Beyond Castle Wolfenstein
| Beyond Castle Wolfenstein | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Muse Software |
| Publisher(s) | Muse Software |
| Platform(s) | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, DOS |
| Release date(s) | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Stealth game |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
Beyond Castle Wolfenstein is a 1984 computer game by Muse Software. It is the sequel to the innovative and successful Castle Wolfenstein, a prototypical stealth game. Unlike the original game, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein was originally developed simultaneously for both the Apple II and the Commodore 64, but was quickly ported to DOS and the Atari 8-bit.
Description
Like its predecessor, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein is a combination action and adventure game. It is set in World War II during Adolf Hitler's rule as Chancellor of Germany. The objective of the game is to traverse all the levels of the secret Berlin bunker where the Führer is holding secret meetings with his senior staff. The player must retrieve a bomb that the operatives have placed inside the bunker and place it outside the door of the room where Hitler is holding his meeting, a scenario bearing a passing resemblance to the July 20 Plot.
The game features a top-down view of each room on the level, though the characters are seen upright like in a side-scroller. The player tries to traverse the levels by sneaking by, impersonating and sometimes killing opponents. The game is controlled via a joystick, paddles, or the keyboard. The player successfully completes the game after planting the bomb and escaping the bunker before it explodes.
The game is similar to its predecessor, but features a number of gameplay updates. The guards now use a pass system, in which the player is periodically summoned by guards and asked to show the correct pass (which varies by floor), or offer a bribe. If an incorrect pass is shown or the bribe is rejected due to the lack of money (for a total of two times), the guard will attempt to activate a bunker-wide alarm or kill the player.
The bodies of dead guards can be dragged through the room to conceal them, block passages, or gain access to objects.
The highly explosive grenades of the previous game have been replaced with a dagger, which can be used to silently kill guards instead of attracting attention with gunfire.
Additionally, the audio system includes an increased vocabulary and greater variety of sound effects.
Upon successful completion of the game, the player is rewarded with a high resolution graphic of the bunker exploding in the background, with the player running away in the foreground.
Reception
A 1991 Computer Gaming World survey of strategy and war games gave it two stars out of five.[1]
Legacy
After the death of Silas Warner in 2004, the reconstructed source code and a ported version of the game was released for free by his widow in honor of him.[2]
References
- ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (November 1991). "Computer Strategy and Wargames: The 1900-1950 Epoch / Part I (A-L) of an Annotated Paiktography". Computer Gaming World. p. 138. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
- ↑ "The Beyond Castle Wolfenstein Project - Beyond Castle Wolfenstein Project Quick FAQ". www.oldskool.org. "Q) Do you have the rights to distribute this game? A) Hopefully! Silas Warner's wife has granted permission to release the source code and game executables as a small memorial of his work."
External links
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