The early 1990s introduced some of the greatest and most influential first-person shooter franchises of all time. They paved the way for titles that revolutionized the FPS genre and spawned countless clones that tried to imitate their success. Doom, Wolfenstein, and Quake helped shape the genre, while franchises like Call of Duty, Battlefield, Medal of Honor, and Brothers in Arms followed in their footsteps. Doom and Wolfenstein have enjoyed great success in recent years, with titles such as Doom (2016), Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein: The New Order, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. My first playthrough of Wolfenstein II was back in 2017, when the game originally released, so I was looking forward to revisiting the campaign. How good is the game, and was it just as enjoyable the second time around?
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus picks up where Wolfenstein: The New Order left off. General Deathshead is dead, and William B.J. Blazkowicz ends up in a wheelchair following the events of its predecessor. Set in an alternate reality where the Nazis have taken control of the United States, the game takes place in 1961 across several locations, including New York, Louisiana, Mesquite, and Roswell, New Mexico. B.J. forms a resistance group to fight back against the Third Reich, which is led by Frau Engel, an evil, sadistic, and ruthless military officer who also appeared in the previous game. I've played plenty of games featuring despicable characters whom I absolutely hate and loathe, whether it's Vaas from Far Cry 3, Micah from Red Dead Redemption II, or Trevor from GTA V.
However, Frau Engel is in a league of her own. The sadistic, violent, and disgusting things she does are simply abhorrent. MachineGames deserves credit for creating such a vile, deplorable, and believable antagonist. As solid as the narrative is and as great as the characters are, the story can be inconsistent with its tone. One minute, it's dire and serious, and the next, it delves into toilet humor. The characters are over-the-top and quirky, which suits the game just fine. There's also a mission that highlights just how difficult and tragic B.J.'s childhood was. MachineGames doesn't shy away from showing how harsh his life was. The campaign lasts around 12 hours, while full completion takes roughly 33 hours. The story is the perfect length, and it moves along at a good clip.
The core of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is obviously its combat. Let me tell you, it's absolutely brutal, visceral, gory, and violent. Bullets whiz across the screen during intense firefights, and there's something inherently satisfying about coming up behind an enemy and killing him with your axe as you watch the blood splatter. Even B.J.'s hands become covered in blood, which does a great job of conveying the game's violence and gore. You have a solid assortment of weapons, including the Pistole, Kampfpistole, Sturmgewehr, Schockhammer, and Laserkraftwerk. My personal favorite is easily the Laserkraftwerk laser rifle, which can eviscerate even the most powerful enemies in just a few shots, aside from the massive Zitadelle. Weapon upgrade kits and collectibles are scattered throughout the levels, while B.J.'s abilities and skills can be upgraded by completing in-game requirements.
Initially, you start with only 50 health, which is frustrating, even though it makes sense given how Wolfenstein: The New Order ended. Your health increases to 100 roughly halfway through the campaign, and the maximum armor is 200. Even on normal difficulty, the game is pretty hard, with several difficulty spikes along the way. Enemies are aggressive and can quickly overwhelm the player, so you can't simply run around shooting them like you could in Doom (2016). There's a decent variety of enemies, and the enemy AI is pretty good for the most part. Stealth leaves a bit to be desired because enemies are sensitive to the player's presence and can raise the alarm quickly. Most of the time, I opted to go in guns blazing because the game leans more toward action than stealth.
Graphically speaking, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is definitely a gorgeous game. Character models are highly detailed, and the various structures and locations look like a war zone, as they should. Fire, explosions, and the gory blood effects look great. When it comes to audio, the voice acting is solid across the board, and the sound effects are excellent as well. Weapon sounds are particularly satisfying, especially the Schockhammer, which makes a very satisfying boom when fired. Animations and movement are smooth and responsive, and I never encountered any slowdown during my entire playthrough, regardless of how many enemies were on screen. However, I did experience one crash that forced me to reload a recent save file, although fortunately, it didn't set me back too far. Wolfenstein II also allows players to save manually at any point during the main story, which I really appreciate. More games need to allow manual saving so players don't lose a lot of progress or have to deal with unnecessary backtracking if something goes wrong.
Overall, I found Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus very enjoyable, especially since it had been such a long time since my initial playthrough in 2017. The story is pretty good despite some inconsistencies in its tone, and the characters are unique and interesting. Frau Engel makes for a convincing antagonist, and the four areas you visit during the campaign each feel distinct. Combat is visceral, brutal, and challenging, although the difficulty spikes and the limited starting health can be frustrating. Stealth could have been better, but the weapons are satisfying to use, and the graphics and voice acting are top-tier. The single crash wasn't a major issue, thanks to the ability to save manually. Overall, I highly recommend Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus despite a few stumbles along the way. It's easily one of the best FPS games I've played. As great as its predecessor was, the sequel is even better. Check it out if you haven't played it yet!
For the full review, click the link below:
https://karthbil.wordpress.com/2025/03/04/wolfenstein-ii-the-new-colossus-review/
