Wolfenstein: Youngblood Reviews

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is some of the most fun I've had with the new saga of Wolfenstein games, but that came at the cost of the hallmark storytelling that MachineGames has become synonymous with. It's a gratifying cooperative experience that I can wholeheartedly recommend if you have a friend to blast through it with, but I can't provide the same sentiment if you're a solo player. It suffers from a myriad of issues that keep it from being something extraordinary, but that doesn't mean Youngblood isn't worth experiencing if someone can join you for the ride.

“Wolfenstein: Youngblood takes a new, cooperative path, but still delivers nazi-killing fun.”

Wolfenstein: Youngblood feels like a short co-op experience stretched out over a barebones RPG skeleton. It doesn’t feel comfortable in its own skin. It’s too thin in some parts while being bloated and lumpy in others. Whatever it is, I don’t really want to touch it. Ultimately, it’s just a disappointing sidestep in an otherwise fantastic franchise.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood falls dramatically short of its predecessor in most ways and feels like a missed opportunity for a great focused, story-driven co-op game. That said, killing all of Hitler’s best friends with a co-op partner at your side isn’t without its enjoyable moments.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood takes one of my favorite FPS series and ruins it with repetitive grind, bloated FPS mechanics, a broken, mandatory co-op system and a frankly insulting story. Don't touch this one with a ten foot pole.

Youngblood is no New Colossus, but it offers something fresh and new, even though that alone may turn away lots of old-time fans of the series.

A slight frustration with this change in level structure is how some missions will have you bouncing between multiple maps, which builds on annoyance as the levels themselves aren’t very large so you’re loading into a map to walk through it for maybe three minutes before having to walk back to the subway station to load into another map and do the same. This change also means that you lose the benefit of a tightly scripted, linear game in that you don’t get to experience any ridiculous set-piece moments; at least not any to the same degree as previous games. The levels themselves also don’t feel designed for a firefight since they’re these wide-open streets you’re trudging through and enemies tend to quickly respawn in them, catching you off-guard, as you’re cleaning up a previously finished shootout.

The new Wolfenstein reboot series has been a genuine treat, providing great stories, characters, and most importantly, a ton of Nazis to slaughter. From the excellent New Order and decent enough New Colossus to the experimental spin-off Old Blood, I was pretty excited for the latest entry, Youngblood, especially since it was being developed by Arkane, one of my favourite developers out there.

It’s hard to take risks with an established franchise, let alone one as sophisticated as Bethesda’s fan-favourite, Wolfenstein.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a bit of a strange beast. The game comes with a $30 budget price tag attached, and yet, MachineGames (who co-developed with Dishonored creators Arkane Studios) have said it’s the biggest Wolfenstein game they’ve worked on to date. The game also adds co-op play, a new more-open structure, and a number of other features to the mix. So how excited should we be? It sure feels like Bethesda’s marketing department has been toying with fan expectations in an intentional way.

That said, I do feel the need to point out that this is a game with Triple-A polish for a Double-A price. I do believe it is meant to be more of a compliment to the daring adventures of BJ, a new way to see and explore the world of Wolfenstein, rather than a replacement for the games we are used to. There is certainly fun to be had here, but it’s not the experience I had hoped for. The game, at times, feels a little trapped between trying to stay true to the series and wanting to do somethi...

Wolfenstein: Youngblood takes the now proven Wolfenstein formula and expands it into a cooperative experience. Gone is series protagonist B.J. Blazkowicz and in his place are Jess and Sophia, B.J.’s playful yet kickass twin daughters.

Could have been a great game if only it wasn't held by bizarre gameplay features that nobody asked for.

Not everything new in Wolfenstein Youngblood works wonderfully, but I appreciate that MachineGames was willing to experiment and try a bunch of new things out before apparently working on Wolfenstein III. While I think I'd prefer the next Wolfenstein game to be more traditional, it was refreshing to see some new ideas here with Youngblood. At the very least, the core gameplay loop is still a ton of fun and it will keep you entertained long enough to see the main story through to the end. If you've been looking for something to dive into with a friend recently, Wolfenstein Youngblood is filled with more than enough action, explosions, and Nazi beatdowns to make it worth your consideration.

Developing character and story is tricky business. Throw in interactivity and the discussion on storytelling becomes infinitely more complicated, particularly when considering gameplay and the need for engagement. In many respects, MachineGames’ rebooted Wolfenstein series has, thus far, ticked all of the boxes. Compelling, complex characters fuel an equally compelling narrative, both buttressed by good gameplay mechanics and an intriguing world. Unfortunately, Wolfenstein: Youngblood, a spinoff set roughly 20 years after the events of Wolfenstein II, doesn’t measure up. While Youngblood’s main characters excel on every front, and its story largely upholds the series’ appealing absurdity, the gameplay loop and plot structure stumble time and again.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood begins with Soph and Jess killing their first Nazi and ends with both caked in blood from their conquests. The co-op action of Youngblood may be a complete reversal of many of the previous game's core gameplay mechanics, but it's a fun, bombastic time. The new hubs, while empty and lifeless, provide a fresh way to interact with a Wolfenstein world. The story suffers tremendously from this open approach, but MachineGames provides plenty of shootouts to spectacles to keep players engaged. Gunplay has never felt better, but the bullet-sponge nature of the enemies and lack of necessary ammo dilute what is otherwise an enjoyable game to play. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a different beast from its predecessors. While some of it works, other aspects fall flat. Youngblood is a fun distraction with a friend, but if you want the full Wolfenstein experience, you'll need to wait for Wolfenstein III.

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I hear every generation wants to change the world. The daughters B.J. Blazkowicz turned Wolfenstein into an RPG looter-shooter without loot. What came out of it? Let's just say that their father wouldn't be proud...

While nothing revolutionary Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a great example on how to tide fans over for an inevitable sequel. Bethesda has done this plenty with its other titles like Dishonored: Death of the Outsider or Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, and it's nice to see it continue. With the story revelations dropped by the time credits roll in Youngblood, we can only imagine what's coming next -- and we cannot wait.

They say every generation wants to change the world. B. J. Blazkowicz's Daughters turned Wolfenstein into a looter-shooter without loot and an RPG. What came out of it? Let's not anticipate the facts, but let's say that your father wouldn't be proud.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is more or less just as good as its predecessors but the implementation of some of the new gameplay features leave the tiniest of imperfections in an otherwise excellent game

Es ist kein Troll und ich.

Maybe I just expected too much, but I find myself missing the careful balance of story and gameplay that The New Order had down pat. Youngblood makes plenty of strides forward for this series, but it also takes some steps backward that end up hurting the overall package.

On paper, Wolfenstein: Youngblood should be completely brilliant. A stellar shooter imbued with RPG depth and open-ended level design? How could it possibly fail? By making the RPG elements meaningless; that's how.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is an excellent stopgap before the inevitable Wolfenstein 3. You can dip your toes back into the world and the new combat changes come together to create the best combat in the series. Light RPG elements help add a new flavour to the franchise as well. Jess and Soph are the standout stars of Youngblood and help lift up the underwhelming and largely inconsequential main narrative. The overall package isn't as good as The New Order, but Youngblood is a silly, fun, and gory romp worth experiencing.

A flawed but enjoyable co-op spin-off that’s unfocused and scrappy but still manages to find lots of entertainingly imaginative ways to kill Nazis.

Even if you don't care about disjointed storytelling, repetitive levels or cringe-worthy jokes, I can't recommend Youngblood. If you're desperate to shoot bads with a bud, go play Borderlands, Destiny 2, or Far Cry flipping Five instead. MachineGames clearly felt the need to tread some water before Wolfenstein 3, but they damn near wind up drowning.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood still features the excellent gunplay that the series is known for, only this time it’s paired with excellent level design thanks to the contributions of Arkane Studios. Unfortunately, the game falls flat just about everywhere else, with a paper-thin story, tacked-on RPG mechanics, repetitive side missions, and dumb AI.

A co-op spin-off does Wolfenstein better and worse than ever.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood is an aggressively okay co-op shooter that doesn’t come close to recapturing the joy of its predecessor’s action or its surprisingly interesting characters and story. It doesn’t completely fumble the fun of its weapons and abilities or counteract the pleasing sensation of squishing Nazis between your toes, but it does make it harder to enjoy at seemingly every turn with an out-of-place leveling system, busted stealth gameplay, some aggravating boss fights and inadequate checkpoint saves. Frankly, I expected more from the Blazkowicz twins.

The opening scenes of the sisters training to survive in combat, matched with the vomiting and joy that comes from their first time actually killing a Nazi, provide a hint at an interesting story that the game quickly backs away from. Youngblood is a meat-and-potatoes first-person shooter where all the systems work well, the enemies provide a brutal challenge, and a friend can come along with you through the whole thing. It seems like it was designed as a relatively inexpensive crowd-pleaser of an FPS, and I will admit that I was very entertained.

Considering it’s ‘only’ a spin-off, this is a riotous and well-designed entry in the series - however, it’s built with co-op in mind. Solo play is fun if flawed, but play with a friend, and you’ll both have one of the best shooter experiences of the year so far.

If you are, looking for a straight forward co-op shooter with plenty of customization and collectibles, you might enjoy the game with friends or random online players. Solo players should probably avoid this one though.

Wolfenstein Youngblood is a spinoff of Wolfenstein New Colossus. Like Old Blood, it ditches the in depth story in favor of gunplay and carnage. The core gameplay simply outweighs the story by a large margin. Good graphics and gunplay can only carry your game so far. Fans of the series like it for the story, not the gameplay alone, and thus will likely be as disappointed as I was.

MachineGames’ mainline Wolfenstein titles have both taken risks, either endearing or repulsing gamers with a focus on challenging, resource-fraught gameplay as well as a narrative that glues together aching emotional trauma with slapstick pulp. Youngblood is a side-story that opts for something different than what’s come before by embracing spongier combat, skill trees, cosmetics, and even live-service aspects like daily challenges. These smart changes make Youngblood an immensely enjoyable co-op first-person shooter about bashing in Nazi skulls.

As the grandpappy of first-person shooters, the Wolfenstein franchise has been killing Nazis in increasingly flashy ways for decades. With Wolfenstein: Youngblood, we flash forward to the trendier than ever 1980’s where BJ Blazkowicz’s daughters Jess and Soph are taking up his mantle. They’re Nazi killers, no doubt, but regrettably, Youngblood struggles to capture the tone and style that have made the recent entries so memorable.