Wolfenstein 1-D

Did You Know?

• Players control the Wolfenstein series' protagonist, William "B.J." Blazkowicz, and must try to escape from the Nazi-controlled Wolfenstein Castle.
• Enemies either have the ability to fire single shots, or wield automatic rifles.
• Blazkowicz, enemies, treasure, ammunition and life-restoring health packs are all represented by different colored pixels.

Reception

Video game blog Joystiq commented that there was probably a message about the lack of real depth in the storytelling of most first person shooters, though it was totally lost on them because they were busy having such a good time shooting things. MTV writer Adam Rosenberg said he could not tell if it was actually entertaining to play or if he was just enjoying the groovy beats of the original game playing behind it, adding that a player would probably only play it once but it was definitely worth spending a minute or so of the day on. Chris Plante for IFC asked whether Wolfenstein 1D was a subtle jab at the choking linearity of modern first-person shooters, noting that games like Call of Duty provide a controlled path that creates the illusion of danger when in reality every enemy is placed before the muzzle and every loss of life can be remedied by the nearest health pack. Kotaku writer Michael McWhertor described the thrill of walking to the right, shooting blue and orange lines representing Nazis, opening cyan lines that represent doors, and desperately hoping for a magenta line to appear when down to the last bullet, advising that if one truly does not care about graphics, they should play Wolfenstein 1D. George Wong for tech website Ubergizmo stated that words are not going to do justice in describing this game, but if someone has ever played Wolfenstein 3D before, they should experience it for themselves. Wired writer Duncan Geere commented on the 2D versus 1D argument by noting that if being pedants, it does have a second dimension which is just 1 pixel tall, but projecting that onto screens and quantizing it into pixels means one can just about get away with the characterization. GamesRadar writer Matt Bradford commented on the 1D style, saying that 1-D gaming might not require special glasses or expensive TVs to enjoy, but it does require good eyesight and a hefty degree of imagination, and wondered if the DLC would include a second layer. Rock Paper Shotgun writer Jim Rossignol asked in a short review whether just because something can be made means one should make it, but stated that Wolfenstein 1-D is surprisingly good, questioning if this is the true essence of gaming.