57.3 hours played
Written 16 days ago
[h1]GET PSYCHED ![/h1]
[b]id[/b][i] /ɪd/n.[/i]
[b]1.[/b] [i]The one of the three divisions of the psyche in psychoanalytic theory that is completely unconscious and is the source of psychic energy derived from instinctual needs and drives.[/i]
Everything that could be said or analyzed about this iconic title has already been done. A revolution in its time, a pivotal step in the history of video games.
Like it or not, it set the standard, shaping future games and establishing rules that are still followed to this day.
[b]Wolfenstein 3D[/b] is nothing less than the very essence of "First-Person Shooter": fun, action, stimulation.
You’ve got to admit, id Software chose their name wisely: their games have always stayed true to that spirit.
Yet, until very recently, I never really dared to put my hands on it. I saw it as a grandparent with a rich life and many stories, but a bit boring and prone to rambling; the kind you’re happy to visit at Christmas or birthdays, just to be polite and stay in touch.
So I dove in with great motivation, and I was committed to seeing it through: [b]Wolfenstein 3D[/b], plus its “sequel” [b]Spear of Destiny[/b], and its two official expansions: [b]Return to Danger[/b] and [b]Ultimate Challenge[/b].
One hundred and twenty mazes to find and defeat the ultimate evil: Adolf Hitler.
No joke.
[h3]Wolfenstein 3D[/h3]
The game was originally released in two phases. The first 30 levels present the main storyline. You’re the legendary B.J. Blazkowicz, an American spy captured by Nazis and imprisoned in Castle Wolfenstein. The mission is simple: escape the castle, then hunt down Adolf Hitler to end the war.
A problem quickly cropped up for the developers after the game’s success. With Hitler defeated at the end, how do you continue a story based on fighting Nazi Germany...?
By making a prequel.
The next 30 levels then serve as a prequel, showing Blazkowicz’s missions that led to his capture.
The game offers four weapons: a knife, a pistol, a submachine gun, and a chaingun. The shotgun wasn’t yet an FPS staple, and you’ll also have to get by without projectiles. Each weapon more or less replaces the previous one, so once you have the chaingun, there's little reason to go back.
Enemies aren’t particularly smart, but they’re numerous and well organized. [b]Wolfenstein 3D[/b] plays very differently from later classics. Enemy fire hurts, and you're no superhero: two bullets can take you out on higher difficulty. The challenge is largely about enemy placement and player reaction speed. Enemies respond to sound: a notable detail for its time, and you’ll need to exploit that to survive. If you rush into Wolfenstein head-on, you’re in for a rough time.
Level design is probably the weakest aspect: complicated, yet limited. You’ll trek down long hallways, visit countless rooms, and collect keys to open elevator doors. Luckily, no traps: your only foes are Nazi troops. The engine’s limitations often feel annoying: few textures to differentiate rooms, very little decoration, and no automap in the original version. If you're after 100% completion like I was, you’ll need patience, and a good memory.
Secrets, hidden behind push-walls, are a pure torment. They were added late in development, and it shows. In [b]Doom[/b] or [b]Duke Nukem 3D[/b], you spot secrets by noticing cracked walls, misaligned textures, odd objects... Here, any wall could hide a secret, with no logical hints. Worse, finding some secrets in the "wrong" order can block access to others.
The soundtrack by Bobby Prince paces the adventure well. The tunes are catchy and pleasant, but don't whistle the intro theme... it might annoy some folks. :)
Honestly, I didn’t expect to enjoy blasting SS soldiers so much. The game responds well, it’s fast, stripped to the essentials, but masters its subject. Sure, its successors went bigger and better, so comparing wouldn’t be fair, but [b]Wolfenstein 3D[/b] absolutely nails what it sets out to do, and this is what matters.
[h3]Spear of Destiny[/h3]
Released just four months after [b]Wolfenstein 3D[/b], [b]Spear of Destiny[/b] positions itself as its sequel, or rather, a prequel.
This time, you must recover the spear of destiny, said to have pierced Christ's body. Adolf Hitler had the Nazis steal it and bring it to Nuremberg Castle, thinking it would help him to master dark forces...
[b]Spear of Destiny[/b] doesn’t improve the original formula, and is essentially identical, using the same engine with only minor tweaks. This “sequel” adds little beyond new levels, more action, a tougher difficulty, new music tracks, and a few fresh textures.
Still, it’d be a shame to skip it: [b]Spear of Destiny[/b] is more focused and inspired than much of the base game. Its level design is noticeably better, action is constant, and its ending delivers a twist that is worth seeing... Trust me !
It’s easy to see the direction the studio would take with [b]Doom[/b] after that...!
[h3]Mission Pack #2: Return to Danger[/h3]
Released two years after the original game, [b]Return to Danger[/b] is the first official expansion for [b]Spear of Destiny[/b]. It was developed by FormGen, not id Software, and that shows.
The Nazis once again captured the spear and took it to Scandinavia, where they’re trying to build their own atomic bomb…
Gameplay remains unchanged, as do the music tracks.
Where [b]Return to Danger[/b] tries something is in its visuals. Most sprites and textures were redone, but let’s face it: not everyone has what it takes to be a designer.
They clearly fell in love with bright colors, especially blue, repainting weapons, many walls, even dogs… blue everywhere!
The result oscillates between passable and ridiculous, but at least it brings some freshness after [b]Spear of Destiny[/b] which stuck completely to the original game's visuals.
The real problem is the level design. [b]Return to Danger[/b] is easier than [b]Spear of Destiny[/b], but levels quality is very uneven. Some maps can be finished in under twenty seconds, and many rooms are completely empty. Enemy placement also often feels off.
Once again, many secrets have to be found in the 'right' order, but I appreciate the idea of marking some with hidden rat corpses nearby.
An extension not as dreadful as some say, but forgotten over time for obvious reasons.
[h3]Mission Pack #3: Ultimate Challenge[/h3]
Released at the same time as [b]Return to Danger[/b], [b]Ultimate Challenge[/b] is the second and final official expansion for [b]Spear of Destiny[/b].
The Nazis once again stole the spear, this time taking it into Hitler’s bunker, who just made a pact with a demonic force granting him knowledge of futuristic weapons...
Gameplay, arsenal, and enemies remain unchanged, mirroring [b]Return to Danger[/b]. Graphics look nearly identical.
The major improvement here is level design. The difference between [b]Return to Danger[/b] and [b]Ultimate Challenge[/b] is striking: the mapping is competent, even matching some of [b]Wolfenstein 3D[/b]’s better levels. Most feel inspired and concise, offering a much more pleasant experience. Secrets are once again hinted, this time by pools of blood, making the hunt less frustrating.
Everything else is similar except for the ending: [b]Ultimate Challenge[/b] goes for surprise like [b]Spear of Destiny[/b] did, linking the Wolfenstein universe with... [b]Doom[/b]! I won’t spoil it, but it’s a fun, unexpected finale.
[h3]Too Long ! Didn't Read lol.[/h3]
[b]Wolfenstein 3D[/b] earned its rightful title as the grand‑father of FPS, and is still super fun and interesting to play, for its huge impact and the brilliant simplicity that still shines through. Patience is key to adapt to its technical limits and level‑design inconsistencies, but overall, Blazkowicz’s adventure deserves players’ attention just as much as its successors, which may age better, but share all its strengths.
Now, you know what to do.
[h1]GO BLAZKO ![/h1]
