Wolfenstein 3D

About

In Wolfenstein 3D, play as agent B.J. Blazkowicz and escape from Castle Wolfenstein during World War II. Fight against Nazis, scientists, and mutants using various weapons in this early 3D first-person shooter. This classic game is known for starting the modern FPS genre and includes the Spear of Destiny expansion.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

93%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,165 reviews

gameplay76 positive mentions

grinding26 negative mentions

gameplay
402 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
75%
6%
The gameplay of Wolfenstein 3D is characterized by its simplicity and nostalgia, offering a straightforward run-and-gun experience with maze-like levels and key-hunting mechanics. While it was revolutionary for its time, many players find it dated and repetitive compared to modern first-person shooters, lacking in variety and complexity. Despite its flaws, the game remains engaging and fun for those who appreciate retro FPS titles, with a legacy that has influenced the genre significantly.
- “From its innovative gameplay mechanics to its immersive storyline and stunning graphics, Wolfenstein 3D is a true masterpiece of the gaming industry.”
- “One of the most impressive aspects of Wolfenstein 3D is its gameplay, which is both intuitive and challenging.”
- “The gameplay in Wolfenstein 3D is undoubtedly its strongest suit.”
- “However, it is basically 60 levels of the same gameplay, and not a lot of variety.”
- “Repetitive gameplay, poor level design, monotonous environments, and a lack of atmosphere makes for a boring experience.”
- “Unfortunately the majority of the gameplay in this game involves key hunting in order to progress to higher floors which can be a tedious task at times especially on later floors where the maps are extremely big and maze-like.”
graphics
346 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
68%
9%
The graphics of Wolfenstein 3D are widely regarded as dated and clunky by modern standards, with many reviewers noting that they have not aged well since the game's release in 1992. While some appreciate the nostalgic charm of its pixelated visuals and recognize their historical significance in the evolution of first-person shooters, others find them frustratingly simplistic and difficult to navigate. Overall, the consensus is that while the graphics may lack sophistication compared to contemporary titles, they still contribute to the game's retro appeal and enjoyable gameplay experience.
- “From its innovative gameplay mechanics to its immersive storyline and stunning graphics, Wolfenstein 3D is a true masterpiece of the gaming industry.”
- “Even by today's standards, the game's visuals are impressive, with detailed environments, intricate character models, and a sense of atmosphere that is simply unmatched.”
- “Wolfenstein’s graphics, although dated nowadays, were considered stunning at the time of its release and coupled with the fact that no other PC games on the market looked this good, made it much more appealing to buyers.”
- “The graphics in this game are bad.”
- “The graphics are a bit of a blurry mess since this game was meant to be run on those old cathode tube monitors—and for the console versions, those cathode tube TVs.”
- “When compared to contemporary FPS games, the graphics are eye-searing and the level design headache-inducing monotony.”
story
256 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
92%
4%
The story of "Wolfenstein 3D" is straightforward and minimal, primarily revolving around the character B.J. Blazkowicz, an American soldier tasked with escaping a Nazi-controlled castle and defeating Hitler. The narrative unfolds across six episodes, with the first three forming the main storyline and the last three, known as the "nocturnal missions," serving as prequels. While the game lacks extensive cutscenes or deep storytelling, it provides brief text summaries at the end of each episode, emphasizing gameplay over narrative depth.
- “With the main introduction out of the way let's talk about the plot, you are known as 'William Joseph "B.J." Blazkowicz', an American-born spy with Polish ancestry and you specialize in one-man missions behind enemy lines and you have been tasked to lay waste to Nazi Germany's war efforts.”
- “Surprisingly, the story is told fairly well; although there are no cutscenes, the player is greeted with a text-based ending screen for each episode.”
- “The story is very simple and straightforward: kill nazis, get to the next floor, kill more nazis and repeat this until you reach the boss, destroy him and go to the next threat.”
- “The closest you get to a story in this game is a short 1-2 page sample of text at the end of each episode, which summarizes the episode you just completed and previews the next one.”
- “It is fair to say that the story isn’t this game's strongest suit, but what it lacks in story, it makes up for in other aspects.”
music
171 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
47%
6%
The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic charm and memorable compositions, particularly those by Bobby Prince, which enhance the overall atmosphere and gameplay experience. While some players find the soundtrack iconic and enjoyable, others note that it can feel dated or repetitive. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's retro appeal, making it a classic in the first-person shooter genre.
- “The soundtrack is honestly a masterpiece, which was done by composer Bobby Prince, who also did the earlier Doom titles.”
- “The colourful sprites still look pretty good, the sound effects are quaint but add so much atmosphere, the music by Bobby Prince is iconic.”
- “This game is a classic shooter, and has a lot of charm, with a soundtrack that the player will quickly find themselves humming.”
- “It's got a recognizable soundtrack but it's just too dated for me.”
- “Unfortunately the music is pretty bad and gets annoying after a short amount of time.”
- “Likewise, the music isn't great, since it doesn't really contribute to the setting that much, and can sometimes be irritating.”
humor
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's humor is characterized by its irreverent and tongue-in-cheek approach, featuring absurd elements like a mech version of Hitler as a boss and goofy enemy dialogue that elicits laughter. Players appreciate the lighthearted tone, pop culture references, and the overall comedic portrayal of its historical context, making the violence feel more humorous than serious. The combination of funny voice work and memorable moments contributes to a fun and entertaining experience.
- “I don't care about the 'cultural significance' of this game; all I care about is that this game features Mecha Hitler as a boss, and that's a little funny.”
- “Sense of humor: the game doesn't take itself too seriously, and you'll encounter plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments and references to pop culture.”
- “The tongue-in-cheek humor, funny voice work ('Mein Leben!' is stuck in my head now), and challenging gameplay made for a fun time.”
grinding
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
3%
21%
76%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often exacerbated by maze-like level designs and the need to interact with numerous surfaces to uncover secrets. The gameplay can feel monotonous, especially during lengthy sessions, leading to frustration with navigation and key hunting. Many recommend using mods like ecwolf to alleviate some of the grind and enhance the overall experience.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Some of the maps are extremely tedious to navigate due to lots of narrow 1-tile wide passages, or shooting once might alert half (or all) the enemies in the entire level.”
- “Unfortunately, the majority of the gameplay in this game involves key hunting in order to progress to higher floors, which can be a tedious task at times, especially on later floors where the maps are extremely big and maze-like.”
- “It just gets tedious once everyone is dead and you just want to get to your destination.”
stability
27 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
81%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with users reporting a range of glitches and bugs, including issues with saving and sound playback. While some players experienced significant lag and were unable to progress past the first level, others noted that the glitches were infrequent and manageable, allowing for an overall enjoyable experience. Despite its age, the game runs relatively well, but players are advised to keep multiple save files to avoid losing progress.
- “Runs great.”
- “The true pioneer to the first-person shooter genre may be old, but it is still a lot of fun and relatively bug-free due to its simple programming.”
- “This is still fun though and runs great.”
- “Picked this up on a Black Friday sale for practically free, and when I went to launch it, the game was so buggy and laggy I couldn't get past the first level.”
- “It is quite buggy.”
- “The sound playback seems to be incompatible with modern cards, leading to weird sound glitches. Not sure if this is something wrong with my settings or a legitimate incompatibility with either my sound card or playback devices.”
optimization
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
58%
12%
The game's optimization varies significantly depending on the version played; while some users report extremely good performance with no stuttering, others caution against using the vanilla Steam version, which lacks optimization for modern systems. Source ports like ecwolf are recommended for smoother gameplay at higher resolutions, but players may need to manually configure settings, especially when using DOSBox, to avoid issues like blurriness and low framerate. Overall, the game can run well on older hardware if properly set up.
- “My favorite is ecwolf, the game runs smoothly on my old laptop with Windows 7 at full screen resolution and high framerate. Besides, you can configure your keyboard better than with the original game engine.”
- “Luckily, though, there are source ports for these games that allow them to run smoothly at 60fps and at higher resolutions.”
- “This game is really good but do not play the vanilla Steam version; it has not been optimized for modern computers.”
- “Even after following some guides to get the performance to a comfortable standard, Wolfenstein 3D shows its age in a lot of places.”
- “Performance: this didn’t even tax computers 20 years ago.”
replayability
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
50%
12%
Overall, the game boasts high replayability, with players enjoying the challenge of finding secrets, collecting treasures, and achieving high scores across its numerous levels. While some users suggest that mods enhance the experience and modernize gameplay, others note that the replay value may diminish after the initial campaign, relying on nostalgia or curiosity to keep players engaged. Despite minor issues, the game has aged well, offering a satisfying experience for those who appreciate its old-school charm.
- “Replayability: even after you've beaten the game, there's still plenty of reason to keep playing.”
- “Once you've finished the 6-8 hour long campaign, there's plenty of replayability to be had if you enjoy finding secrets, collecting treasure, killing all enemies, and beating a par time for each level (there are 60 in total, including the 6 secret levels).”
- “This is one of those rare games that's aged remarkably well thanks to tight controls, replayable levels with secrets and treasure, and a difficulty level that's fair but also makes it possible for you to be gunned down in 2 seconds if you can't react quickly enough to a mini-gun.”
- “It has an extremely minor crashing problem, and it doesn't have much replay value, but that doesn't stop it from being great.”
- “Replayability: other than the curiosity or nostalgia factor there is a scoring system and secrets to find but it’s unlikely many people would be compelled to keep playing.”
- “It has some old school charm but in my opinion, it requires some mods to modernize it and make it more playable.”
atmosphere
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
65%
15%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its impressive visuals, detailed environments, and iconic music by Bobby Prince, which collectively create a nostalgic and eerie experience. While some players appreciate the gritty and immersive vibe, others note that repetitive gameplay and poor level design can detract from the overall atmosphere, leading to feelings of emptiness. Overall, the sound effects and music significantly enhance the game's ambiance, making it a standout feature despite some criticisms.
- “Even by today's standards, the game's visuals are impressive, with detailed environments, intricate character models, and a sense of atmosphere that is simply unmatched.”
- “The eerie atmosphere definitely holds up.”
- “Repetitive gameplay, poor level design, monotonous environments, and a lack of atmosphere makes for a boring experience.”
- “Tracks like 'suspense', 'enemy around the corner' and 'into the dungeons' let off a really creepy vibe which create a very eerie atmosphere when you are traveling down a long empty corridor and hear a door open or close in the distance.”
- “Even that the levels are pretty much the same, it still delivers the gritty atmosphere and need to get back into it that modern games lack.”
emotional
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players describe the emotional experience of the game as deeply impactful and draining, highlighting a mix of excitement and discomfort. The narrative evokes a sense of nostalgia and moral complexity, with some finding it both joyfully engaging and emotionally challenging. Overall, the game is noted for its ability to provoke strong feelings and reflections on the nature of its themes.
- “The difficulty comes with the human body quickly adjusting to excitement and seeking a state of homeostasis (the original emotional state before excitement).”
- “Made me feel nauseous.”
- “It is the most deep, emotionally draining, twisted game I have ever had the joy to experience.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The reviews do not provide specific insights into the monetization aspect of the game, focusing instead on gameplay mechanics like hip firing and aiming down sights for headshots. Therefore, no clear conclusions about monetization can be drawn from the provided texts.