Wolfenstein: The New Order

Description

Wolfenstein: The New Order is situated in the 1960s in a world where the Nazis won the Second World War. Players assume the role of war veteran B.J. Blazkowicz, who awakens from a coma to find the world under totalitarian control and joins a resistance movement to dismantle the regime. The story foregrounds both personal resilience and the broader theme of rebellion against oppression. Early Wolfenstein games are frequently acknowledged but not treated as lore. This approach allowed the MachineGames to re‑establish B.J. Blazkowicz as a central figure while reshaping the series’ tone into a more cinematic alternate history.

The game blends traditional first‑person shooting with stealth elements and cinematic set pieces. Players wield a variety of weapons, many of which can be dual‑wielded, and navigate environments that mix linear progression with exploratory segments. A morality choice early in the campaign alters certain plotlines and characters, creating two distinct timelines. The id Tech 5 engine underpins the experience, enabling detailed environments and fluid combat. Compared with earlier entries, The New Order places greater emphasis on character development, situating Blazkowicz as a more humanised protagonist while retaining the series’ identity as a showcase of exaggerated weaponry in a resistance fantasy.

Contemporary reception was positive, with critics praising the story’s depth, combat design, and the successful reinvention of the franchise. Reviewers highlighted its balance of action and story, noting that it revitalised Wolfenstein after years of uneven entries. Retrospective perspectives recognise it as a turning point, remembered for its cinematic ambition and its role in re‑establishing the series as relevant in modern gaming. It is often compared with contemporaries such as BioShock Infinite for its narrative focus and Call of Duty for its spectacle, situating it within the lineage of story‑driven shooters. The New Order laid the foundation for its prequel, The Old Blood (2015), which explores Blazkowicz’s earlier missions against Nazi occult experiments, echoing the supernatural themes of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and the direct sequel, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (2017), which continues the resistance in occupied America. Youngblood (2019) continued the timeline  into the 1980s, following Blazkowicz’s daughters in Nazi‑controlled Paris.