Wolfenstein: The New Order - Just 15 Minutes
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Wolfenstein: The New Order is an action-adventure first-person shooter video game developed by MachineGames and published by Bethesda Softworks. It was released on 20 May 2014 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. The game is the seventh main entry in the Wolfenstein series and the sequel to 2009's Wolfenstein, set in an alternate history 1960s Europe where the Nazis won the Second World War. The story follows war veteran William "B.J." Blazkowicz and his efforts to stop the Nazis from ruling over the world.
The game is played from a first-person perspective and most of its levels are navigated on foot. The story is arranged in chapters, which players complete in order to progress. A morality choice in the prologue alters the game's entire storyline; some characters and small plot points are replaced throughout the timelines. The game features a variety of weapons, most of which can be dual wielded. A cover system is also present.
Development began in 2010, soon after id Software gave MachineGames the rights for the franchise. The development team envisioned Wolfenstein: The New Order as a first-person action-adventure game, taking inspiration from previous games in the series and particularly focusing on the combat and adventure elements. The game attempts to delve into character development of Blazkowicz, unlike its predecessors—a choice from the developers to interest players in the story. They also aimed to portray him in a heroic fashion.
Wolfenstein: The New Order makes use of an original score that reflects the alternative universe depicted in the game. "We wanted to identify with different sounds that were kind of iconic, 1960s sounds, and then do our own twist on them to make a sound authentic enough that it felt realistic," said Hines. The team placed a high importance on the game's music. During the game's development, composer Mick Gordon traveled to Sweden to meet with the team, and he spotted the game over three days, partly collaborating with both Fredrik Thordendal and Richard Devine. Gordon expressed the difference in composing the soundtrack for Wolfenstein: The New Order compared to other games: "Usually you sign onto a project and then you're given a list of 150 battle cues to do."
"The New Order", the game's main theme, was composed by Mick Gordon. He collaborated with a few other musicians to produce the original score for the game.
The team began searching for a genre on which to base the soundtrack. They initially sought inspiration from the music of Richard Wagner, who was admired by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. After studying Wagner's work, however, the team discovered that it didn't necessarily fit with the game's tone. They then searched for a style of music that would suit the Nazis, ultimately selecting distortion. "There's lots of analogue distortion types, there's all sorts of different pedals and valves and things that are really breaking up," said Gordon. They also took inspiration from 1960s music, using analogue equipment such as tape machines and reel-to-reel machines. Gordon has said that the soundtrack is "a tribute to all things guitar". In collaboration with each other, the team of musicians composed over six hours of music which scores the game. Matthies said, "A lot of the score features odd time signatures yet it's all very groovy."
Bethesda, AKQA, and COPILOT Music and Sound collaborated on the marketing campaign for Wolfenstein: The New Order to invent the fictional state-owned German record label Neumond Recording Company. The campaign was crafted to introduce the video game's alternate history in the form of pop music from the 1960s. The label promoted ten fictional German pop artists: seven original songs, and three covers reworked into German from their original versions. Each artist was given a full biography, and the singles were packaged with album cover artwork. The covered songs were featured in trailers but omitted from the game because the songs' owners did not want their work to be associated with Nazi imagery. The original songs created for the Neumond label were initially written in English to ensure that the lyrics reflected Wolfenstein's alternate history without creating content that could be used for actual propaganda outside of the game, given the sensitive nature of the game's subject matter.
The New Order received generally positive reviews, with praise particularly directed at the combat and the narrative of the game. Critics considered it a positive change to the series and nominated it for multiple year-end accolades, including Game of the Year and Best Shooter awards from several gaming publications.
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