Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017) review

MachineGames' rebooted take on the classic gaming franchise was an instant but improbable hit, following just years after a similar attempt to reboot the franchise by Raven Software.

Wolfenstein: The New Order quickly found acclaim, both critically and commercially. Given that, perhaps a sequel isn't that much of a surprise. The same can't be said for the unlikely events that now loom large over this particular Wolfenstein game.

Somehow, we now live in a world that can find controversy with the series’ long history of painting Nazis as the bad guys. Fortunately, MachineGames are more than capable of delivering a potent rebuttal to the uncanny new expectations thrust upon the franchise by the zeitgeist.

Unlikely as it all sounds, The New Colossus has something nuanced, meaningful and relevant to articulate alongside its usual trademark blend of ultra-violence.

Freedom force

Picking up more-or-less right where The New Order left off, The New Colossus sees you resume the mantle of William Blazkowicz. Bruised, battered, but still dead-keen on seeing an end to the Nazi regime that took over the world whilst he slept in a coma, BJ and his crew of freedom fighters set their sights on raising a rebellion in a once-united now-enslaved America.

Despite that sweeping premise and promise, The New Colossus mostly takes place in three cities: New York, Roswell and New Orleans. For the most part, these are the theaters of war across which you’ll be fighting for American freedom. Across each mission in the game, you'll infilitrate Nazi bases and steal anything valuable you can turn into a weapon against the regime and destroy whatever you can't. Sometimes, you're looking to acquire an experimental piece of technology. Other times, you're looking to liberate freedom fighters and recruit them to your cause.

Regardless of the specifics, The New Colossus gives you an impressive amount of freedom in how you want to achieve that goal. You can go in guns blazing or stealth your way through and quietly pick enemies off one-by-one. Though the overall arsenal of weapons at your disposal here is pretty similar in size to that of the first game, BJ's melee attacks and stealth take-downs are spiced up with the addition of a hatchet.

Even if the feel and flow of the combat plays things safe, the level design leads the action in a more adventurous direction. Compared to the first game, in-game locations often feel more like believable spaces and less like video game levels.

The exploration and combat in The New Colossus is made further fresher with the addition of the new upgrades that come during the game’s latter acts. Once unlocked, BJ can either tower over enemies using the stilt-like Battle Walkers, smash through walls using the Ram Shackles or slip into slight gaps using the Constrictor Harness.

All told, the single player campaign in Wolfenstein II shakes out as a fairly lengthy affair. In size, it’s very comparable to its predecessor and much like The New Order, you’ll have the chance to interact with the different members of the Kreisau Circle between missions. In addition, MachineGames have padded out the adventure with optional side-quest content. This isn't anything major, but it does give you a reason to stick around after reaching the credits.

Having said that, it is interesting to revisit later levels and approach them differently. In addition, the difficulty you play through The New Colossus does a lot to color the gunfights and action sequences it offers. On easy, it’s a frantic delight. On higher difficulties, it’s a nail-bitingly tight shooter that pushes constantly pushes you to your limits to overcome to odds stacked against you.

More than mechanics

Although the level design and gunplay in The New Colossus are clear highlights, it’s surprising how much the game thrives on the moments between those mechanics.

Like the first game in the rebooted franchise, Wolfenstein II leans into its storytelling and narrative to surprisingly affective results. It takes the time to flesh out the character of both BJ himself and the various personalities who tag along for the ride. The New Colossus also goes out of its way to allow you to really breath-in the grim implications of the game’s setting and connect with the emotions, ups and downs of cast who live in it.

Although the game wastes little time as it zigs and zags, rolling you from one spectacular set piece to another, it’s quickly made clear MachineGames understand how to do more than just blockbuster storytelling.

The Swedish developer’s Nazi-ridden take on the 1960s is probably not a place I’d like to live. Nevertheless, the game’s cast of magnetic misfits and charismatic rogue do such a great job of endearing themselves that, if I had to be stuck in such a dystopia, these are exactly the kind of people you’d want to be stuck with.

The New Colossus leans especially hard into that aspect of the experience in the moments where the high-stakes drama and action of the main-plot is put on the back-burner and you’re given the chance to just hang out with your comrades. It’s an unexpectedly nuanced approach given the franchise involved, but it pays off in spades.

Without spoiling anything, it's fair to say that The New Colossus’ final verdict on Nazis (or America) isn’t a kind one – nor is it as simplistic or immature as the series' past effort.

MachineGames did not throw away their shot to say to do something new with a franchise that’s often seen as a shallow, albeit-enjoyable set up to a predictable punchline. This isn’t to say that the game is bone-achingly serious the whole way through. In fact, The New Colossus probably indulges its zanier subplots far more than the first game ever did.

The Bottom Line

Even if you’re not looking for something that’ll push you to your limits on difficulty or even if you’re the kind of person who usually plays things for the story, MachineGames have built something that’s both meticulously well-crafted and open-ended enough to let you make the experience your own.

Wolfenstein: The New Colossus is a sharply-written and well-designed first-person shooter that’s tremendously fun to play. The studio responsible have managed to execute on a story-driven shooter that’s culturally relevant without being hamfisted about it or defined by it. It doesn’t necessarily lean on the political moment we are all collectively experiencing in the aftermath of the US election, but it is definitely elevated by it.

Unlikely as it all sounds – Wolfenstein: The New Colossus is worth far more than its mechanics alone, but if that’s all you’re there for you’ll probably still come away with plenty to like.