Wolfenstein RPG

Wolfenstein RPG
Wolfenstein RPG logo
Developer(s)	Fountainhead Entertainment
Publisher(s)	EA Mobile
Director(s)	Katherine Anna Kang
Producer(s)	Katherine Anna Kang
Designer(s)	Matthew C. Ross
Programmer(s)	John Carmack
Series	Wolfenstein
Platform(s)	Java ME, BREW, iOS
Release date(s)	Java ME, BREW September 30, 2008 iOS May 11, 2009
Genre(s)	First-person shooter, Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player
Distribution	Internet download

Wolfenstein RPG is a mobile phone and iOS game from 2008 and 2009 developed by id Software. The two versions are nearly the same, but the IOS version has better graphics and one extra level involving driving a car. The game was preceded by Doom RPG in 2005 and succeeded by Doom II RPG in 2009 and 2010. All three games combine first-person shooter and role-playing video game elements.^[1] The game is said to feature about eight hours of gameplay over nine different levels, tons of different power-ups, 16 weapons, 32 enemies, and two mini-games: Kick the Chicken and War.^[2]

Plot

While the original Wolfenstein 3D contained Nazi castles full of swastikas and sour-looking Hitler portraits, Wolfenstein RPG is decidedly lighter in tone, with mutant chickens, romance novels, and a playful giant named Gunther. Sgt.^[3] William "B.J." Blazkowicz of the Wolfenstein series of video games, is being held captured by the Axis military. He must now escape his captors and try to save the world by defeating the Paranormal Division.^[4] To stop the Axis' diabolically evil Paranormal Division, he must escape prison, navigate towns, and infiltrate Castle Wolfenstein.^[5] On his way he can use tools and items he comes across such as boots, fist and toilets. He will inflict serious damage with weapons such as a flamethrower, a rocket launcher, and a Tesla.^[4]

Gameplay

The gameplay follows the recipe from Doom RPG as it is shown in the first person while being a turn-based role-playing game rather than a shooter and puts emphasis on the plot. Combat and movement are turn-based, allowing the player time to select their responses in combat. The player turns at 90 degree angles and moves space by space. One step or action by the player allows all other characters in the area to take one step or action themselves. The game takes advantage of its deliberately slow pace, encouraging players to take their time and check out every little corner, read the books on every bookshelf, and destroy all the furniture to see if anything is hidden within.^[6] Levels include underground passages and weapon development laboratories plus a level involving a moving vehicle.

The game also includes two mini games, the card game War and Chicken Kicking, where the player achieves a better score by kicking the chicken into a better score area.

The game features nine levels.

1. The Tower: B.J. is captured and held in the Tower not far from Castle Wolfenstein. He escapes, kills a lot of guards and soldiers,and witnesses Nazis experiments with serums. The level concludes with B.J. killing an officer named Keifer and exiting to the Catacombs, the only route to escape.
2. Catacombs: B.J. descends into the Catacombs, witnesses undead attacking Nazis. Spy helps him with dynamite. In the end, he discovers a tomb of Olaric and fights this monstrous enemy to death. After that, B.J. descends further into Darkness below.
3. The Darkness: Deeper inside dark catacombs, B.J. fights more undead, swims through few pools, encounters Spy again, helps a archeologist to find his book and ultimately escapes to the ground above.
4. Compound: B.J. arrives in the town which is occupied by Nazis and quickly witnesses undead rising from the ground. He also discovers that the Spy's alias is Loki and encounters Elite Guards, SS special female unit for the first time. The Spy informs B.J. that he must proceed to Castle Wolfenstein to complete his mission. B.J. encounters Commander Keen, another undercover agent, who escorts B.J. to another town nearby.
5. The Road: B.J., along with Commander Keen, is heading to Paderborn using an armed car. They fight off attackers and barricades on their way there.
6. Paderborn: B.J. arrives in the second town, Paderborn, where he is told by a civilian named Frank to help his two friends, Henk and Logan, escape the prison. In exchange, they will help B.J. enter Castle Wolfenstein. Upon saving the prisoners, they reveal that the safest entry to the castle is through sewers. B.J. finds underwater entrance to the sewers and enters it.
7. Sewers: B.J. discovers a site where an engineer named Dr. Schabbs is testing his creation: Super Soldiers. B.J. defeats the Prototype and the enhanced version: Rocket Soldier, and then kills the engineer. B.J. also overhears soldiers talking about a woman named Marianna and her experiments with men and chickens. B.J. soon encounters more Super Soldiers upon his way to the lower Castle Wolfenstein. The level is culminated with B.J. having a fight with Marianna, the commander of Elite Guards, and her minions.
8. The keep: B.J. finally arrives inside Castle Wolfenstein and witnesses a Nazi officer giving commands to undead, suggesting Nazis have already find a way to control them. B.J. fights undead and Nazis. He encounters Tormentors, created by Nazi scientists using demonic magic. The level is culminated with B.J., finally, having a battle with Loki, the double-agent he met before. The fight is hand-to-hand, and even though Loki used Anger serum, he is defeated and forced to retreat. B.J. continues on his way to the top of the Castle.
9. Harbinger: B.J. fights his battle with Nazi personnel, Super Soldiers, undead and Tormentors, killing the Officer responsible for the operation, and Officer Abendroth, a comic relief character who enjoys romantic novels, on his way further. Also, he kills a pack of drug-injected Chickens, which are actually very dangerous enemies. Gunther is found imprisoned in cage stripped of his cards. As B.J. soon finds out, the Nazis have summoned Harbinger of Doom, a demonic being that aided them with an ability to control undead creatures. To complete his mission, B.J. has to battle the monster! However, there is no way he could harm the demon. The Spy appears, revealing that only the artifact known as Spear of Destiny could harm the beast. The Spy leaves then, and B.J. starts to look for the Spear, and find it in the Gunther's hands. He soon returns to the demon and have one final fight with it. The fight culminates with B.J. tearing off the demon's hand and leg. Defeated monster is sucked back to Hell, promising to return one day and haunt B.J.'s descendants.

The game also contains:

• 16 weapons including the usual array from previous Wolfenstein titles for example Spiked Brass Knuckles, a Submachine Gun, and Dynamite.
• 32 enemies including a paranormal monster.
• Various RPG features such as looting gold, powerups and minigames.
• Over 54 interactive items including 16 syringe mixtures you can combine for different effect.

Development

The development of Wolfenstein RPG has been a long and difficult task involving id Software, Firemint Software and Electronic Arts and many months of development.^[7] Mobile version was released in late 2008. EA Mobile announced the availability of Wolfenstein RPG on August 14, 2009, a new take on the classic game originally created by id Software, on the App Store. Wolfenstein RPG is a worldwide release to all territories that host the iTunes App Store, including Germany. It is compatible with iPhone and iPod touch and minimum requires is iPhone OS 2.2.1 or later. Wolfenstein RPG is the fourth generation of our turn-based titles under EA Mobile ^[8] John Carmack, founder and technical director at id Software said that, "The App Store version is dramatically better than on any other platform, with by an order of magnitude more media in high resolution graphics and audio, all rendered fast and smooth with hardware OpenGL graphics acceleration."

The game is available for most JRE-capable mobile phones, as well as the various iDevices. The mobile versions and the IOS version have some differences, but they're all pretty much the same game besides the iOS version has improved sound and graphics, and is likely much more accessible to most gamers than the JRE version. The iPhone version recycles a lot of sound and music from Return to Castle Wolfenstein, but the graphics are all new, taking on an exaggerated comic book style similar to Orcs & Elves.^[9] It is different from id Software's Wolfenstein Classis. Wolfenstein Classic is a fast-paced retro FPS, Wolfenstein RPG is a turn-based action RPG that sees you exploring Castle Wolfenstein square by square. It's much like other id Software casual RPGs, Doom RPG and Orcs 'n' Elves.^[10]

Reception

Wolfenstein has received generally favorable reviews upon its release, holding a score of 87.50% on GameRankings^[11] and 75 on Gamespot^[13] based on a dozen reviews by major video game critics. The game was praised for its weapon variation, humour, slow turn base pace, and attention to detail, classic Wolfenstein style, RPG elements nicely blended in, while the lack of animation design were pointed out as the shortcomings. Appspy gives the game a rate of 5 which means great. It describes its advantages as "controls work well", "very user friendly", "looks and sounds great", "remains uniquely Wolfenstein while being updated". IGN gave the game 8.5/10 with IGN's Levi Buchanan praising the game for its "more cartoon-y than the mobile game", "the art direction." and he calls it a "polished production".^[15] Pocketgamer reviews the game 8/10. It points out the unique of the game which is "a distinctly different pace" and " wonderful black humour".^[16]

References

External links

• WolfRPG on EA Mobile
• Wolfenstein RPG at MobyGames
• Wolfenstein RPG at GameSpot