Wolfenstein RPG

Title: Wolfenstein RPG
Platform Played On: iPhone
Release Date: May 11, 2009
Date Played: January - February 2012
Time Played: 5 hours
Completed (Y/N): Yes
Score: 4/5


Opinion:
I never played the original Wolfenstein 3D (or the games it was based on), so there is no nostalgia there for me. Return to Castle Wolfenstein was a sweet shooter, but its a completely different game. Anyhow, after wanting to play it for a few years I finally buckled down and decided that it was time to foil the Nazi plans for world domination.

Wolfenstein RPG has a pretty unique presentation. At first glance it looks a lot like the original Wolfenstein 3D; however one major difference is the fact that it is completely turn based. Every time you encounter and enemy you may perform one attack (some attacks fire multiple times), so within your turn you can look around and choose a weapon, but once you fire, unless your move kills the enemy they have a shot at you. There are dozens of powerups and multiple ways to heal damage.  There is even a simple crafting system within the game which allows you to craft syringes, which in essence are buffs.  There are secret rooms and even a leveling system. Basically Wolfenstein was overhauled with the cliche RPG mechanics, and I must note that this FPS to RPG transformation was done much more elegantly that I would anticipate.

The gist of the story is that the Nazis have been up to no good at the good ole castle Wolfenstein, and you, B.J. Blazkowicz have to stop them. Just like every other Wolfenstein (as far as I know), you start in the Nazi prison, through clever trickery (in this case throwing a toilet at the guard) you manage to escape and fight all the way to the top of the castle.  The game features three major areas, the prison where you start and the catacombs below it. A village between the prison and the castle Wolfenstein, and the castle itself.

Traditional to Wolfenstein this game has some cheeky humor, from Gunther, the crazy Nazi and his card games to B.J.'s snarky remarks Wolfenstein RPG brought quite a few smiles to my face.

One downside to Wolfenstein RPG is that it is pretty repetitive.  There are a handful of enemy types (with a few palette swaps each), and basically 3 environments (dungeon, indoor castle, and outdoors).  However ID did a good job at throwing new weapons at you pretty frequently, which allows you to try new tactics and keeps the gameplay fresh.  Half a dozen boss fights and two (almost back to back) on the rails (non turn based) shooting sequences all help as well. That being said Wolfenstein RPG could still use more variety in actual combat. I ended up using my 3 core guns throughout the game largely disregarding the rest because I felt they worked with my strategy.

Overall Wolfenstein RPG is a great RPG based on the ID's classic game. While I criticize it for being a bit repetitive, I must note that I never got bored, and enjoyed the game all the way through.  If you have an iOS device and would like an RPG, at 99 cents there is no better offering on than this game (maybe only Doom II RPG ;) ).

The Crazy Nazi

On The Rails (non turn based) Section

Final Score When I Finished The Game