Review for Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Game for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 26/07/2019
Version for Google Stadia from 19/11/2019
The history of the world, as we well know, is made up of heroes. Real or presumed heroes and the thriving videogame realm is no exception. Often times it has happened to us to proudly accompany the exploits of a champion committed to eradicating the deepest evil, of any shape and type, thus giving us that right mix of satisfaction and a sense of pride that is completely priceless. In the midst of this gigantic cauldron of ideas and proposals, it is genuinely impossible not to mention the name of William “BJ” Blazkovicz, protagonist of the Wolfenstein saga and a real hero for many young (and not only) players, which has become a real legend over the years.
The granite big man with platinum blonde hair has vanquished entire armies of Nazis, force in command in the dystopian imagery created by Bethesda for his creature, up to the elimination of the Furher himself. With the arrival of Wolfenstein: Youngblood, things were bound to change. The new title developed by MachineGames, with the collaboration of Id Software and Arkane Studios (Prey, Dishonored), born almost as a sort of experiment, immediately took care to set the record straight, with all due respect to the fans. William Blazkovicz is no longer the protagonist of the series, or rather he is no longer the playable character and, indeed, represents the final purpose of this new mission. against the fearsome Nazi army. Net of these premises, which could have frightened even the most loyal of fans, we found ourselves on our hands a complete and not at all renouncing title, capable of dispelling its erroneous spin-off connotation in a few hours. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a solid product, of the highest quality, able to continue the story set by the development team decades ago. with attitude and determination, but without that taste of epicness that one breathed deeply at every step of the good "BJ". But, we repeat: woe to define it as a side chapter! Too bad only for the absence of a really relevant antagonist ...
In search of Blazkovic
As we have already revealed to you just now, in Wolfenstein: Youngblood we will not play the (huge) clothes of the good BJ, but of his daughters: Zophia and Jessie. Yes, you got it right: daughters. The new title of the saga takes a courageous leap into the future of about two decades, thus bringing the narrative and structural system to the 80s. The change of vintage does not particularly affect the general setting, actually very similar to that of the previous chapters of the saga, with a (gigantic) variant: the nature of the maps. In this element you can feel all the innovation brought to the series, also the result of the collaboration with the development team creator of IP such as Dishonored and Prey. Arkane Studios has been able to inject a much more dynamic and varied system into the "rigid" world of Wolfenstein. In the maps designed by the development team it is possible to find shortcuts, secret passages that can be unlocked through the use of new equipment (in the style of metroidvania, almost) and various collectibles, without ever forgetting the beating heart of the saga: the gunplay. Wolfenstein: Youngblood does not differ from the classic formula, and the two Blazkovicz twins represent, as well as their father, two real war machines. Their staging is completely convincing, despite everything.
Their young age is revealed several times, and it could not be otherwise. During the journey in search of their lost father, Soph and Jess will give life to childhood moments, mixed with strength with the will to grow up, but with a very perceptible and understandable underlying fragility. So the help of several side NPCs is welcome, which in some cases reach the main hub (the Catacombs) once freed or found, a bit like it happens in souls-like, making several better progression. And here the clear structural cut made by the developers is revealed even more. During the 12-15 hours of gameplay required to complete the main Wolfenstein: Youngblood campaign, it will be natural for you to try your hand at - many - secondary missions that are gradually unlocked thanks to the NPCs present in the Catacombs, missions that, however, sometimes become practically mandatory to continue in the story. Each mission is in fact characterized by a minimum level to be completed and especially in single player this limitation is felt throughout. It will be very difficult to continue before reaching and exceeding the minimum level required by the mission in question and to do so you will have to embrace the role-playing nature, at times almost looter-shooter, to which the game winks on several occasions.
Body, Mind and ... Power!
The new structural lymph also extends to the development and progression of the two avatars. Once you have chosen which of the two sisters to play, a progression that is much more like an RPG than an FPS will open up in front of the player, complete with skill trees, levels, weapon upgrades and more. Hence the need to power up well before proceeding with the story by exploiting, as we said, the many secondary activities scattered around the game world. Jessie and Zophia can develop elements such as the maximum amount of health and shields available, the ability to become invisible for a certain amount of time or to wield the gigantic weapons wielded by numerous enemy soldiers, thus giving rise to a fair variety of approaches to the many firefights. Because yes, despite the many new features, Wolfenstein: Youngblood is still an FPS in the soul, and it is precisely in clashes with enemy troops that it offers its best, albeit with some limitations.
The role-playing nature given to Wolfenstein: Youngblood affects progression on more than one occasion. Often it is necessary to stop to level or carry out secondary missions in order to then continue the story but, above all, in some situations the nature of the game designed to be enjoyed in a cooperative seems to be too marked. Yes, the main goal of the developers was to offer a title designed to play in company, and from this point of view the mission is more than successful. Playing in the company of a friend is much more advantageous and fun, also considering the fact that the Nazi forces (always in massive numbers, almost overwhelming) are much easier to keep at bay in the company of a "human" ally. The controlled sister of the AI, in fact, repeatedly becomes the protagonist of various blunders, leaving the task of annihilating the tough enemies in the hands of the player. In truth, from this point of view an important premise must be made: standard enemies go down which is a pleasure, but this cannot be said for the special ones. The toughest opponents, actually present in large quantities, need a much more tactical and thrifty approach to be defeated, and the most appropriate solution is to search their body for the now classic weak point, marked by the inevitable color crosshair. red.
This work therefore seems to want to clarify once again the intention of the developers to enjoy the title in company. Being able to join the games of friends, but not only, and the presence of daily, weekly missions and various challenges, then offers the creature of Bethesda a different location within the market. In conclusion, continuing to play it after finishing the main campaign, perhaps with a friend, with the aim of strengthening as much as possible, can be a splendid way to interpret an endgame finally worthy of being called such.
Beautiful and possible!
On the strictly technical front, Wolfenstein: Youngblood fully convinces, without upsetting and without too much effort. The game engine is the same as Wolfenstein II and for better or for worse you notice it immediately. Even on a strictly artistic level, in fact, the new title moved by the now almost outdated id Tech 6 offers glimpses that are already seen and not very original, but with an impact and charisma at times unassailable. A great merit of the developers is certainly the optimization speech. On PC, with a test configuration that is anything but sensational, the game runs perfectly, anchored in a granite way to the 60fps and with a resolution equal to Full HD.
With the detail level set to ultra the last effort of MachineGames offers an important glance, made of very successful light games, well-kept environmental elements, good quality particles and very convincing facial animations of the various protagonists and natural. The sound component, on the other hand, is very anonymous. If the feeling returned by the sound of weapons and explosions is unparalleled, the same cannot be said for dubbing and sound tracks in general. The first dusts off the now same phrases already present from New Order (Granaten! Etc.) while the second is far from the memorable and completely anonymous. Not a trifle, but not even anything sensational, which does not affect the overall evaluation of the product that much.
Don't offend it by calling it a simple spin-off: the Youngblood experiment can be said to be more than successful. The work done by the guys at Machine Games on Wolfenstein: Younblgood, in collaboration with Arkane Studios, proved to be of the highest level, from the first to the last minute. The new rolistic mechanics have given depth to a saga supported by one of the most spectacular and satisfying gunplay ever, which returns here in all its glory, and indeed opens up to new solutions. The choice to make the title totally usable in co-op has undoubtedly changed the playful structure of the production, which is still fully enjoyable alone, but which thus opens up to mechanics well known to all fans of those games in which to collaborate with neighbor becomes fundamental. And the choice to include daily quests, challenges and weekly assignments, well, can only represent a plus. On all this there is an altogether pleasant story, which opens the way to a future that is far from obvious for the saga but which is content to remain only good and not to dare towards excellence. Long story short: if you had forty euros to spend, now you know where.
► Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a Shooter type game developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Google Stadia, the video game was released on 26/07/2019
Version for Google Stadia from 19/11/2019
