Castle Wolfenstein is, simply put, perhaps the most intriguing game ever. Though the basis of it is very simple, not many games have come close to matching Wolfenstein’s intensity. And the gaming industry has had 20 years to do so.
The premise is simple enough. You are a soldier trapped in a castle in Nazi Germany. You are equipped with a gun with a very limited number of bullets. You must use them wisely of be stuck having to deal with SS men with your bare hands (not a very fun situation).
Castle Wolfenstein is, simply put, perhaps the most intriguing game ever. Though the basis of it is very simple, not many games have come close to matching Wolfenstein’s intensity. And the gaming industry has had 20 years to do so.
The premise is simple enough. You are a soldier trapped in a castle in Nazi Germany. You are equipped with a gun with a very limited number of bullets. You must use them wisely of be stuck having to deal with SS men with your bare hands (not a very fun situation). If you can keep your cool long enough (it’s hard to do when you hear a sudden “Achtung!” and practically soil your shorts), and are fortunate enough to take out a Nazi soldier,
you can search him for bullets and food to replenish your strength and ammunition. You must go throughout the castle, scrounging for food and ammo, grenades and the occasional nip of the hard stuff.
The game plays and looks like a Berserk clone, but without the frenetic pace, though that comes around every once in awhile when you are discovered roaming the seemingly empty halls. Each screen consists of a room, usually with a few exit points, including doorways and stairways. The mapping of the dungeon is entirely up to you. From recall, I don’t believe there is a map you can find, although you may be able to view where you have gone in the castle. In some rooms you’ll find trunks that you have to open with either a key or a grenade. In others a SS soldier is guarding the way. You can either try to sneak around them or attack them. But you don’t want to start a shootout. You’ll lose both your own bullets and you’ll want them to hold as many shots as possible for you to collect after you’ve made the kill. Plus, you’ll draw attention from other soldier from other rooms if you make too much ruckus.
I’ve personally only ever made it out of the castle once, and I can’t for the life of me tell you how I did it. Pure luck, I believe. Maybe just persistence. Either way, the only time I’ve felt better finishing a game has been in the Final Fantasy series. The rooms are so monotonous, and the gameplay so sparce, that getting out of there is a major relief. Now, that’s not to say this game is boring. Anything, but. It’s the monotony and lack of action that make it such a stimulating experience. It’s one of the most realistic games I’ve ever played. Instead of a constant bombardment of bullets and mayhem, Wolfenstein builds its intensity by the sudden surprise of being discovered (after minutes rather than seconds of roaming the rooms). If you were stuck inside a German castle, this is exactly what it would be like. Too quiet.
Like good music, this game is a combination of genres. It’s a maze game, a role-playing adventure, an action game involving much strategy. It’s hard to pin it down, and that’s exactly what makes it so damn good. If an SS soldier had a gun to my head, I’d have to call out Castle Wolfenstein as the best video game every created.
