I’d been wanting to write about this title for a while, even though I’d finished it some months before finally sitting down to do so. Wolfenstein: The New Order is a 2014 game — a premium title that, with a little patience during a Steam sale, became a practically mandatory purchase. And I have no regrets.

The Return of Blazkowicz

It had been years since I’d played a title starring the venerable William J. Blazkowicz, the archetypal one-man-army fighting single-handedly against the Nazi forces. The first chapter was Wolfenstein 3D from 1992: the graphics were all blocky pixels and the game, like everything from that era, was fairly tongue-in-cheek despite the wartime theme.

Here, thanks to now-extraordinary graphics and a cinematic style, the tone is far darker and the story absolutely dramatic.

The Story: A 1960 in Which the Nazis Won

Due to a mission gone wrong that we witness at the start of the game, soldier Blazkowicz is left wounded and in a vegetative state in 1948. He will wake up in an alternate 1960 in which the Nazis won the war. Half of Europe’s capitals have been razed to the ground and the United States itself has been crushed by the Nazi war machine, which managed to drop the first atomic bomb on New York.

A beginning that’s anything but tongue-in-cheek — in fact, one that leaves you feeling rather chilled. The reconstructions are extremely detailed and the dystopian imagery is powerful.

Into the Fight

Once past the initial shock we find ourselves in the thick of the action, determined to overturn this nightmare reality. The plot is genuinely well-constructed, with cinematic interludes that quickly make us care for the characters. Soldier Blazkowicz fights, out of his time, a personal and hopeless war against an indestructible war machine led by a madman. Alongside him is a small group of companions — including Anya, the Polish nurse who has cared for him since the first mission went wrong.

⚠️ From here there are plot spoilers. If you don’t want any surprises before playing, stop here — the title is stunning and absolutely worth discovering for yourself.

The Story Within the Story

One of the things I loved most is the story that develops between Blazkowicz and Anya. It plays out entirely in the cinematic interludes — no direct interaction — but you’ll find yourself rooting for this unlikely couple forged in impossibility, hoping that when the war is over they can live happily in a provincial house with a classic white picket fence.

It’s a narrative device used by the writers to keep you fighting to the end against the lunatic Wilhelm Strasse (alias Deathshead), whom you only face in the last area of the final level. And when the ending comes, it delivers its gut punch.

The last farewell between Anya and William before the final mission is heartbreaking:

“Do you think there’s a place where we could live… away from all this?”
“Yes… but not for us.”

Conclusion

Wolfenstein: The New Order is a first-person shooter that never forgets it has a story to tell. Excellent graphics, relentless pacing, memorable characters. If you’re a fan of the genre and haven’t played it yet, it’s a must — and years after release you can find it for next to nothing. Buy it.