Wolfenstein: Youngblood Reviews
It experiments with all the weakest parts of the series and ties them together with a new, tedious progression system.
A frustrating and completely pointless game, devoid of any meaning of reason to be, that breaks the good streak that the series was having with its last MachineGames' titles.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
An interesting idea, but sadly a weak game for single players, or people looking for random people. It’s a game that could have worked, but bugs and microtransactions hold it back
Wolfenstein: Youngblood had the potential for greatness. MachineGames has proven itself as one of the best FPS developers active today with the previous two series entries, and Arkane Studios has a well-deserved reputation for great immersive sim experiences. Both are highly regarded for their single-player offerings, yet this collaboration squanders so much of the magic that could have been. The gunplay is as tight as fans could hope, and the central storyline is just strong enough to overcome the malaise that the repetitive open-world exploration breeds. However, those boons are not enough to offset the flaws, foibles, and—most of all—the sense that this is a game designed to keep players coming back: even as it lacks a hook to do so.
It is what it is — a reasonably priced spin-off of the series that is not bad, it’s just limited in its scope and replay value, though your mileage may vary greatly depending on who you have to co-op with.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is hurting without B.J.. While he was sort of made out to be a tool in The New Colossus, his daughters are insufferable dude-bros who only want to kill - they just so happen to use Nazis as an excuse to justify their bloodlust. There are no more soulful internal monologues, instead these girls cause tons of collateral damage, and the game acts like its cute. The gameplay is so flawed on a fundamental level that it is beyond saving and all of it is for the sake of padding.
At this point do I believe that MachineGames can make another good Wolfenstein game? Honestly, I do not know, even with the help of a talented studio like Arkane, they were up able to learn from their previous mistakes. Honestly, Wolfenstein fans deserve better than what they got here and that is saying something.
All MachineGames and Arkane Studios needed to do was make a straightforward, cooperative Wolfenstein experience. Instead, Youngblood replaces the series' celebrated narrative twists and turns with humdrum XP grinding and a live-service model. It would be bad in most games, but the fact that it's in a Wolfenstein title makes it sting a little bit worse.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood feels like a non-essential addition to the franchise, and a game that is sorely missing the humanity of BJ Blazkowicz.
If you're looking for combat, which I imagine most fans of a dystopian Nazi-killing game would be, look the other way. Likewise, if you're looking for a great co-op experience to try out with a friend, prepare yourself for disappointment. And if you do end up buying this game, for the love of all that is holy, please turn on your own music.
More so, if you're a fan of the series, don't force yourself to try it for the sake of nostalgia, as it has almost nothing "Wolfenstein-ish" left in it.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is a mediocre spin-off. There's some charm and fun to be had, but it is not worth suffering through the tedium.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is one of those games that has a lot of cool ideas and concepts, but barely sticks the landing. If the co-op matchmaking was better and the mission structure wasn’t so lazily-designed, this could’ve been a really enjoyable co-op shooter that is worth the 8 to 10 hours.
Wolfenstein Youngblood leaves us with the taste of a game that was created in order to test the waters for a shooter with the integration of RPG elements.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Wolfenstein: Youngblood is not a bad game. It undeniably is a Wolfenstein from Machine Games and Arkane Studios so it does hit the AAA qualities in terms of gameplay and leveldesign. It surely isn't a good game though with new semi-open world and RPG mechanics clashing against each other and a weak story padded wih repetetive fodder. You might want to grab this one if you are after an OK mindless shooter for coop nazi killing. If you are looking for a Wolfenstein title to play solo, feel free to skip this one.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Youngblood feels like a weird mishmash of two clearly distinct design principles – the open-ended approach by Arkane and the linear and often action fueled sequences by MachineGames. The end result is a lesser game, devoid of soul and interesting mechanics.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
It's evident that MachineGames aren't completely comfortable with the genre and gameplay concepts they've chosen for Wolfenstein: Youngblood. The only thing that still holds up is the feel of the combat, everything else is a bit disappointing.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Wolfenstein: Youngblood succeeded in doing something I didn’t think possible: killing all enthusiasm I had for the series. Sure, the gunplay still feels great but that doesn’t matter when the entire product is hampered by tone-deaf mechanics that are trying to fix a game that wasn’t broken.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood gave the developers the opportunity to bring new things to the series, but the result wasn't as good as many expected. We hope that Wonfenstein 3 reminds us what made the series so special.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Shallow, samey and unneeded. Youngblood is a huge letdown because of how blatantly it doesn't respect your time and money.
Review in Russian | Read full review