A Nazi-infested world crafted by Arkane looks exactly as you think it should.
Dishonored’s Dunwall excelled at polarity, its pomp and majesty juxtaposed with decay and death. Neu-Paris, too, echoes Arkane’s masterfully macabre world-building. But where Dunwall’s untold stories swam in the eyes of its dead and dying, Wolfenstein: Youngblood’s Neu-Paris has no time for such sentiment. It is a city ravaged by war, yes, but there are no survivors padding these cobbled streets. There are only the self-indulgent trappings of the Reich, the endless pageantry of polished mahogany and billowing banners and scarlet soft furnishings… all swastika-branded, naturally.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood reviewDeveloper: Machine Games and ArkanePublisher: BethesdaPlatform: Reviewed on PlayStation 4Availability: Out now on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Switch
Whether I was two, 12, or 20 hours in, it never failed to surprise me – shock me, even – to explore this alternate timeline and happen across another interrogation room, its tools and weapons and torture devices stamped with Nazi branding. While it might not rival that of Dishonored, take the time to look, and the detail in Youngblood’s playsets is really quite extraordinary, especially if you cast your gaze upwards.
The story, however? That’s less robust. You inhabit either Jess or Soph Blazkowicz – a surname as synonymous with Wolfenstein now as Hitler himself. The twin sisters take on the terrifying force of a tech-savvy Third Reich in search of their father, B.J., who’s gone missing on the streets of “Little Berlin”.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood – Official Launch Gameplay Trailer Watch on YouTube
It’s refreshing to experience a game that even attempts to instil a little personality in its protagonists – yes, I’m very tired of the mute and mindless iteration, thanks for asking – but you’ll likely love or loathe Jess and Soph. Though I initially appreciated my twin’s perky encouragements, their stupid one-liners and dorky dances and goofy greetings eventually felt contrived and misplaced.