Wolfenstein: Youngblood became available for players from across the world to jump in and experience for all major platforms on Friday, July 26th. There was plenty of anticipation for Wolfenstein: Youngblood with fans of the first-person shooter franchise very curious to see how the newest entry would go about handing the reins of the protagonist from Nazi nightmare B.J. Blazkowicz to his twin daughters of Sophia and Jessica. While Wolfenstein: Youngblood struggled to supply the same level of entertainment I found in various areas of its predecessor, Wolfenstein II: The New Colussus, this new addition to the fan-favorite franchise did provide its own unique experience to which I found very enjoyable.
The Terror Twins Steal the Show
This latest entry does not waste any time in introducing you to the grown-up versions of B.J. and Anya Blazkowicz’s twin daughters. With the unborn Sophia and Jessica having been introduced to me in my adventures of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, I was extremely excited to carry on their father and mother’s legacy of Nazi killing in true Blazkowicz fashion. This excitement was rewarded on the very first mission of Wolfenstein: Youngblood when Sophia and Jessica infiltrate a Nazi Zepplin to take out the new Nazi General of Wrinkler and find their father. Youngblood did an excellent job of showing the excitement and anxiety of Sophia and Jessica throughout their first mission.
Before heading off to Paris to find their father who had gone on a secret mission, the Blazkowicz daughters had never been in combat or killed a Nazi. This is shown by the sensitive nature of Sophia, who is visibly shaken when trying to line up a shot on an unsuspecting Nazi soldier. However, after some motivational talk from Jessica, the twins attack the Nazi soldier with Jessica first stabbing him in the gut. The soldier, however, can recover and aim his weapon at Jessica. A split second of gore then follows, as Sophia fires a round from her firearm and blows the head clean off of the Nazi soldier.
What follows is a joyous celebration from the twin Blazkowicz daughters, as they celebrate their very first Nazi kill. This celebration showed a passing of the torch from B.J. Blazkowicz to his daughters in what could be seen as a right of passage for the girls. Their father is the most famous Nazi killer in history who was able to eliminate Adolf Hitler himself. After having been trained all of their lives to be warriors who could face the Nazi threat, the energetic and feisty Blazkowicz twins took their first step of battling against one of the greatest evils the world has ever seen in the same manner their father has had to do throughout the majority of his life.
In the messed-up universe of the Wolfenstein franchise, it does not get much more rewarding to see Sophia and Jessica Blazkowicz carry on their father’s legacy in all of the adrenaline-fueled action Youngblood provides.
Freedom Reigns
Most single-player first-person shooters provide players a with linear path when it comes to completing missions to continue driving the story forward in an efficient manner. However, Wolfenstein: Youngblood does away with the linear gameplay of its predecessors and gives players much more freedom when it comes to completing missions. I found it to be very refreshing to have the ability to tackle the various purposes my allies assigned to me in any order I wished while also being able to take on small side quests in the multiple areas of Nazi-occupied Paris. This freedom, combined with the new cooperative feature that allows two players to battle Nazis together allows players to create their own unique experiences in manners not available in previous entries of the franchise.
The New Colossus Outdoes Youngblood
While Wolfenstein: Youngblood delivers its share of unique experiences, features, and gameplay, its elder in The New Colossus pushes past its counterpart in Youngblood in significant ways. Two of the most notable of these areas I noticed were the cast of supporting characters and the base of operations. From the very start, The New Colossus had a very diverse cast of characters who all provided their instances of humor, excitement, anger, and other emotions. However, I did not feel the same level of endearment to the supporting cast of characters in Wolfenstein: Youngblood. Whether it was my high level of expectation following The New Colossus or a lack of focus on the side characters in Youngblood, this entry in the franchise did not deliver the same level of enjoyment when it came to all of the surrounding characters.
This lack of interesting supporting characters then leads to the lack of enjoyment I found in Youngblood’s base of operations in the Catacombs. With less interesting characters filling up the various areas of the Catacombs base of operations, I was unable to find the same level of enjoyment I had when exploring the confines of the ship base of operations in The New Colossus.
Conclusion
Overall, fans of the high octane first-person shooter action the Wolfenstein franchise is known for should pick up a copy of Youngblood and experience its unique offerings. While it does not deliver the same exceptional experience of The New Colossus, Youngblood is a delightful sequel that can stand on its own and provide plenty of Nazi killing for fans.
