Wolfenstein meets Metroidvania in Wolfhound, an 8-bit ode to yesteryear with zombies and Nazi mechs

Here's hoping the endboss is robot Hitler

Wolfhound is simply a crippled that I've kept my eyes connected for rather immoderate time, listing it connected some our 2025 and 2026 astir anticipated lists. While an nonstop merchandise day for this retro-inspired indie is inactive forthcoming, indications hint that it whitethorn get astatine the process extremity of this year, and a physique that I've precocious played provided much reasons to beryllium excited.

The sophomore effort from indie developer Bit Kit, Wolfhound is akin to Metroid, but with a coagulated helping of Wolfenstein thrown into the mix. You play a WWII all-American skipper named Chuck Rosetti who's sent to analyse a Bermuda land wherever the Nazis are doing their accustomed nasty experiments. Your level gets changeable down connected the mode over, and you extremity up successful a lovingly-designed 8-bit jungle with each mode of foes hunting you down, including zombies, slayer bees, sentient slimes, and retrofuturist mechs.

I accidental 8-bit arsenic an casual descriptor, since Wolfhound's colour palette, Emulogic-style font, and punchy chiptunes bring to caput memories of blowing connected an aged cartridge to get it to work. But Wolfhound really feels much higher-grade than the NES, though it's not rather Super NES level. The Sega Master System and NEC PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 are amended comparisons, since the colourful tilesets connected display, the creaseless question of Chuck arsenic helium hops around, and often-huge force sprites are acold beyond what Nintendo's archetypal location console could handle. As this is simply a PC-centric site, I'm besides going to comparison Wolfhound's visuals favourably to the 1987 PC-88 and MS-DOS classical Zeliard. (An Allied powers salute to you if you've played that one.)

I came present to combat Nazis, not mutated spider crabs! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bit Kid

While it mightiness look similar yesteryear, Wolfhound possesses level plan that radiates modern Metroidvania, with the physique I played featuring 3 areas: the island's jungle, a dank purple mine, and the opening corridors of the Nazi castle sitting atop it all. The levels are interconnected with the accustomed intersecting paths, and portion Chuck starts with an underpowered peashooter, he'll prime up amended weapons similar a shotgun soon enough. As you unlock prevention rooms, you'll besides get upgrades similar tactical kneepads and gloves, which respectively alteration Chuck to execute rolls, cling onto ledges, and participate parts of the representation antecedently inaccessible.

The prevention room's a bully spot of respite successful the midst of immoderate precise aggravated levels. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bit Kid

Speaking of modern games, Wolfhound's trouble level is much on the lines of Hollow Knight than say, Super Metroid. If you're acquainted with the wavy question of the Medusa Heads successful Castlevania oregon those annoying eagles that would swoop down and termination you successful the archetypal Ninja Gaiden, you'll cognize what to expect from the slayer bees and slimes that torment Chuck. And yes, these bastards volition each saunter towards you erstwhile you're navigating tricky level sections, knocking you to your decease much often than not.

Check retired these screens to get a consciousness of the nefarious platforming successful your mode - arsenic good arsenic the decease surface you'll go good acquainted with. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bit Kid

I saw the GAME OVER surface overmuch much than I expected implicit the people of my 4 hr demo playthrough, but I besides ne'er broke my table successful frustration, arsenic Wolfhound feels just contempt its toughness. While Bit Kid's erstwhile effort Chasm was a randomly generated roguelite, each level that Chuck traverses has been deliberately laid out, meaning that the levels consciousness much surmountable the much you play, arsenic agelong arsenic you support signifier designation and timing successful mind.

The aforesaid goes for sticking ammo into your firearms. In an absorbing decision, Chuck has unlimited ammo for his basal pistol, but tin lone occurrence a definite fig of times earlier helium has to reload a clip. Figuring retired erstwhile to clip that reload is cardinal to surviving against the foes successful your way and tackling the larger-than-life bosses, which are bully amusive and ranged from a elephantine spider to a drill vessel piloted by an Indiana Jones-style Nazi Unteroffizier.

Always emotion a bully Nazi baddie calling maine an American dog. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bit Kid

As this was inactive a work-in-progress mentation of Wolfhound, determination were insignificant areas for betterment that I noticed. While the reload mechanic was novel, I fishy that immoderate mightiness conflict with its rhythms, particularly for the heavier weapons. Chuck's ammo wasn't unlimited for the bolt-action firearm and shotgun that I recovered successful the demo, and the crippled forces you to load up a caller mag earlier you tin prime up other rounds you find connected the ground. This was astir apt done to discourage ammo-hoarding, but felt somewhat unintuitive.

Chuck besides gets grenades that bash a fantastic tonne of damage, but it would've been adjuvant to spot immoderate benignant of arc trajectory for wherever helium was going to propulsion them. I often chucked them successful the incorrect absorption by mishap and succeeded successful blowing myself up much than once, overmuch to the delight of the Axis asshats who were gunning maine down.

Wolfhound features assorted surface filters, and each of my shots present were taken with the "PRO CRT" scanlines option. This one, however, was taken with the "OLD CRT" option, which truly hits location the feeling of playing a gem from the precocious '80s oregon aboriginal '90s. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun/Bit Kid

All successful all, though, playing Wolfhound transported maine backmost to the olden days of sitting successful beforehand of a CRT and a beige container show with my brother, with the 2 of america gripping our controllers choky arsenic we tried to marque a small much advancement successful an ultra hard game. If you're nostalgic for that epoch and agelong to spot what a 2D Wolfenstein mightiness look like, enactment Wolfhound connected your database arsenic 1 to ticker retired for.