant enough, rewarding bullets, health packs, and weird items like dentures and girly mags. It's all great fun.
The turn-based mechanic format really shines, where enemies act and move right after you do - the enemies can attack and move unlike you, creating a disadvantage that will force the player to think carefully about maneuvering and leading lines of enemies. Will shooting at a distance be rewarded? Or will punching a skeleton's head off up close do extra damage? Each enemy must be dealt with accordingly, and while some weapons are intensely useful (the sniper rifle, whew!) resources must be conserved. At times a good boot or punch at the right time can save just the ammo you need. As for the RPG aspect, the player goes up about five or so levels in the game but experience gathering can be done by destroying almost everything, giving a therapeutic feel to kicking down tables, flags, portraits, and chickens.
As for syringes, the game also has a dizzy array of special stat effects that can be injected via syringes, and different materials can be mixed into these syringes for some rewarding strategies. No boss leaves you frustrated as the right array of syringes is just at hand, and can be stockpiled quite easily.
The game's not too long (it has to fit on mobile phones, of course) but it's a wonderfully breezy game. Featuring the most personality I've seen in Wolfenstein along with difficulty that feels challenging yet satisfyingly fair, this is super fun. It's not just one of the best Wolfenstein games, it's one of the best phone games.