The Hate List
Been There, Done That
Despite new weapons, charming characters, expansive levels and some new abilities, Wolfenstein Youngblood doesn’t feel all that fresh and “new”. The core Wolfenstein elements all return, which should not be surprising, and the combat largely feels the same. Sure, the co-op elements add a neat new twist and work really well, but even during a short one hour demo the environments and style of combat all seem the same. I’m hopefully MachineGames will mix up the formula a bit but there was a large feeling of déjà vu when playing that I could not shake.
I’ve Seen These Enemies Before
I expected new enemies but it certainly didn’t appear like you get new ones in Youngblood. Aside from taking much more time to take down (more of that later), Youngblood’s enemies are nearly identical to the enemies you’ll find in Wolfenstein 2. Right down to some of the super soldiers in the game that are absolute bullet sponges. Standing toe-to-toe with these enemies will only lead to your death, which I found out far too many times. That leads into my next point.
Enemies are Far Too Overpowered
Enemies in Youngblood now have health bars and as a result that can take more damage. A lot more damage. This makes your weapons feel like BB guns in some instances. Sure, you can take down grunts with a single shotgun blast but nearly all super soldiers and larger enemies need a ridiculous amount of shots to take down. It makes for combat that feels drawn out, annoying so.
There Will Be Microtransactions
I could have easily gone with the lack of a playable BJ Blazkowicz as one of my most hated aspects of the game but instead, it is the inclusion of microtransactions. Granted, it does not appear it can be used for the weapon or ability upgrades, which is positive, but the inclusion of any micros in a Wolfenstein game at all is a bummer. And there is no telling what they will be used for once the game is fully released. I recognize this is likely to offset the cheap entry point but hot damn micros suck and I hate that they’ve been included.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is set to be released for Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 26, 2019.