With Wolfenstein: Youngblood, Machine Games ushers the series into a new era. Coop mechanics, a level system, and familiar brutal action: the new series installment could make the summer drought much more bearable for shooter fans. Everything you need to know!
What is Wolfenstein: Youngblood? The legendary Wolfenstein has always been characterized by brutal action and rough dialogues. The goal in every Wolfenstein is to clear Nazis out of the way. It has been two years since the last installment of the series, The New Colossus.
On July 26, the new installment of the series, Youngblood, will be released on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, PC, and Xbox One. At E3 2019, Wolfenstein: Youngblood was available for play. The initial reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.
What is Wolfenstein: Youngblood about? 19 years have passed since the events in The New Colossus. The main protagonist and chief Nazi-slayer BJ Blazkowicz disappears on a mission in Europe. It is now up to his two daughters, Jess and Soph Blazkowicz, to follow the trail of their missing father.
Although their old man has drilled them, at the start of the game, the twin sisters have not yet killed a single Nazi. This circumstance leads to funny sequences that show that humor is not in short supply.
The two sisters are a core component of the largest innovation compared to older series installments, namely refined coop mechanics that come into play not only in direct combat.
What coop mechanics does Wolfenstein: Youngblood offer? In battles, you can flank enemies with the help of your partner, thus exposing weak points. You can also resurrect each other, which should be a great help in difficult boss fights.
But even outside of battles, you must cooperate with your sister. Some doors can only be opened together, and the mechanics for doing so vary. Sometimes you have to force heavy doors open together, or you have to enter codes that need to be read aloud from another part of the map. There are also the classic “activate two levers simultaneously” segments.
I don’t have a human partner, does the game work solo? If you are playing Wolfenstein: Youngblood solo, the computer will take control of your sister. However, it is still unclear how well the AI functions in this regard.
What else is different compared to previous series installments? Unlike in the past, you can now choose relatively freely in which order you want to complete missions. You unlock the central hub quite early in the game. This gives Wolfenstein: Youngblood a certain degree of gameplay freedom.
In addition, each of the sisters receives an ability and skill system, which you can further develop and improve throughout the story. This makes it even possible to build different “builds” by investing in various skills. This allows you to enhance your stealth skills, which gives you an advantage in combat.
How long will the main game’s campaign last? Executive Producer Jerk Gustafsson mentions 25-30 hours for players who want to experience everything, which is a reasonable duration for a campaign in a shooter.
Due to the many new features and the newly implemented coop system, Wolfenstein: Youngblood promises to be a good filler for the summer drought. The first voices from the specialist press are overwhelmingly positive. The colleagues at Gamestar have also already taken a look at the game:
Have you delved deeper into Wolfenstein: Youngblood? What is your first impression?
