Youngblood is the latest installment in the Wolfenstein series, once again inviting players on PC, Xbox One, PS4, and even Nintendo Switch to take on a fictional Nazi regime. Our authors Benedict and Jürgen were able to test the new shooter in co-op mode for a few hours in advance. Here is our first impression.
Today, on July 25th at 7 PM, Wolfenstein: Youngblood launches for PC on Steam and via Bethesda.net. PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch will have to wait until July 26th. Find out in our preview whether the new Wolfenstein is worth it.
Preview of Youngblood: What the new Wolfenstein offers
What is Youngblood about? April 1980: A few years after the events of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, protagonist BJ Blazkowicz disappears, leaving no word to his wife and two daughters, Jess and Soph.
After some investigation, the twin sisters find out that their father has settled in Paris. There they begin their search, and we embark on a co-op adventure where we learn more and more about Blazkowicz’s whereabouts and his daughters’ motives. Key features of the game include:
- Pure co-op action: The co-op aspect of Youngblood is the most important feature of the game. Everything in the new Wolfenstein revolves around the two sisters fighting together. Many doors and containers can only be opened with two players. If you don’t have a friend to play with, an AI will assist you.
- A leveling and skill system: The longer you play, the further you progress. For each level, you earn skill points with which you can learn new abilities, such as special stealth skills or the ability to wield two weapons at once.
- Familiar and new Nazis: Youngblood wouldn’t be a Wolfenstein if there weren’t plenty of Nazis for us to take down. Familiar enemies like diesel soldiers or tank dogs will face us, but there are also entirely new boss fights providing challenges.
- A (semi-)open world: Youngblood allows us to explore the environment more freely than its predecessors. While there isn’t an open world per se, we have the freedom to approach missions as we wish. Although there is a story arc, we can relatively freely complete it whenever we want.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood – A really cool shooter with great co-op
In our test, Jürgen and I started playing together immediately. The collaboration is quite simple: One player hosts a session and chooses a sister. They can then invite friends from their friends list (for example via Steam). The friend takes over the other sister, and you can play together.
How does Youngblood play in co-op?
How good is Youngblood in co-op: In our session, we played the first mission on General Winkler’s zeppelin and the subsequent mission, the return to the client. Both missions were quite challenging and required a lot of coordination.
We quickly noticed that Youngblood is really designed for co-op gameplay. Whenever one of us ventured out alone for a moment, we both quickly met our demise.
However, when we played as a team, coordinated and supported each other, everything went smoothly. Armored Nazis? No problem. Closed doors? Opened with teamwork. One gets lost? The other helps find the way.
In short: In Youngblood, co-op is not an option, but a necessity. Those who play alone are therefore directly supported by a useful AI.
How does the Buddy Pass work? Accordingly, the Deluxe Edition of Wolfenstein: Youngblood offers a so-called “Buddy Pass.” The edition costs €10 more than the standard edition. This allows you to invite a friend to play along. They do not need to own Youngblood.
Once you’ve selected to host a game, you have the option to use the Buddy Pass. The corresponding friend you want to invite must own the demo version and have a linked account with Bethesda.net. You can then easily invite them to join.
The pass can be used as often as desired for as many friends as you want, but always for only one friend at a time.
Youngblood is quite a challenge
How hard is Youngblood: The co-op aspect is also reflected in the difficulty of Youngblood. We played only on the “normal” difficulty and already died multiple times in the first two missions.
For us, Youngblood felt quite “challenging,” but not too hard or “overtuned.” The fact that the enemies do not simply fall down gives us the feeling that we are not overpowered supersoldiers rushing through the wimpy Nazis. Instead, we are two girls searching for dad.
There are quite a few save points, so dying is not too tragic. However, it indicates where we made mistakes and how we can improve. In our session, we quickly learned how to play best together and coordinate.
For us, it quickly became clear: Youngblood is not a shooter where you can just shoot around a bit. We have to approach tactically and defend ourselves against real danger if we want to progress. This turned out to be unexpectedly fun.
The features of Youngblood
The core feature of Youngblood is certainly the co-op mode, but many other things make the game truly enjoyable. We took a closer look at various aspects of the new Wolfenstein.
The graphics of Wolfenstein: Youngblood
How good does Youngblood look: Even during our first play session, we noticed how much the graphics and details of Youngblood have to offer. The graphics are exceptionally beautiful and quite detailed for such a bloody shooter.
While we do not see explicit brains and intestines splattering, certain finishing moves where we execute enemies with their own weapons or dismember them are visually very appealing and quite thrilling.
In addition, the entire environment provides cool details. The zeppelin we infiltrate has its own cinema with films like “The French Chef” and an arcade with video games like “Frogger,” “Sausage Worm,” and “Super Punch.” Such little things in the environment often made us smile.
How good is the gameplay?
How Youngblood plays: The controls in the new Wolfenstein are quite enjoyable. We played on PC, but assume that the versions for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch are similarly intuitive.
Much in the game explains itself or is explained through the journal and laptops lying around, which we can always refer back to. This way, we keep learning more about how to master our characters and defeat enemies.
Elements like leveling up, upgrading skills, and weapon mods differentiate Youngblood from its predecessors, but fit well with the game. It’s exciting to see what can be done and then work towards it.
How comprehensive is the story?
So much story unfolds: We haven’t played very far into the story of Youngblood yet. However, in the first two missions, it hinted that there will be significantly more to discover than just the whereabouts of Dad BJ. How did Soph and Jess even get the motorcycle armor and to Paris?
Youngblood is not supposed to provide a story as extensive as the main parts of the series. Nevertheless, we had the impression that there is enough story present to keep us engaged for quite a while.
Long-term motivation: How long will the new Wolfenstein keep you engaged?
What Youngblood offers in the long run: Jürgen and I completed the first two main missions in the nearly two hours we played, and we didn’t take much time to explore the area.
In an interview with VentureBeat, Executive Producer Jerk Gustafsson stated that it would take about 25 to 30 hours to complete Youngblood. This aligns with our first impression and assessment.
However, we could not find a high replay value. It is fun to see how the characters evolve, and we are curious to see how the story continues.
Playing Youngblood a second time seems a bit unnecessary. Because once the story is concluded and the characters developed, it seems the game is done. Whether something will come in the future or at the end that increases the replay value is still unknown.
However, if you simply enjoy the setting, you will likely be able to play Youngblood multiple times on higher difficulty levels. Fans of story shooters like Resident Evil and Tomb Raider often give their favorites multiple honors as well.
Is Wolfenstein: Youngblood a game for me?
Whether the new Nazi co-op shooter is worth your time is always a very subjective question. Here’s our assessment:
Youngblood is worth it for you if …
- you’re looking for a cool co-op shooter to play through with a friend.
- you enjoy a pretty environment and an engaging setting.
- you just want to take down some Nazis.
- you appreciate character development in a shooter.
- you’re into a lot of violence and blood in a shooter.
Youngblood is probably not for you if …
- you’re only looking for fast shooter action without much thought.
- you want more story and less action and tactics from a Wolfenstein.
- RPG elements in a shooter bother you.
- you find co-op annoying.
