Reviving a legendary franchise like Wolfenstein was no small task, but developer MachineGames did so with flying colors. An alternate history where the Nazis rule the world is a well-trodden path, but in Wolfenstein: The New Order, Bethesda put out one of the most interesting explorations of that alternate timeline. It was so successful, it led to countless sequels, with a third mainline entry on the way.
Chapter to chapter, the game delivers on multiple levels. Whether it’s crunchy shooting, simple but satisfying stealth, or imaginative new locales, the game expands and explores this horrible world with a tongue-in-cheek humor and a good sense of style. With the game coming to Xbox Game Pass recently, it feels like the perfect time to revisit these exquisite chapters.
10 Chapter 6: London Nautica
The sixth chapter in the game is bookended by bombastic story moments that make it stand out strongly. The level opens with the main man B.J. Blazkowicz in a car with the over-English Bobby Bram, driving towards Nazi research headquarters London Nautica. “So long, Blazkowicz. You make this count, alright,” Bobby says before driving straight into the front of the building and blowing up the car. It makes a strong first impression.
The gameplay in between is solid if not a stand-out, but the denouement of this raid is excellent. Once at the top of the building, B.J. opens the roof to let his resistance buddies glide in, and carries the paralyzed Caroline Becker to the pilot’s seat of one of the Nazi helicopters. “I’m sorry about your legs,” B.J. says to Caroline in the ending cutscene. “Don’t be,” she replies, “I learned how to fly.” As she flies off into the sky, the music reaches its kicks back in. The game turns the cheese up to eleven, and it works just how it’s meant to.
9 Chapter 2: Asylum
While the first chapter of The New Order gives the player a choice that will change the rest of the game, the following chapter is where the game properly starts. After 14 years in an asylum, Blazkowicz awakens to see it be closed down by the Nazis. After a smalls scuffle, the head nurse’s parents get shot. This is when the player jumps in, with B.J. coming back to life, grabbing a knife off a tea tray and stabbing a guard just before he’s killed himself.
From there, the player sneaks through the asylum, stabbing and shooting Nazis until they get outside. After taking down some drones, B.J. saves the head nurse, Anya, and they drive off together. Not only does this chapter properly introduce the gameplay, but the golden-brown hues and shift in tone make it clear that this is a unique military shooter. This is where the game properly begins.
8 Chapter 15: Under Attack
Just before the end of the game, B.J returns to the resistance camp in the center of Berlin. The player gets strong, heartfelt story moments, reunions with people they’ve built a relationship with, and a lot of Nazi killing in between. It ties up most things outside of the main story.
It is heartbreaking to see a space that the player has called home for such a long time burning down and under attack. While the action is full-on and less subtle than the best in the game, the way it ties the story together is excellent. The player also gets to see Caroline in the Power Suit, beating up bad guys and being a total badass.
7 Chapter 10: Berlin Catacombs
One criticism that can be leveled at Wolfenstein: The New Order is that it doesn’t give the player a lot of breathing room. As each chapter pushes forward the tension rises and so does the pace. This is why the chapter in the Berlin catacombs makes such a good impression; because it lets the player experience the world a bit more than usual.
The level tasks B.J. with exploring the catacombs in a cumbersome Tunnel Glider. While this isn’t the smoothest experience, when the player pops their head above the water they can often hear conversations of local Berliners and Nazi guards. It adds a layer to this world that can sometimes feel missing. The chapter also ends with B.J. climbing into a torpedo to smuggle himself inside a U-Boat, which is hilarious.
6 Chapter 14: Return To London Nautica
After some exciting off-world gallivanting, B.J. returns to earth with a crash, straight into the London Nautica research center. This chapter is full of tough enemies, gorgeous views, and ends with a large-scale boss fight. It is one of the most well-rounded chapters in all of the game.
In a rush to get to Claus and return to the resistance HQ, B.J. descends the building only to be stopped in his tracks by the London Monitor. This is a giant police robot designed to keep the streets of London oppressed. It’s a great boss fight, with traditional video game logic but also an epic scale on the same level as Nier: Automata.
5 Chapter 11: U-Boat
Lots of chapters in Wolfenstein are elevated by excellent story beats, but chapter eleven in The New Order might be the best on a pure gameplay level. B.J. climbs out of a torpedo he stowed himself away in and has to fight his way to the control room of the most powerful Nazi U-Boat in their fleet.
In this claustrophobic submarine, there are tight corridors, open floors, and hidden vents for the player to make the most of. There’s a lot of variety and verticality, for the player to either take down enemies or be the victim of, too. This level shows off all the best elements of Wolfenstein in one tight package.
4 Chapter 12: Gibraltar Bridge
The excellent final third of Wolfenstein: The New Order truly begins with the Gibraltar Bridge chapter. After finding the spindly torque in the underwater vault, B.J. uses it to destroy the bridge with the Senior Research Officer of the Nazi Lunar Base on board. He fights his way across the ruined bridge to find this officer’s papers and uniform.
In one of the most visually stunning chapters of the game, the player gets to jump and run across hanging concrete, shattered train cars, and burning rubble. There’s a huge number of tough enemies, forcing the player to vary their tactics, keeping things moving and the tension high.
3 Chapter 8: Camp Belica
Similar to the Berlin Catacombs chapter, chapter eight gives the player an opportunity to explore the horrors of a Nazi world while not being shot at. In a much darker turn, B.J. breaks into Camp Belica, a labor camp, to free Set Roth to help the resistance.
In a perfect showcase for Wolfenstein’s underappreciated stealth, the player has to sneak through different blocks in the camp, killing Nazis and finding tech to help Set and the rest of the prisoners escape. By the end, B.J. gets to pilot a mech, exploding buildings and blowing up Nazis — a great palate cleanser after so much sneaking.
2 Chapter 13: Lunar Base
In a well-known left turn, Wolfenstein: The New Order goes interstellar when B.J. visits a Nazi moon base. While the player gets to play around with new weapons and take down lots of nasty Nazis, the highlight here is the world design. It’s the type of fantastical moment that makes MachineGames perfect for telling an Indian Jones story.
This lunar base is replete with turnstiles, escalators, and health and safety regulations akin to any airport. With its Kubrick-esque control room and nasty announcer, this level is a symbol of the Nazi megalomania and technological advancement, fun and terrifying in equal measure. It makes you wonder just how much further the series can go.
1 Chapter 16: Return To Deathshead’s Compound
In a final homage to the classic Wolfenstein of old, the final chapter of The New Order is one adrenaline-fueled storm into the heart of the enemy. The game throws everything at the player, with Supersoldaten and Guard Robots and lots of fodder in between. It also ends with the infamous Deathshead boss fight, one of the hardest boss fights in a video game.
It feels suitably tough, however, meaning that it really feels like the player has achieved the impossible when they’re finally successful. The final cutscene is perfectly dramatic, too, with B.J. looking to see that his squadmates and the prisoners have got to the helicopter. Fergus or Wyatt says “Am I clear to fire?” over the comms to B.J. Lying on his back, he says the last words in the game, “You’re clear.”
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