Line #12 VideoGame/Wolfenstein


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wolfenstein.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:Pumping ThoseWackyNazis full of lead since 1981.]]
3
4	''Wolfenstein'' is a [[LongRunner long-running]] series of video games created first by Muse Software, then followed by Creator/IdSoftware, Gray Matter Interactive, Creator/RavenSoftware, and Creator/MachineGames. This series is often regarded as the [[FollowTheLeader launch]] of the FirstPersonShooter genre with ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'', alongside the later ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', also by id. So far, the games in the series are the following:
5
6	[[index]]
7	* ''VideoGame/CastleWolfenstein'' (1981, Muse Software)
8	** ''Beyond Castle Wolfenstein'' (1984, Muse Software)
9	* ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' (1992, id Software)
10	** ''Wolfenstein 3D: Nocturnal Missions'' (1992, id Software)
11	** ''Wolfenstein 3D: Spear of Destiny'' (1992, id Software)
12	*** ''Mission 2: Return to Danger'' (1994, [=FormGen=])
13	*** ''Mission 3: Ultimate Challenge'' (1994, [=FormGen=])
14	* ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' (2001, Gray Matter Interactive)
15	** ''Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory'' (2003, Splash Damage, multiplayer-only)
16	* ''Wolfenstein RPG'' (2008, Fountainhead Entertainment)
17	* ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein\|2009}}'' (2009, Raven Software)
18	* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheNewOrder'' (2014, [=MachineGames=])
19	** ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheOldBlood'' (2015, [=MachineGames=])
20	* ''VideoGame/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus'' (2017, [=MachineGames=])
21	** ''VideoGame/WolfensteinYoungblood'' (2019, [=MachineGames=])
22	** ''VideoGame/WolfensteinCyberpilot'' (2019, [=MachineGames=])
23	[[/index]]
24
25	Other media includes:
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27	* ''Wolfenstein'' (2017): ComicBook {{Prequel}}s to ''The New Colossus'' published by Titan Comics.
28	* ''Wolfenstein: The Board Game'' (2021) - A co-operative dungeon crawler BoardGame [[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/archonstudio/wolfenstein-the-board-game funded through]] Website/{{Kickstarter}} by Archon Studio
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30	Most of the series follows the adventures of the soldier William "B.J." Blazkowicz in his war against ThoseWackyNazis. Although ''3D'' had a comical side in some aspects, what with a SecretLevel featuring the VideoGame/PacMan ghosts, later entries [[DarkerAndEdgier have a more "serious" thematic]], with heavy emphasis on [[{{Ghostapo}} the supernatural and occult]] and [[StupidJetpackHitler experimental weapons development projects]], as well as [[AlternateHistoryNaziVictory victorious Nazis]] AlternateHistory in ''The New Order'' onwards.
31	----
32	!Common tropes found across the series include:
33	* AlternateContinuity: Possibly ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein3D'' in comparison to latter games. ''VideoGame/{{Wolfenstein\|2009}}'' (2009) and therefore ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'' were confirmed to be set in the same continuity as ''The New Order'' and beyond by [[https://i.imgur.com/UF5gxtp.png the]] [[https://i.imgur.com/jVqlSwY.png developers,]] and there's direct references to events that happen in them. ''Wolfenstein 3D''[='s=] events are never directly mentioned other than intentionally vague notes in following games. See BroadStrokes below.
34	* AlternateHistory:
35	** ''Beyond Castle Wolfenstein'' and ''Wolfenstein 3D'' both have the PlayerCharacter (the nameless Allied Soldier in ''Beyond'', B.J. Blazkowicz in ''3D'') kill UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler, bringing a premature end to the Nazi regime, and in the latter case, World War II as well.
36	** ''The New Order'', ''The Old Blood'', and ''The New Colossus'' have World War II carry on well after 1945 and then eventually end with the Axis Powers defeating the Allies and conquering the world.
37	* AmericaWonWorldWarII: The saga is all about B.J. taking on the Nazis [[OneManArmy all by himself]].
38	** Subverted in ''The New Order'', though, where America ''loses'' the war, as does everyone else except Germany, leaving it up to a [[MultinationalTeam multinational resistance]] to bring down the Reich.
39	* ArtifactTitle: The series is named after a place (Castle Wolfenstein) which appears in about half of the series (''Castle Wolfenstein'', ''Wolfenstein 3D'', ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' and ''Wolfenstein: The Old Blood''), and even then only for portions of most of them (first episode of ''[=3-D=]'', first and last few levels of ''[=RtCW=]'', first half of ''The Old Blood'').
40	* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: In some of the newer games there are weapons with -kraftwerk in the name, likely as as ShoutOut to the band. While "kraftwerk" is a real German word, it translates to "power station" which is a weird name for a weapon, and somewhat redundant with "electrokraftwerk" (electric power station?)
41	* BadBoss[=/=]FatBastard: At least one of them per game, and you get the chance to kick their ass in some way.
42	* BroadStrokes: Thanks to a combination of ExcusePlot and SequelGap, this is true of the franchise as a whole. For specific examples:
43	** This is how later games in the series seem to treat ''Wolfenstein 3-D''. It's implied the events of ''[=3-D=]'' sort of happened, but B.J. never killed Hitler (who still seems to be alive as of ''The New Order'' and does make an actual appearance in ''The New Colossus''; a note that can be found in ''The Old Blood'', however, suggests that BJ ''did'' kill Hitler, they simply [[ApocalypseHitler resurrected him afterwards]]).
44	** The events of ''VideoGame/ReturnToCastleWolfenstein'', ''VideoGame/Wolfenstein2009'' and Machine Games installments only roughly line up, with multiple discontinuities between them. ''The Old Blood'' is itself sort of a broad-strokes retelling of the first chapter of ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' - it has the same basic plot of B.J. and an Agent One being captured in the eponymous castle, B.J. escaping into the nearby town of Wulfburg via cable car after Agent One's demise to meet a local Kreisau Circle resistance member named Kessler, then taking out a supernatural threat (which is preceded by a random ZombieApocalypse) brought back by the SS Paranormal Division, whose activities in the area are headed by a woman named Helga. The aforementioned supernatural threat even ends up being a creation of Otto I, the son of the warlord the Nazis were spending the entirety of ''Return'' trying to resurrect. Additionally, an early journal objective description in ''The Old Blood'' notes that nobody has ever escaped the prisons, let alone Castle Wolfenstein itself, which implies that at least the first part of ''Return'' happened differently (as well as the entirety of the original games).
45	* CanonWelding:
46	** WordOfGod states that B.J. Blazkowicz is the grandfather of ''VideoGame/CommanderKeen'''s Billy Blaze and the great-grandfather of [[VideoGame/{{Doom}} Doomguy]], although this is questionable as of the [=MachineGames=] titles (especially since Billy Blaze's father Arthur has been retconned out of existence, as of ''Wolfenstein: Youngblood'').
47	** The spin-off ''Wolfenstein RPG'' has B.J. Blazkowicz fight a demon known as the Harbinger of Doom, and defeat it by severing AnArmAndALeg from its body. The Harbinger would later become the Cyberdemon from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''.
48	** ''Wolfenstein'' shares a universe with the ''VideoGame/{{Quake}}'' series, as of ''VideoGame/QuakeChampions'' (where B.J. is a playable character).
49	** The presence of the Tomes of Power in 2009's ''Wolfenstein'', along with Galena in ''Quake Champions'', indicate some sort of connection with ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Hexen}}''.
50	* EasierThanEasy: Can I play, Daddy?
51	* EliteMooks: Every game has some form of them. ''[=RtCW=]'' and the 2009 one make them [[AmazonBrigade female]].
52	* GatlingGood: About half of the games feature a weapon of this variety, typically as the {{BFG}} equivalent. ''Wolfenstein 3D'' and ''Spear of Destiny'' had the original FPS example, then ''Return'' upgraded to a 12.7mm beast called the Venom chaingun. After a no-show in the 2009 game, ''The New Order'' and ''The Old Blood'' featured the MG 46, a gatling-style cannon made by taking the MG 42, a weapon already infamous in real life for its ridiculously-fast rate of fire, and slapping another three barrels onto it to give it an even ''more'' ridiculously-fast rate of fire.
53	* {{Ghostapo}}: Although considered highly important to the series, historically, it actually has less of a presence than one might expect; most of the various mutants and monster B.J kills are created by superScience (bio-engineering and cybernetics, specifically) rather than sorcery -- the zombie-esque "Mutants" of ''Wolfenstein 3D'' are created by a chemical substance and are upgraded with implanted guns, for example. Magic appears in only four Wolfenstein games so far:
54	** ''The Spear of Destiny'': The Nazis are searching for the titular magical relic. [[spoiler:An angel of some description is the game's final boss.]]
55	*** In the two expansion packs, you will face an entity known as [[spoiler:”The Devil Incarnate” as the final boss]].
56	** ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'': Helga von Bulow and the rest of the SS Paranormal Division are investigating reports of magic in an ancient crypt, and when B.J pursues her there, he fights against first undead {{mooks}}, then later an undead monstrosity from centuries past. After a few mission involving increasingly crazy Nazi superscience, he is sent after other elements of the Paranormal Division who are trying to resurrect Heinrich I/Henry the Fowler, with some more undead to mow down on the way. There is also a Nazi alchemist wannabe/occultist in the village of Paderborn, in the last stealth mission of the game.
57	** ''Wolfenstein'': Interdimensional travel, Nazis that use magic and/or transform into supernatural abominations, the Tomes of Power from ''VideoGame/{{Heretic}}'', magical medallions that give their users god-like powers, and spectral creatures that are totally invisible to the naked eye are all found in the Nazi-occupied city of Isenstadt.
58	** ''The Old Blood'': The iffiest of the four, since [[AllThereInTheManual lore scattered throughout the game]] makes it clear that [[spoiler: the ZombieApocalypse and the EldritchAbomination]] are the creation of alchemical experiments rather than sorcery. It depends on whether one views alchemy as retro-themed SuperScience or [[AlchemyIsMagic a form of magic]].
59	* GratuitousGerman: As it's a UsefulNotes/WorldWarII-based game, it wastes no chance to spew gratuitous German phrases. The [=MachineGames=] developed entries put quite a bit of effort into averting it, opting instead to use as accurate German as possible.
60	* GreaterScopeVillain: Obviously, UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler is the franchise's BigBad, but past his appearance as the FinalBoss of [=3-D=], the Führer is only mentioned as the more realistic plots call for him to be portrayed more accurately. He finally reappears again in [[spoiler:''The New Colossus'']] but even then he's just an extended cameo.
61	* HarderThanHard: I am Death Incarnate, and Mein Leiben (permadeath) in the more recent games.
62	* HundredPercentCompletion: Across the games (mostly prevalent in the [=FPSes=], all of which even give you an actual completion percentage somewhere in the menu) there are many secrets and treasures scattered across the levels which serve for a major objective.
63	* IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels: Ranging on four, commonly called: "[[EasyModeMockery Can I play, Daddy?]]", "Don't hurt me!", "Bring 'em on!" and "I am Death incarnate!"
64	* StupidJetpackHitler: Iconic to the series as a whole since it first became a 3d FPS series. ''Wolfenstein 3D'' famously involves cybernetically augmented, zombie-like "mutants" in the second episode and UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler in a mecha suit as the final boss. ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' features actual jetpack-equipped Nazi troopers, bio-engineered monsters and the Ubersoldaten, who could be either EliteMooks in PowerArmor, cyborgs or robots. The 2009 game and ''The New Order'' go full-fledged DieselPunk.
65	* LargeAndInCharge: Most of the bosses. The [[Characters/{{Wolfenstein}} character sheet]] lists them.
66	* MascotRPG: ''Wolfenstein RPG'' is one of the more oddball examples of a RPG spin-off, which it seems to know given its more light-hearted approach to the series.
67	* MoreDakka: As WWII-based games, this is to be expected.
68	* NaziGold: A common bonus to collect across the games. The 2009 game even lets it go towards purchasing upgrades for your weapons and the Thule Medallion.
69	* NonLinearSequel: Thanks to [[SequelGap long periods between most releases]] until ''The New Order'' and almost every one accompanied by a different development team, the games tend to have next to nothing in common except for a protagonist named B.J. Blazkowicz, a castle somewhere named Wolfenstein, and Nazis for him to cut swathes through. The only other elements from a post-Id release to stick around for ones beyond that are both from ''Return'' - Deathshead, who went on to be the series' sort-of Hitler-analogue as the BigBad and/or GreaterScopeVillain, and the Kreisau Circle as BJ's primary allies behind enemy lines.
70	* NoSwastikas: In some countries, the games replace the Nazi imagery with something else.
71	** Averted by ''The New Order'' and ''The New Colossus.'' In a world ruled by Nazis, the Swastika is ''everywhere,'' from streetside banners to space suits. There's even one plainly visible on the machine pistol in ''The New Colossus''.
72	* OneManArmy: Most of the time, the player will be facing the Nazis by his or herself.
73	* SlidingScaleOfSillinessVersusSeriousness: The series has been all over the place tonally. The original ''Castle Wolfenstein'' and its sequel were fairly straight-laced and serious in tone. ''Wolfenstein 3D'' went far over to the silly side with StupidJetpackHitler and {{Ghostapo}} elements right out of cheesy pulp comics. Then the series got somewhat more serious with ''Return to Castle Wolfenstein'' and ''Wolfenstein 2009'', though the pulp elements are very much still present. And with ''The New Order'' and ''The Old Blood'', the series got significantly more serious and [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]], with the pulp elements being scaled down and treated more realistically. ''Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus'' retains a lot of this darker and more realistic tone, but also contains [[Funny/WolfensteinIITheNewColossus a great deal of humor]].
74	* ThoseWackyNazis
75	* VideoGameLongRunners: Ten releases since 1981 all the way to 2017.

Context VideoGame / Wolfenstein