WOLFENSTEIN II: THE NEW COLOSSUS
The Nazis return in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and Ben Tyrer goes hands-on with a ferocious shooter that has a bite to match its bark
For BJ the ’60s aren’t so much swinging as blasting, as he pummels some all-American Nazis.
America. Land of the enslaved and home of super-soldier BJ Blazkowicz. Last time we saw him he was ready to embrace the sweet release of death after finally defeating General Deathshead. Now he’s back on home soil, but it’s not quite how he remembers it…
If you briefly glance at the bustling streets of Roswell – where OPM’s demo of this thrilling sequel is taking place – you might mistake it for a typical slice of ’60s Americana. There are blue skies, a family friendly diner and a ticker tape parade. Except the parade is commemorating V-Day, when the Nazis finally won the war and captured America.
As Blazkowicz wanders through the streets in a firefighter’s disguise, we witness just how thoroughly America has been perverted. Nazi flags are draped over every building, the Ku Klux Klan practise their Deutsch in the street, and we overhear an auntie casually tell her niece she’s selling slaves in a week’s time. That last one even elicits a sharp gasp from OPM, proving Machine Games’ ability to shock in exactly the right way is back in full force.
We ask creative director Jens Matthies why the developer decided to go for America and he explains: “For our protagonist, it’s a very big deal because it’s where he is from. So on a personal level, I think that’s a profound thing for him. I think it’s also interesting to see this country that is really founded on the ideas of freedom be completely subverted by the Nazis.”
UP AND ATOM
So what is BJ here to do? His gang of freedom fighters have come across intel that says the Oberkommando, a collection of high-ranking military officials in the German army, are hiding out in Area 52, which is under Roswell. It’s part of a hidden and elaborate military network beneath the States which the Nazis are using
to bolster their already impressive army. BJ’s there to take it out with an, erm, atom bomb. Never let it be said he does things by half measures.
Still, we need to find a way to sneak into Area 52, and that’s why we’re heading down Roswell’s main street towards Papa Joe’s Diner disguised as a firefighter. One of our resistance contacts, Super Spesh, has got a tunnel ready for us to sneak into the underground military complex. After we make contact, what follows is a scene that mixes the same unnerving tension and ballsy humour that characterised The New Order. Simply put, we daren’t spoil what happens in Papa Joe’s Diner because it has to be seen to be believed. We’re not going to ruin that for you. Instead, we’ll fast-forward to the thing you’re really after: the action.
GOING UNDERGROUND
Of course, a shooter is nothing without a good arsenal and Matthies enthuses “We like our weapons to feel very heavy, and brutal, and intense. I think you’ll see a step up from the first game, which already was pretty over-the-top, but we pushed it a little bit further.”
Mission accomplished in that case. We emerge from the craggy tunnel that Super Spesh prepared and head into a large industrial hangar that houses a train we need to board to get to the Oberkommando. Here’s where
we finally get a chance to test out our arsenal, which includes the explosive Dieselkraftwerk, a powerful grenade launcher whose missiles can either detonate on impact or stick to a target for a remote explosion. There’s a Nazi commander overlooking the area and if he becomes aware of our presence, he’ll send out reinforcements and alert soldiers that we’re sneaking around. So, stealth is a wise choice… to begin with.
NO PAIN, NO TRAIN
We’re up in the rafters and scope out one soldier patrolling on his own. Rather than lob one of BJ’s new hatchets at him for a stealth kill, we decide to sneak up on him. We whip out our Pistole, which we’ve upgraded with one of the new weapon kits so it has a silencer attached. Three quick shots and he’s down. But far more importantly, none of the roving guards are aware of our actions.
We sneak towards the control room, where we need to release the locks on the train. In a stroke of luck, the Nazi commander is patrolling inside (if we take him out it’ll make life easier - no more reinforcements). But his mutt spots us. Gnashing at our ankles, the dog alerts everyone in the vicinity.
There’s no use being subtle now, so we quickly add the Maschinenpistole to our other hand, thanks to free dual-wielding, and let off a barrage of bullets. Player freedom is key to the combat, and Matthies says the aim is to give what “the individual player feels is the best approach for a particular scenario.”
While we shed a silent tear for the poor doggo (for he surely doesn’t know he is defending a Nazi), it’s an empowering joy to let off a multitude of rounds into the officer, before swinging around and blasting away at the guards who are rushing to investigate the ruckus.
Thinking we’re safe now, we saunter over to the controls and unlock the train. Alas, that’s when all hell breaks loose.
REICH PLACE, WRONG TIME
We get a first glimpse of a new type of enemy we’ll be battling, with what can only be described as robot Nazi ninja pelting towards us. They’re not decked out in black robes, but these bots are scarily agile, as we learn after they crash through the window of the control room. They weave from left to right, escaping our shots, before firing a devastating laser at us. We need to buy time, so switch the pistol out for the Dieselkraftwerk, launch a few
stick grenades at them, and sprint out of the control room.
We don’t even turn around when we trigger the explosions, but the thunderous boom tells us that serious dose of firepower got the job done.
There’s still the matter of getting our ride further into the complex, however, and this is where the Power Suit BJ obtained in the first game and now wears comes into play. Giving BJ a little extra oomph in his movement, we peg it around to the opposite side of the hangar, away from the scene we just created. With the remaining guards further away, we find a ledge to run up to and switch to the Sturmgewehr. The long-range rifle is customised to come with armour piercing ammo and a scope, which gives us a chance to wreak headshot havoc on the final dregs of the Nazi forces in this area.
With that, we hop on the train, set course for the Oberkommando, and take a long, deep breath. This is a brutal, deliriously fast, and freeform assault that builds on the solid core of The New Order.
DARKEST TIMELINE
Matthies also provides more details of what we can expect from the final game. He confirms that the two timelines established at the start of The New Order will continue in this sequel, although rather than reading a save file, there’s an in-game mechanism. He also tells us what impact it’ll have on proceedings: “One thing we did this time around is we tied a signature weapon to each of the timelines.” While we wait to see what ordnance we’ll be packing in either one, it’s a nice continuation of the story established in the first entry.
For now, though, what we play is a full-on adrenaline rush. With the Roswell Main Street sequence’s tension fantastically followed by the heart-rate-troublingly intense shoot-out through Area 52, it’s no surprise that Matthies explains what Machine Games want you to feel when playing The New Colossus: “The overarching theme for this game is catharsis, and that concept runs through the story as a whole and all of the character arcs.” With a campaign set to deliver it in spades, whether it’s through the fantastic cast or hefty shooting, this is quite the contender for shooter of the year.