Wolfenstein The New Order had the perfect story. The backdrop of WWII setting the stage for a Nazi takeover of the world, or at least Europe since the other continents are hardly ever mentioned, as the rebels and patriots take up arms against the dominant regime and try to recover the homeland. Yet the game was not about the story, but about the people, yet the setting was so unique, the design so striking, the action so fast and furious that it took away from the intricacies of a revolution and went headfirst into the action. The ending was near perfect, and even if it had not left a space for an eventual sequel, the ending was just as fine by itself. But we do have a sequel, and it is the best possible follow up to a game which did not need a follow up all that much.
Wolfenstein II The New Colossus is very, very niched and very very focussed on the theme. And that is its weakest point. Unless you are totally sold on the concept of a game with heavy metal music, profoundly violent and relentless massacre of the Nazis, this game isn't for you. There is no grey area in this, either you will absolutely love the non-stop action that will flood your senses punctuated by monologues of patriotism and characters with personal motivation ranging back to their childhood, or you will find the game weary and tiresome, often with too much of something that you don't know where to stop. Luckily I was on the side of the game and the message it wanted to send, so I am here to talk about the positives.
The game starts directly after the previous one ends. William Blazkowicz is hanging on to dear life about to succumb to his injuries but Set does a miracle helped by his friends, your crew, and you somehow make it on top of a wheelchair in a few months time. But that is all the rest you can afford as Frau Engel attacks your U Boat and takes Caroline and whoever you chose to save in the previous game between Fergus and his son. The first level sets the tone for the rest of the game. Severely outnumbered and outgunned, William Blazkowicz refuses to let his body surrender to the laws of nature and sets out to kill as many Nazis as he possibly can to reach his friends.
Although this game presents you with bigger settings and louder action, it's still about the characters and this time they let the focus stay right there. The cutscenes that follow are absolutely jaw-dropping and will set Frau Engel as among the elite villains in video game history whom you simply cannot wait to kill. Her daughter, the much-maligned and downtrodden Sigrun introduces herself to the world now, and you will continue the action from there, but as a changed man. You will feel the weight of emotions on your chest as William lets into his obsession with hunting Nazis, but this time it's personal. As you visit different cities looking for resistance groups and to weaken Reigh you will meet new characters who will only add to the theme of oppression the country is being forced to submit into, and you will get to know more about the character of Blazkowicz. It will become clear that he isn't the silent trigger happy face we are used to playing as in shooters. We will get to know about his childhood, his family, his motivation, his emotions and most importantly, his desire to continue no matter the severity of the situation. Despite the thick of the action, the characters shine in the cutscenes and by the end of the game, you will be left with the feeling of knowing them all personally. And speaking of the end, the story ends in a very similar manner, very much complete in the current frame of reference but with adequate left over for a sequel which might or might not be needed, depending on how you feel about the nature of the ending. But nonetheless, it is extremely thought-provoking regarding the motivation of mankind to become the superior race, even amongst themselves and the ever-present feeling of rebellion in the face of subjugation which has led us this far into history.
The gameplay has remained very similar to the previous one, and it is its great strength. Wielding dual weapons in any combination as you please as you set out to murder Nazis feels very palpable thanks to the gory nature and excellent animation coupled with physics design. Body parts fly off in accurate directions, bodies fall in a lump when shot in the head and metal armour gets destroyed and peels off one by one off the bodies of mammoth monsters resembling humans as they attack you in great numbers. What is added this time around is a perks system where the gameplay will be divided into separate styles, and as you perform more actions from a particular style, you will gain mastery and in turn, advantages in gameplay. It constantly forces you to change your style of play to get access to these advantages which spices up the gunplay, which is very fast-paced as expected from Machine Games. However, it's not breakneck to the point of absurdity like the new Doom as you will have to take cover and recover health, look after your armour, defend against enemies flanking you, and strategise your choice of guns depending on the situation, even if you would like to go dual wielding because you will lose the ability to aim down the scope if you carry two guns simultaneously. This games up for rich gameplay where unknowingly you will be strategising how to want to approach each area, as going in stealthily is also a very viable option. The stealth mechanics are well implemented and it's very much possible to go through huge areas without triggering alarms whatsoever.
A great story, although not very versatile and welcoming for all, coupled with some of the best shooting in the genre makes Wolfenstein 2 worth playing. There are adequate side missions to prevent it from becoming too linear, something the previous title suffered from, and although they don't reward you handsomely, the character and story developments are so nicely done that you might want to do them anyway just to add to the world-building that takes place all the time.