In fiction, War has traditionally been associated with action and drama. From Saving Private Ryan to Call of Duty, many war stories tend to be a blend of patriotic adventures and commentary on the endurance of the human spirit. While there’s nothing wrong with this kind of tale, in real life, the most common element present in both sides of all wars has always been absolute terror. Because of this, it’s no surprise that the creators of the world’s first major FPS franchise couldn’t help but be influenced by the horror genre (and B-movies in general) as they crafted one of the most iconic gaming experiences of all time.

Naturally, I’m referring to Wolfenstein. While the horror influences on this franchise may not be as obvious as id Software’s other massively popular FPS series, Doom, the Wolfenstein games have been borrowing from horror films (and other media) for decades now, and I think that it’s time to discuss how a few terrifying elements helped to shape such an iconic action franchise.

Some of you might assume that this story begins with Wolfenstein 3D, but the roots of id Software’s iconic creation actually lie in Muse Software’s 1981 release, Castle Wolfenstein, a primitive third-person stealth title that would lay the groundwork for what would later become a gaming heavyweight. While this innovative title would draw inspiration from several action arcade games and war films like The Guns of Navarone and Where Eagles Dare, the setting was actually based on the real-life Castle Wewelsburg, Heinrich Himmler’s base of operations for occult studies within Germany’s SS. It doesn’t get much more horrific than that!

Impressive visuals?

In retrospect, Castle Wolfenstein and its 1984 sequel, Beyond Castle Wolfenstein, actually feel a lot like down-to-earth prototypes of the early Metal Gear titles. In fact, tactical espionage action might just be the best way to describe the admittedly janky gameplay here, as the protagonist must sneak and disguise himself through Nazi-occupied territory, only resorting to violence when absolutely necessary.

While they can’t boast the same adrenaline-pumping shoot-outs present in later entries, these two games introduced concepts that would help keep the franchise fresh even in the next millenia. From labyrinthian architecture to hidden traps and backstabbing nazis, the original Castle Wolfenstein games were still pretty intense despite their lack of zombies, dark magic or robotic monstrosities. It’s a bit difficult to replay these games nowadays due to questionable controls and limited graphics, but some of the stealth mechanics would actually be revisited in more recent titles, so these early games remain an important part of Wolfenstein’s history.

Of course, the real revolution would come in 1992 with the release of Wolfenstein 3D, which also introduced the world to series protagonist William Joseph “B.J.” Blazkowicz. Though it’s technically not the first First-Person-Shooter (that honor goes to 1973’s clunky classic Maze War), the game’s smooth controls and fast-paced POV action are what popularized the genre. It wasn’t just the gameplay that was revamped from its predecessors, however, as the developers’ influences were also quite different this time around. Drawing inspiration from Nazi Exploitation films and featuring even more references to Germany’s real-world ventures into questionable science and neo-paganism, Wolfenstein 3D clearly wasn’t afraid of balls-to-the-wall insanity.

Just looking at this screenshot is enough to make you want to replay this classic.

Hell, even the game’s final boss was Hitler himself in an anachronistic mech suit, and that’s not even mentioning Spear of Destiny, Wolfenstein 3D‘s prequel expansion. These levels were even crazier, dealing with Nazi secret societies and their occult goals. The presence of mutant soldiers and magical artifacts made these games feel like a bizarre mix of an Indiana Jones yarn with some Lovecraftian influences sprinkled here and there. It could even be argued that these more sensationalist elements were a trial run for what would eventually become Doom.

Nevertheless, the Wolfenstein franchise would continue to venture into paranormal territory in the future. The 2001 reboot, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, would feature Nazi zombies, Thulian conspiracies and even more real-world occult references (mostly related to Castle Wewelsburg) in a smorgasbord of blood and bullets. By then, however, the novelty of FPS games had worn off, and bigger, more complex titles had already dominated the market. Despite some freaky enemy designs and a legitimately fun story, Return to Castle Wolfenstein was considered just another World-War II shooter in a sea of similar action games. That’s not to say that the game wasn’t well-received, it just wasn’t as influential as its predecessors (though its engine did serve as the basis for the original Call of Duty).

This issue would only get worse with the release of 2009’s Wolfenstein, a loose sequel to the 2001 game. Though it continued and even recycled several plot elements from the first title, most critics agreed that the formula was getting stale. The addition of the Black Sun dimension and a setting that kept getting stranger as supernatural influences became stronger was a pretty creative move (with several moments being eerily reminiscent of Stuart Gordon’s adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s From Beyond), but it’s too bad the gameplay didn’t bring anything new to the table.

Spooky…

After middling reviews and low sales figures, the franchise would remain dormant until 2014, when Bethesda would release their radically different take on this iconic series. With a heavier focus on narrative, Wolfenstein: The New Order would wear its influences on its sleeve, featuring obvious references to Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle, films like Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and even B-movie classics like The Keep and Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS.

As usual, players once again don on the role of B.J. Blazkowicz as he continues his never-ending battle against Nazi forces. This time, however, the Nazis have the upper hand, as the game takes place in an alternate reality where Germany’s access to ridiculously over-the-top technological advances allowed them to win the war and take over the world. As if the inherent horror of a world overrun by Nazis wasn’t enough, this 1960s dieselpunk dystopia is also populated by bio-mechanical abominations like the terrifying Panzerhund (ridiculously hard-to-kill robot dogs) and enhanced super-soldiers.

Though The New Order (along with its prequel DLC, The Old Blood, and the sequel, The New Colossus) embrace much of the franchise’s B-movie roots, with several horrific sequences that wouldn’t feel out of place in a genuine exploitation film, this new incarnation of the series ventures far more into Sci-Fi territory than the supernatural. While most of the science is quite exaggerated, with the space levels especially feeling like they could have been ripped straight from Iron Sky, the game is actually much closer to the down-to-earth thrills of the early titles.

Now we’re talking!

The upcoming follow-up, Wolfenstein: Youngblood looks like it’ll continue and expand upon this trend of retro-futurism with a campaign set in the Nazi-occupied 1980s, and while I can’t wait to play it, it does feel like a completely different franchise at this point. Nevertheless, I can appreciate the fact that, after all these years, Blazkowicz continues to kick Nazi ass in one of the most memorable gaming experiences out there. 

These games may have borrowed a lot from other media, but I’d argue that they’ve been just as influential outside of gaming as well. From last year’s Overlord to Frankenstein’s Army, there are several films that feel an awful lot like unofficial Wolfenstein adaptations, and at this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if the franchise actually made the jump to the big screen (there actually have been several failed attempts at film!). Until then, however, we can always step into B.J. Blazkowicz’s digital shoes for some interactive Nazi-shooting thrills, and I’m okay with that.