Sandwiched between genre-defining FPSes like Half-Life and Halo, RTCW didn’t light the world on fire but laid the foundation for the future of the series.ĭespite confusing marketing and vexing design decisions (BJ’s hair going from blond to brown back to blond, for example), all Wolfenstein games from RTCW to The New Colossus are set in the same universe. The tonal shift of Return to Castle Wolfenstein from 3D's slightly bloody arcade take violence to literal hellish darkness also cast a thematic shadow of gloom over the series that has remained. This is also the entry that introduces the deliciously evil Doctor Deathshead. Wolfenstein 3D (or technically Muse’s Castle Wolfenstein) might have put this train in motion, but Return was the first game to build the lore that Raven Software and MachineGames would use to make the series what it is today. Getting embroiled in firefights with Nazis in the narrow stone corridors of a castle is fun enough, but the added presence of Frankenstein-like monsters and other monstrosities ratchets up the tension (good thing you have a flamethrower). Developed with the id Tech 3 engine (Quake 3, Call of Duty), RTCW was a looker of a game for its time, and even to this day, it has enough dark fantasy elements to make it stand out among its peers. Return to Castle Wolfenstein answered that question in more ways than probably intended.

Beyond Doom being a huge success, Wolfenstein's concept and execution of said concept were pretty straight to the point: You're a dude killing Nazis. Gray Matter Interactive’s take on Wolfenstein returned to a world that had been untouched since id Software wrapped up production on 3D’s post-release episode, Spear of Destiny.

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