History YMMV / Wolfenstein3D

* CheeseStrategy: For the patient players playing the DOS port, it is possible to safely clear out many rooms of guards by diagonally stabbing the knife into a doorway [[note]](or almost any 1-square-wide 90-degree blind turn)[[/note]] as the [[ArtificialStupidity Nazis dutifully come through single-file to their deaths]]. It is a sound strategy for OneHundredPercentCompletion on [[BrutalBonusLevel E4M10]] due to the overwhelming number of officers in the area.[[note]]This only works for levels that contain rooms that force the guards to funnel through a single passage, if there are two near-by doors, then you are not as safe from sneak attacks.[[/note]]
* CoveredUp: Woe to those who hummed the "Wolfenstien 3d theme" without realizing where it truly came from...[[note]]The Wolfenstien 3d theme is an Adlib OPL-2 rendition of "Horst Wessel Lied", the official anthem for Nazi Germany throughout the 1930s and the Second World War. Knowing this, not many have heard it due to it's affiliation with the Nazis, so it's understandable why many will affiliate it with the game over the actual Third Reich[[/note]]

** The mutants, especially in groups of three or more. Mutants do not make a noise when alerted. They can also shoot you in a split-second, and they will aggressively shoot at you in tandem. They also deal a ton of damage, even from across the room.\\
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Every other enemy in the game will make a noise when they see you and take a second to aim their weapon before shooting you. Ports of the game outside of DOS {{nerf}}ed their damage calculation (otherwise, fighting them with a game-pad console would be infuriating, due to slowed turning speed).

** The whole of Episode 3. It has some rough spots but after the Mutant hotel that was Episode 2, this one really eases back on difficulty, being even easier than Episode 1 in many way. The levels are usually very short, and the only new enemies, the Officers aren't usually placed in manner that makes their speed and quick draw a big danger, and fighting Officers is typically much easier than battling Mutants. Battling Hitler isn't the hardest boss the game has to offer, and his stage is very light on resistance compared with later boss levels.

** The whole of Episode 5, while hardly a cakewalk, is much less maze-like and more straightforward than the episode before and after it. Offsetting this simplicity, the episode occasionally has you encounter rooms packed with a staggering amount of guards, making the episode have a more action-oriented experience rather than a puzzle-like one. [[note]]One of the reasons for this is the episode was designed exclusively by Creator/JohnRomero with his design philosophy was to have levels that are oriented around a central hub, providing a sense of direction. As a result, the John Romero episode is one of the most highly-regarded parts of the game and in a way was a precursor to one of Romero's most famous works, the opening ''Knee-Deep in the Dead'' episode for ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', which he designed every level for save for the final one.[[/note]]

** For German speaking countries where the above was in sanction, in German gaming publications, early internet message boards and software distribution sites. the game was nicknamed "Hundeschlitten 4C", "Hundefelsen 4E" or any other combination of the German words and synonyms for "hound" and "rock" and any letter-number combinations possible, since "wolfenstein" roughly means "Wolf stone."

* ItWasHisSled: [[spoiler:The last boss is a StupidJetpackHitler, to the point where he’s used on the trope’s page.]]

* TheScrappy: The Mutants gained much infamy not just because they're difficult to fight, but because of how they can start firing their weapon without a draw animation to warn you to take cover. Even at long range, the game's damage calculations can cause you to take significant damage and they always fire off two shots as long as they can see you. Fortunately, they only appear in Episode 2, the secret level of Episode 6, and a select few levels of ''Spear of Destiny'' but the contrast between levels with and without Mutants can be noticeable. Fortunately, in ports of the game, the Mutants are usually nerfed to attack more slowly and thus show up more frequently.

** The GBA port has all of the problems of the SNES version, along with some form of programming error that causes music to simply not play in during gameplay unless you tinker with emulator settings or use a fan-made patch. What makes it really galling is that this game runs on a more primitive engine than ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', yet that game was ported to the GBA with none of these issues.

* CultClassic: The [[UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} port that is. While it won't be scoring high marks for its low framerate and resolution, there are SNES gamers who still remember the SNES port as their first version of ''Wolfenstein 3d'', potentially before getting curious about playing the original DOS release. It helps that the censorship gave the game a certain charm due to bizarre elements like Mutant Rats, and Staatmeister being the replacement for Hitler. The main visual change for Hitler was that the mustache was shaved off, and he's a generic TakeOverTheWorld villain.

* CultClassic: While it won't be scoring high marks for its low framerate and resolution, there are [=SNES=] gamers who still remember the [=SNES=] port as their first version of ''Wolfenstein 3d'', potentially before getting curious about playing the original [=DOS=] release. It helps that the censorship gave the game a certain charm due to bizarre elements like Mutant Rats, and Staatmeister being the replacement for Hitler. The main visual change for Hitler was that the mustache was shaved off, and he's a generic TakeOverTheWorld villain.

** [=E4L4=] is pretty relaxed and akin to an office floor with a light garrison. The layout is very easy to navigate with only one maze-like rocky sector (and even that isn't much due to the rough grid-like layout). This level is after a moderately difficult level if you bypassed the secret floor, after a fairly tense optional secret floor (if you took the secret exit on the previous floor), and before a moderately hard floor where the episode begins pulling less punches as you advance towards the castle's boss.
** The whole of Episode 5, while hardly a cakewalk, is much less maze-like and more straightforward than the episode before and after it. Offsetting this simplicity, the episode occasionally has you encounter rooms packed with a staggering amount of guards, making the episode have a more action-oriented experience rather than a puzzle-like one. One of the reasons for this is the episode was designed exclusively by Creator/JohnRomero and his design philosophy was to have levels that are oriented around a central hub, providing a sense of direction. As a result, the John Romero episode is one of the most highly-regarded parts of the game and in a way was a precursor to one of Romero's most famous works, the opening ''Knee-Deep in the Dead'' episode for ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', which he designed every level for save for the final one.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The "Original Encounter" rerelease is like an abridged version of the DOS release. Besides adding a Flamethrower and Rocket Launcher to the weapons roster, it cuts out a lot of levels that could be seen as filler, and removes most of the maze-like features from the remaining levels while toning down the difficulty for better pick-up-and-playability. The mutants are also nerfed so that they can be placed more frequently to increase the enemy variety. It appears to be ported from ''Spear of Destiny'' as a base, so the Ubermutant and Death Knight show up to further boost the boss variety. Editions like the [[UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh Mac]] and [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3DO]] ports even added recreations of the original DOS episodes for additional value.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The "Original Encounter" rerelease is like an abridged version of the DOS release. Besides adding a Flamethrower and Rocket Launcher to the weapons roster, it cuts out a lot of levels that could be seen as filler, and removes most of the maze-like features from the remaining levels while toning down the difficulty for better pick-up-and-playability. The mutants are also nerfed so that they can be placed more frequently to increase the enemy variety. It appears to be ported from ''Spear of Destiny'' as a base, so the Ubermutant and Death Knight show up to further boost the boss variety. Editions like the [[UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh Mac]] and [[UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer 3do]] ports even added recreations of the original DOS episodes for additional value.

** The secret floor of [=E6L10=], stands out for featuring ''three'' copies of Hans Grosse and being the only level outside of Episode 2 to feature Mutants, in the original [=DOS=] 6-episode release. [[note]]until ''Spear of Destiny'' hit the shelves[[/note]]. However, you can also find a Pac-Man ghost inside a secret closet if you go exploring enough which again doesn't tie in with the game's setting.

** The whole of Episode 5, while hardly a cakewalk, is much less maze-like and more straightforward than the episode before and after it. Offsetting this simplicity, the episode occasionally has you encounter rooms packed with a staggering amount of guards, making the episode have a more action-oriented experience rather than a puzzle-like one. One of the reasons for this is the episode was designed exclusively by Creator/JohnRomero and his design philosophy was to have levels that are oriented around a central hub, providing a sense of direction. As a result, the John Romero episode is one of the most highly-regarded parts of the game and in a way, was a precursor to one of Romero's most famous works, the ''Knee-Deep in the Dead'' episode for ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' which he solely designed with the exception of the final level.

** [=E6L5=] is very straightforward by episode 6 standards, with a very linear sequence of rooms with thrilling fights that you can rush into guns blazing if you so desire. The final stretch has a long niches that you can clear at your own pace or you can rush all the way to the end, push open a secret area and have a pulse pound fire fight with lots of SS Soldiers and some officers.

** E6L8. After the torturous labyrinthine nightmare that was the previous level (see below), [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/wolfenstein/images/0/0c/WOLF3D_E6M08.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20101121071731 the map in this level is almost ridiculously straightforward]]. It seems that the developers were being merciful to the players who had suffered finding their way to the exit of the previous level. The only problem to consider here in this level is the few amount of health pickups scattered around, which can be daunting if you play the harder difficulty levels, unless you happen to stumble upon the secret areas.

** E6L5 is very straightforward by episode 6 standards, with a very linear sequence of rooms with thrilling fights that you can rush into guns blazing if you so desire. The final stretch has a long niches that you can clear at your own pace or you can rush all the way to the end, push open a secret area and have a pulse pound fire fight with lots of SS Soldiers and some officers.

** E6L5

** Episode 6, level 8. After the torturous labyrinthine nightmare that was the previous level (see below), [[http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/wolfenstein/images/0/0c/WOLF3D_E6M08.PNG/revision/latest?cb=20101121071731 the map in this level is almost ridiculously straightforward]]. It seems that the developers were being merciful to the players who had suffered finding their way to the exit of the previous level. The only problem to consider here in this level is the few amount of health pickups scattered around, which can be daunting if you play the harder difficulty levels, unless you happen to stumble upon the secret areas.

* NarmCharm: The UsefulNotes/{{SNES}} removes the references to Nazi Germany and turns the plot into a generic TakeOverTheWorld plot where Staatmeister has mutant rats guarding his bases along with officers who seem casual about their job, half-heartedly yelling "Stop!" or "Halt!" and letting out a hilariously throaty, pitch-adjusted "''[=OoOHH=]!''" when killed. The giant rats have stereotypical cheese wedges to eat, which you can pick up for health. All the bosses, save the Ubermutant, let out a hammy "Comin' for ya!" when alerted and Staatmeister himself comes across like a generic James Bond villain in a typical secret lair. Finally, the removal of the blood and gore further lightens to tone.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The "Original Encounter" release is like an abridged version of the DOS release. Besides adding a Flamethrower and Rocket Launcher to the weapons roster, it cuts out a lot of levels that could be seen as filler, and removes most of the maze-like features from the remaining levels while toning down the difficulty for better pick-up-and-playability. The mutants are also nerfed so that they can be placed more frequently to increase the enemy variety. It appears to be ported from ''Spear of Destiny'' as a base, so the Ubermutant and Death Knight show up to further boost the boss variety. Editions like the Mac and 3do ports even added recreations of the original DOS episodes for added value.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: The "Original Encounter" release is like an abridged version of the DOS release. Besides adding a Flamethrower and Rocket Launcher to the weapons roster, it cuts out a lot of levels that could be seen as filler, and removes most of the maze-like features from the remaining levels while toning down the difficulty for better pick-up-and-playability. The mutants are also nerfed so that they can be placed more frequently to increase the enemy variety. It appears to be ported from ''Spear of Destiny'' as a base, so the Ubermutant and Death Knight show up to further boost the boss variety.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The ''Spear of Destiny'' MissionPackSequel had this reaction from many reviewers. It was generally regarded as an okay level pack that was alright but not remarkable. The highlights include two technically new bosses, the Ubermutant and the Death Knight who are potentially some of the hardest bosses yet, while the remaining three bosses are technically like reskins of bosses already featured in ''Wolfenstein 3d''. The final level is notable for taking place [[spoiler: in some part of Hell]] which would become a major central theme for ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' and the game's monsters.

* SoOkayItsAverage: The ''Spear of Destiny'' MissionPackSequel had this reaction from many reviewers. It was generally regarded as an okay level pack that was alright but not remarkable. The highlights include two technically new bosses, the Ubermutant and the Death Knight who are potentially some of the hardest bosses yet, while the remaining three bosses are technically like reskins of bosses already featured in ''Wolfenstein 3d''. The final level is notable for taking place [[spoiler: in some part of Hell]] which would become a major central theme for ''VideoGame/Doom'' and the game's monsters.

*** [=E2L6=] also has you starting off against a mutant, and reinforcements not far behind, on higher difficulties. The real nightmare of this floor is the maze-like section you have to find your way through, while dealing with lurking mutants and, if they are alerted, a room with up to ''9 SS Officers'' at the end. This is perhaps the hardest level of the episode, and a major hurdle your first time through the episode as it's likely that you may get hit with some cheap shots navigating the blind corners and running into mutants and guards.

*** [=E4L8=] is fittingly perhaps the hardest level of the episode, with a lengthy layout and nearly reaching the limit for maximum number of guards on the original engine. It's a good example of how you don't even need Mutants to make a painfully difficult level, as the Officers alone will make life difficult with their fast movement speed and the almost labyrinthine layout of the level where they can take you by surprise at point-blank range. To top it off, the exit elevator has a staggering number of [=SS=] Officers waiting inside and they'll take you down fast if you're hoping for a quick and easy run to the exit switch.

* CultClassic: While it won't be scoring high marks for its low framerate and resolution, there are [=SNES=] gamers who still remember the [=SNES=] port as their first version of ''Wolfenstein 3d'', potentially before getting curious about playing the original [=DOS=] release. It helps that the censorship gave the game a certain charm due to bizarre elements like Mutant Rats, and Staatmeister being the replacement for Hitler with the main visual change being that the mustache was shaved off.

* {{Narm}}: The voice acting for the DOS release of Wolf 3D can be SoBadItsGood, due the the non-native German lines spoken in the game.

** Fespite being a final boss-battle in hell that would seem epic on first impression, The Angel of Death in ''Spear of Destiny'' also falls into this due to him being like Otto Giftmacher with a new skin. At least there are specters that ''might'' get in the way and make it a little more difficult, but you'll end up dodging the green energy projectiles with as little concern as with Otto, while you spam your Chaingun.

** Despite being a final boss-battle in hell that would seem epic on first impression, The Angel of Death in ''Spear of Destiny'' also falls into this due to him being like Otto Giftmacher with a new skin. At least there are specters that ''might'' get in the way and make it a little more difficult, but you'll end up dodging the green energy projectiles with as little concern as with Otto, while you spam your Chaingun.