Publisher:
Bethesda
Developer:
MachineGames, Arkane Studios
Platforms:
PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Genre:First Person Shooter
Release Date:July 26
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a first person shooter developed by MachineGames and Arkane Studios, and published by Bethesda. A spinoff of the mainline franchise, it serves as a narrative sequel to Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus.
Development
Similar to Wolfenstein: The Old Blood following MachineGames’ reboot of the series, Wolfenstein: The New Order, Wolfenstein: Youngblood follows Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus as a spinoff of the series, taking place in a different time setting and featuring new playable characters. It serves as a narrative bridge between Wolfenstein 2 and Wolfenstein 3.
Development on the game is being handled by MachineGames, the new custodians of the Wolfenstein series, while Arkane Studios, previous developers of Dishonored and Prey, also joined development efforts. Wolfenstein: Youngblood was originally supposed to feature and focus on only one of William BJ Blazcowicz’s twin daughters. However, during development, after internal testing, the developers decided to include both twins as dual protagonists, and add co-op gameplay options to the game to allow two players to take control of one twin each for the entirety of the game.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood was originally announced at E3 2018 for a 2019 release date, with PS4, Xbox One, and PC being mentioned as the release platforms. A July 26 release date was confirmed in March of 2019, when Bethesda also announced that the game would also be seeing a simultaneous day and date launch on the Nintendo Switch. The Switch version of the shooter is being handled by Panic Button, who also worked on Switch ports of other Bethesda shooters such as DOOM, DOOM Eternal, and Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus.
On the Nintendo Switch, the game’s physical release does not include a cartridge and instead ships with a download code. Wolfenstein: Youngblood is also not a full priced release on all platforms, launching at the price of $29.99. A Buddy Pass system was also announced for the game, which allowed to players to play the game together via a single purchase. Though only one player can be invited to play at any given time, Bethesda confirmed that the Buddy Pass system could be used as many times and with as many players as players want. Bethesda also confirmed that the game would have cosmetic microtransactions, but that the in-game store would not have any loot boxes.
Story
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is set in the 1980s, nineteen years after the events of Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. William BJ Blazcowicz and his companions were successful in kicking off a revolution against the dominant Nazi regime in the United States, but nearly two decades later, Blazcowicz has gone missing. The game features the twin daughters of BJ and his wife Anya – Jessica and Sophia Blazkowicz – as the dual protagonists.
Jessice and Sophia are searching for their father, and their search leads them to Paris, with the city being occupied and ruled over by the Nazi regime. It falls to the two sisters to use all the training they have received from their father to fight with the French Resistance against the Nazi regime and dismantle it in the city of Paris, while also looking for their father in an effort to bring him back home. Bethesda have confirmed that Youngblood’s story will lead into that of Wolfenstein 3.
Other major characters from previous instalments will be returning in Youngblood, such as Anya, as well as Grace Walker.
Gameplay
With the focus being on BJ’s twin daughters as the dual protagonists, Wolfenstein: Youngblood allows players to play the entire campaign co-operatively, though there is no option for split-screen co-op. Players also have the option to play the entire campaign solo should they wish to do so, with one of the twins being controlled by artificial intelligence. Like previous MachineGames-developed Wolfenstein games, Youngblood features no competitive online modes.
Youngblood puts a lot of emphasis on teamwork amongst the twins in its gameplay. For instance, the two can work together during combat for tag team manoeuvres or attacks to inflict extra damage or take out enemies together. Some weapons, like the Tesla Gun, can even be wielded by both characters together. The Tesla Gun is one of the new weapons and gadgets being introduced in Youngblood. Some older weapons and gadgets will also be included. For instance, the Da’at Yichud power armour suit from previous games also sees a return.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood also places an emphasis on exploration, and is much more open-ended than previous games in the series. The players will secret base of operations located in the Parisian Catacombs, which will serve as the game’s hub. From the hub, players will be able to venture out into Paris to undertake missions, which will then lead to unlocks of new gadgets, weapons, and abilities. Missions can also be completed in a non-linear order. There will also be unlockable cosmetic options, such as skins and emotes, to customize the playable character.
Note: This wiki will be updated once we have more information about the game.