Love/Hate Wolfenstein: Youngblood Edition
Wolfenstein: Youngblood still plays, and very much feels, like a modern-day Wolfenstein game. But the co-operative elements give the series a fresh new take. This time around you’ll play as one of BJ Blazkowicz’s twin daughters undertaking a mission to find your missing father in 1980s Paris. With new weapons, gadgets and power-up abilities, Youngblood promises to bring in new ways to kick the crap out of Nazis. I spent almost an hour going hands-on with Youngblood at E3 2019 and loved a lot of what I played. However, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Check out our list of things I loved and hated about Wolfenstein: Youngblood.
The Love List
Playing a Co-Op Wolfenstein is Pretty Rad
Playing alongside a friend as you unlock doors, search rooms and take down hordes of varied Nazi enemies is pretty damn fun. Much more enjoyable than I anticipated. The levels are large enough so that you never feel like you are tripping over each other. The maps also allow you to move around quickly but also contain enough ammo and health, so that you’re never really in too much trouble. If you are down, your partner can get you back in the game. Likewise, if you need armor your co-op buddy can flash an emote and sauce you some. The enemies are relentless, so communication is also a critical component of the co-operative gameplay. It all just works and works incredibly well.
Likeable Characters
The twins are charming and just like the previous games, MachineGames does a nice job creating characters who are relatable and with whom you quickly establish an emotional bond. Soph and Jes are two characters you immediately start rooting for. They are cute, sassy, and tough as nails, but also uncertain and inexperienced. In the demo, we saw a glimpse of their personalities, but really getting to know them is going to be a blast. The banter between the girls is captivating and it most certainly left me wanting to play more to find out where the story leads us. With many shooters I find myself skipping the cut-scenes. I won’t be doing that with Wolfenstein: Youngblood.
Decent Progression System
Youngblood encourages exploration. I found myself wanting to search every room and collect everything as I powered up my tech, weaponry, and armor. My partner wanted to rush through things but I was more interested in plodding along. Taking down enemies and searching levels results in a system that is not only necessary but has some addictive elements as well. The progression and skill tree system in Youngblood is pretty good, albeit nothing too original.
Half the Price of an AAA Game
The best part of this Wolfenstein game, in my view, is the price point. At $30 bucks, this seems like a steal. Granted, this could be a very abbreviated and stripped-down version of the game. If you recall, Wolfenstein 2’s DLC was brutally lackluster, so hopefully, Youngblood doesn’t head down the same path. Regardless, $30 for a game developers are saying has more content (but a shorter campaign) than other Wolfenstein games sounds promising and pretty good bang for the buck.