0 comments

The Old Colossus that Won’t Die: Wolfenstein

by on October 19, 2017
 

Prepare to set your favorite UK slot games aside: in a few weeks, we’ll finally be able to grab a copy of Bethesda’s latest alternate history cinematic occult Nazi robot killing game, Wolfenstein: The New Colossus. This time, we’ll get the chance to join William John “B. J.” Blazkowitz in his quest to aid the Resistance to start a New American Revolution that will (hopefully) rid the Land of the Free of German forces (if not, we can expect another sequel). This latest part in the series takes us into an alternate 1961 when the Nazis not only won World War II but conquered the United States, too. And, judging by the gameplay videos already released, it will be a pretty impressive ride.

Wolfenstein is a franchise with a history longer than some of you might think. When speaking of the “original” game in the series, most refer to Wolfenstein 3D, id Software’s take on the story, built by FPS legends John Carmack, John Romero, Adrian Carmack, and director Tom Hall. But the roots of the franchise go deeper into video game history, to a game released a full decade before the first FPS in the series.

Castle Wolfenstein

Castle Wolfenstein was a stealth-based action-adventure shooter developed by Muse Software, a company building software for Apple II and C64. It was innovative for its time (it was released in 1981) but had quite a few innovative features, like the use of digital voice samples, for example. The game was not the “kill’em’all” type, like the rest of the franchise, but players had the option to hide, sneak, and avoid contact with the Nazis in order to escape.

The game was well-received by players and critics alike, selling 20,000 units by June 1982, and getting the “Computer Game of the Year” at the 4th annual Arkie Awards. It was followed by a sequel called “Beyond Castle Wolfenstein” in 1984, which couldn’t repeat the original’s success.

Wolfenstein 3D

Wolfenstein 3D was not a remake of “Castle Wolfenstein” but it was inspired by it. Its players have the chance to control Allied spy William “B.J.” Blazkowicz during the Second World War as he tries to escape the ominous castle, which serves as a Nazi prison. During his quest, he has to overtake dogs and Nazi soldiers, find secret rooms, take on increasingly tough classes of enemies, with the final boss being Adolf Hitler himself, in a robotic suit, and equipped with four chain guns.

The game, released in 1992 as a shareware, became the top-selling title of the year, attracted praise from critics and players alike, and was sold in at least 200,000 exemplaries by the end of 1993.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein

After nine years of silence, B. J. Blazkowitz returned to arms in the 2001 remake/reboot of the series, Return to Castle Wolfenstein. This time, things got paranormal: the Office of Secret Actions (OSA) sends US Army Ranger William “B.J.” Blazkowicz and British operative Agent One to Egypt to investigate the activity of the Nazi SS Paranormal Division. What happens next shouldn’t surprise anyone: zombies, soldiers, a lot of shooting, and other such goodies. We get to meet B. J.’s nemesis, Wilhelm “Deathshead” Strasse for the first time – this character is pretty constant for the coming games in the series.

The game had favorable reviews, decent sales (350,000 copies sold between 2001 and 2006) and was almost adapted as a big screen feature directed by Rob Cohen. Later, director Roger Avary was also mentioned in relation to the movie, which is currently deep in development hell.

Wolfenstein

Eight more years have passed until the next reboot of the franchise, with titles like Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory and Wolfenstein RPG crammed in between. The 2009 game, called simply “Wolfenstein”, takes its players (and B. J.) into Isenstadt, a fictional town occupied by the Nazis for its rare Nachtsonne crystals they need to access the “Black Sun” dimension. Familiar faces – like Obergruppenführer Wilhelm “Deathshead” Strasse (promoted since the 2001 game) – also appear in the game. Nazi soldiers and ferocious monsters appear all across the game, and the accent is clearly on the occult part of the Nazi war machine.

Wolfenstein sold 100,000 units in the first month from its release and was generally well received by audiences and critics alike – but not well enough, which resulted in layoffs at developer Raven Software.

Wolfenstein: The New Order (and beyond)

Wolfenstein: The New Order was a “soft reboot” of the franchise, which doesn’t erase all the events before it but establishes a brand new direction. This time, the game is set in the 1960s, after the victory of the Nazis, but it brings back familiar characters, like General Deathshead and Helga von Schabbs. And the next part of the story will arrive on October 27th this year.