Twenty years after the events of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus, and there are still Nazis in dire need of extermination. Thankfully, Nazi-killing is a family business for the Blazkowiczes, and when their father — and series protagonist to date, Billy "BJ" Blazkowicz — goes missing in fascist-controlled 1980s Paris, it's down to twin sisters Jess and Soph to don advanced power suits, hop across the pond, and rescue him.
The dual headliners are a play mechanic as much as characters, setting the stage for a Wolfenstein focused more on co-op than ever before. While AI takes control of whichever sister you're not playing as when offline, when online friends or strangers – depending on your settings — take the role of the other. While Jess and Soph are each fully voiced and have their own personalities to drive the story along, playing as either is a purely cosmetic choice — all skills and upgrades are available as you progress, regardless.
What does change is that Youngblood is packed with co-op actions — doors that take two to open, engines or lifts that only activate when two levers are pulled; even your lives (an old-school choice, somehow befitting the period setting) are linked, so if one sister dies before the other can revive, both lose a life. For the most part, this works fine but when playing solo, there are a few too many moments where one sister will block the other's shots, or not quite get the hint to join in on a co-op action.
Another big shift is an almost RPG-like progression system for the sisters and their weapons. Enemies now have levels, and even a skull indicator for any foe too far above you — a guarantee of near-certain death if you cross their paths. Meanwhile, you'll need to unlock your own skills through tokens, earned from experience and levelling up. Many of these abilities are series stalwarts — such as dual-wielding, or picking up extra-large weapons dropped by oversized villains — making your progression feel more of a regression, for returning players. Thankfully, experience gain seems to continue past any deaths, so it's not too difficult to rack up levels, but does mean you can be in for a bit of grind to turn yourself into the ultimate Nazi-slaying machine.
What really sets Youngblood apart though is its 1980s setting.
Weapon upgrades fare slightly better, requiring either silver coins or gold bars to enhance, but offering some nice set bonuses if you stick to the same manufacturer. These can complement your character build too — focus on turning your Blazkowicz sister into a heavy-assault tank, for instance, and you'll want to focus on the Stier company's more offence-oriented upgrades to deliver maximum damage.
What really sets Youngblood apart though is its 1980s setting. In the warped world of Wolfenstein, the aesthetic and vibe of the decade as we know it is re-created in a funhouse mirror, with synthy propaganda tunes blasting out of Nazi-approved radio stations and era-appropriate video game arcade cabinets dotted around. It might be something of a critique of our lingering cultural obsession with the '80s here in the real world. Then again, this being Wolfenstein, with its campy gore and schlocky violence — when Jess and Soph kill their first Nazi, they alternate between wild laughter and vomiting, like leads in a Troma film — it could just be a cool twist on a familiar era. Either way, it gives the game a fresh feel beyond its two predecessors.
Youngblood is definitely an experiment for the Wolfenstein series, and for every one that fails or falls slightly flat — the faux-RPG progression, the co-op parts that don't really need to be — there's one that wildly succeeds, such as visual design, larger levels, or great characterisation. A mixed bag, but coming in at a slightly lower price (£34.99 RRP) makes it more than worth a look