Wolfenstein 3D

Description of Wolfenstein 3D

While Doom is often thought of as the game that kick-started the popularity of the first-person-shooter genre, that honour belongs to Wolfenstein 3D. The first episode of the “grandfather of 3D shooters” was released in 1992 by shareware publisher Apogee Software. The full game was then released weeks later, going on to become both a critical and commercial success (selling over 200,000 copies by 1993). The developers behind the game were id Software, led by programmers John Romero and John Carmack. Having developed a new 3D engine, they opted to remake the 1984 game Castle Wolfenstein. However due to the novelty of the new 3D engine they felt it would be necessary to make a simpler, faster paced game, and so Wolfenstein 3D was born. The plot of the game focuses on William “BJ” Blazkowicz, an American spy, as he single-handedly takes on the Third Reich. In the opening episode he finds himself in captivity and must escape Castle Wolfenstein. From there on he must prevent a Nazi plot to create an army of undead mutants before attempting eliminate Adolf Hitler himself. While revolutionary at the time of its release, by today’s standard the levels are simplistic in both design and appearance. There’s no map, the number of weapons are limited. Yet, the gameplay is fast and frantic and that exactly how it’s meant to be. Wolfenstein 3D was only ever about the shooting, and that it does very well, even after so many years.

Review By Richard

External links

• Mod DB

• PCGamingWiki

• WSGF