izigame.me

Writing this review after 100%-ing the game (almost, I missed 2 hidden characters in the first 2 levels but more on that later).
This game is meant as a prequel to the New Order. BJ has to get a folder which details the location pf Deathshead's secret compound which you assault in the New Order. What this game REALLY is however is a remake/reimagining of the first half of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, with some new mechanics, a much more fleshed out castle Wolfenstein but none of the interesting enemies and boss battles. If you have played RoCW you already know 95% of the story in this game.
I'll start with the conclusion: Basically if you liked the New Order you are going to like this and if you did not like the New Order you are not going to like this.
The good
- same fun combat as the New Order. Very little has changed here aside for the adition of zombies. The enemies are more or less the same with the adition of a single new enemy type, the sniper. Of course, since the game takes place before New Order you are going to get less advanced weapons.
- perk requirements are a lot more fun to do this time around and feel a lot less contrived. A lot of them are things that you might do naturally anyway. There are only 3 perks that require cheese, and that's because you want to get them as early as possible: Kill 20 commanders with stealth (which shows you the location of all collectibles), overcharge health to 200 and overcharge armor to 200.
- graphics and sound design are still excellent, just like in the New Order
- set-pieces are fun and high octane with a few glaring exception which I will detail later. Overal the pacing of the game is much better than the New Order's and the story doesn't teleport you all that much. Particular stand-outs are having to sneak past a ton of super-soldiers in Castle Wolfenstein and the telegondola fight while enemy jets are flying around trying to knock you down.
- the writing is much much better than in New Order and the various pieces of reports and diaries you find strewn about + the conversations you do a lot to build your adversaries into compelling characters instead of just caricatures.
- secret areas are back and the maps are generally fun to explore.
- smashing creates is a lot less tedious
- you can overcharge armor and armor pick-ups are actually useful now. If you headshot an enemy they'll drop the helmet.
- smashing zombi heads in with the pipe or blowing up a whole bunch of nazis with the rocket pistol is fun and cathartic.
- there are challenges, one per level, which you can play outside the main story for points and bragging rights.
- villains are more fleshed out and if you explore a bit you get some nice info on who they are and what they're about.
The maybe (these can be either pro or con depending on your tastes)
- collectibles are back and more numerous.
- nightmares are back with a vengeance. They took what was an easter-egg in the New Order and turned it into a new collectible. Each level has a nightmare bed which will load 1 level from ye ole Wolfenstein 3D, in exactly the same manner as the easter-egg in New Order. Problem is they've added a new type of collectible inside those levels, old silver bars, and you have to collect all of them in each level to unlock a second new collectible - hidden characters. To get those Old Silver bars you have to find every single secret in the level and explore every nook and cranny (or just use a map)\
- stealth is made artificially clumsier by the addition of challenges
- there is a new wall climbing mechanic. Basically in certain parts of the level where the wall looks a bit corroded you can use the pipe to climb the wall. The mechanic is IDENTICAL to Modern Warfare 2's (2009) ice level, meaning you have to left click, hold, right click, hold, etc. Thankfully the climbing sections are short but the system is highly irritating.
The bad
- challenges are designed in the worst way possible. Instead of making separate maps or adapting a part of the level for the challenge they just cut out a section of the level as is. This means that certain parts of each level are swarming with a ton of enemies where stealth is basically impossible because the alarm is hardcoded to sound and you then have to sit there and fight wave after wave of enemies. If you are the kind of person who tried to stealth the first game, no longer possible.
- characters are present on-screen for a grand total of 5 minutes. Every single character you meet either dies or leaves within the same level you meet them in, or at best a level later.
- the story is a copy of the first half of Return to Castle Wolfenstein which means that you already know 90% of it if you've played the game. Moreover since the game is a prequel you already know how it ends and the entire story is kind of pointless.
- some things are not explained at all. For instance the game does not tell you that you have to look for Old Silver in the nightmare levels or what it does, which can cause you to miss things such as hidden characters.
- the boss battle is very bad. Probably one of the worst ones I've ever played and I have played some stinkers in my day.
- weapon variety is poor. You have the knife, pistol, assault rifle, shotgun from the first game + 4 new but not really weapons. You get a pipe which you use as your main melee weapon instead of the knife and is also used to climb and open various hatches, a sawn-off shotgun, which is fun, a mostly useless sniper rifle and a rocket pistol that is basically the rocket attachment for the assault rifle from the New Order but worse in every way because it can only hold 1 ammo and ammunition is very very scarce.
- enemies are less varied than in New Order. You have dogs (but only in the first 3 levels), super-soldiers, infantry, shotguners, zombies, and a new enemy type the sniper. That's it. You also fight some drones on 2-3 occasions and you fight a panzerhund once.