Wolfenstein: The New Order completely blew me away when it launched last May, quickly become my game of the year and one of the few times I had no regrets in purchasing a full priced $60 title. It rebooted a series close to my heart with a story that presented an alternate future full of strong characters led by an even stronger lead (BJ Blazkowicz). When the game ended, I wanted more. I hoped that this wasn’t going to be just a one-off event, left alone to not see a edition for another five years.
The Old Blood is a prequel to The New Order that isn’t so much a piece of DLC as it is a standalone expansion pack. For fans of the original game, it is a welcome return to the adventures of BJ Blazkowicz. For those who haven’t dived into the game yet, it provides a solid $20 experience that is heavy on content and light on price.
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood takes place in 1946, directly before the events of The New Order and after the events of Wolfenstein 2009 and Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Fresh from his victory over Deathshead and destruction of the Nazi Black Sun project, Blazkowicz is back on a new mission: Find the key intelligence needed for the assault on Deathshead’s compound (in New Order).
Compared to The New Order, Old Blood is an expansion and wears that fact on its sleeve. It was developed in the span of a year and that’s painfully obvious by how certain scenes are dragged out past their welcome. The first level is a patience grinding stealth section that has you sneaking by bots on a physical track to open a door and…do it again, five or six times.
The shortened development cycle is also apparent in the level design, much of which is either completely linear or makes it impossible to complete with 100% stealth.
Where The Old Blood excels is in its Wolfenstein-y nature. Getting a headshot with a silenced pistol and hearing the soft pop as another Nazi dies is just as satisfying as ever, as is the option to run around with shotguns akimbo, blowing off limbs and causing as much mayhem as possible. Guns feel like they have real weight behind each shot.
Also back are the collection and progression systems that made us want to use all of the weapons in The New Order. Gone are the enigma codes, but the letters, gold, and other collectibles still remain. Instead of forcing the player to collect enigma codes in order to unlock new mini-games, each level unlocks its own challenge mode, reliving one of that chapter’s battles with an emphasis on stacking kill combos.
Characters also suffer from the shortened experience, never getting enough airtime to build a relationship with the player before they are unceremoniously killed off. There are some interesting, if hamfisted, callbacks like the primary antagonist being the daughter of Doctor Schabbs from Wolfenstein 3D, but I didn’t have the same love/hatred of my allies and enemies as I did in The New Order.
If Machine Games had tried to peddle this off for a full $60, I’d probably tell you to stay far away. For a $20 expansion that bridges the gap with Wolfenstein 2009, I can’t say I regret the purchase. If it helps ensure that Machine Games can justify the budget to make a full sequel to The New Order, I’m willing to oblige.
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