The articlegameplay, story, development, reception
Gameplay
The player assumes control of either Jessie or Sofia Blazkowicz from a first-person perspective; an optional cooperative multiplayer mode is included. Players can complete the game with another player or with an artificial intelligence substitute. Missions can be completed in a non-linear order, and players can unlock new gear and abilities as they progress in the game.
Story
Nineteen years after Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, the United States has been liberated from Nazi control and reestablished, while the members of the Kreisau Circle, including B.J. Blazkowicz, his wife Anya, and the late Caroline, are hailed as revolutionary heroes, with some holding positions in the new U.S. federal government. While efforts to liberate the rest of the world from the Nazis largely succeeded, infighting and differing priorities led to the global coalition dissolving, leaving Europe under Nazi control. Blazkowicz and Anya retire to raise their twin daughters Jessie and Zofia, teaching them how to defend themselves.
In 1980, Blazkowicz mysteriously disappears without a trace. Jessie, Zofia, and their friend Abby, daughter of FBI Director Grace Walker, discover a hidden room in the attic with a map indicating Blazkowicz traveled to Nazi-occupied Neu-Paris to meet the French Resistance. Believing American authorities will not follow him, the girls steal an FBI helicopter and a pair of powered armor suits and head for France.
Development
Bethesda announced the game at Electronic Entertainment Expo 2018. The title was developed by MachineGames, which led the development of the rebooted Wolfenstein series, and Arkane Studios' office in Lyon, which previously handled the development of the Dishonored series. Initially the game was a narrative adventure focusing on only one of the twins. However, during internal testing and feedback phase, the team expanded the scope of the story to include both twins as the game's duo protagonists and added a cooperative multiplayer mode so that two players can complete the game as the twin sisters together.
The game's Deluxe Edition includes a Buddy Pass, which can be gifted to a player who does not own a copy of the game. The Buddy Pass enables that player to download and play the game without buying it, on the condition that they play it in the same game session with the player who grants them the pass. Wolfenstein: Youngblood was released for Windows (via Steam and Bethesda Store), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 26, 2019. The development of the Switch version was outsourced to Panic Button.
Reception
Wolfenstein: Youngblood received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. IGN gave a score of 6.5/10, saying it "doesn't come close to recapturing the joy of its predecessor", while GameSpot gave a score of 8/10 for "challenging combat encounters" and "light RPG elements that spice up the solid gunplay" better than its previous installment. PC Gamer rated the game favorably with a 79/100 score.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood became the second-best-selling retail game in the United Kingdom three days after its release behind Fire Emblem: Three Houses. In Japan, approximately 2,740 physical units for PS4 were sold during its launch week, becoming the number 20 selling game of any format.
