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Return to Castle Wolfenstein

19 November 20018.0/ 10 · 227 votesMature7

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About

Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a single-player and multiplayer first-person shooter game. It follows B. J. Blazkowicz, an American operative tasked with investigating the German war effort’s occult research. Captured during an infiltration mission, he witnesses the death of his partner during interrogation, then escapes confinement inside Castle Wolfenstein. His initial objective is to flee the fortress and report his findings, after which he is ordered to resume the investigation. Blazkowicz’s pursuit leads him across occupied Europe as he uncovers an SS division attempting to reanimate the long-dead Saxon warlord Heinrich I to serve as a supernatural weapon.

Combat is built around traditional first-person shooting, stealth infiltration and staged encounters that mix human and non-human enemies. The player carries a range of World War II-era firearms that include pistols, submachine guns, rifles, heavy machine guns and explosives such as grenades and dynamite. The game also supports both stealth and direct-combat approaches. Later missions introduce experimental and occult-themed weaponry. Levels are structured around discrete objectives that may involve locating secret documents, sabotaging research facilities, assassinating key personnel or navigating catacombs filled with undead guardians. Enemy groups include regular soldiers, elite paratroopers, armored troopers, occult commandos and engineered creatures produced through the SS Paranormal Division’s experiments.

Character progression is tied to the completion of story chapters rather than leveling systems. New weapons, equipment and mission types are introduced gradually as the player advances through different regions. Environmental hazards, traps and secret rooms provide opportunities to gather additional supplies.

In addition to the single-player campaign, the game includes a class-based multiplayer mode. Matches place players on Axis or Allied teams, each with their own objectives that must be completed to win a scenario. Multiplayer classes such as Soldier, Medic, Engineer and Lieutenant offer distinct roles. Multiplayer maps feature symmetrical and asymmetrical layouts with chokepoints, destructible objectives and routes designed for both coordinated pushes and defensive holds.

Ways to play

Modes

Single playerSplit screen

Perspective

Third person

Languages (1)

Languageaudiosubtitlesinterface
English

Game details

Business Model

Commercial

Supported Systems/Models

x86 (32-bit)

Drivers/APIs Supported

OpenGL

Media Type

CD-ROM, Download

3D Graphics Cards / Accelerators Supported

3dfx (Velocity 100/200 / Voodoo 3), ATI (Rage 128), ATI (Rage 128 Pro), ATI (Radeon series), Matrox (Millennium G400 series), Nvidia (Riva TNT), Nvidia (Riva TNT2 series), Nvidia (GeForce 256 series)

Input Devices Required

Keyboard, Mouse

Additional Hardware Required

3D Accelerator

Multiplayer Options

Internet, LAN, Modem

Multiplayer Game Modes

Team

Number of Offline Players

1 Player

Number of Online Players

32 Players

GOG.com

Multi-player, Single-player

Steam

Cloud

Save Game Methods

Internal Storage, Cloud (Online)

System requirements

Min. CPU Class Required

Intel Pentium II

Min. OS Class Required

Windows 95b (OSR2 / 2.1)

Min. RAM Required

128 MB

Min. DirectX Version Required

DirectX 8.0a

Min. CD-ROM Drive Speed Required

4X (600 KB/s)

Min. Video Memory Required

16 MB

Video Modes Supported

Full screen

Video Resolutions Supported

640×480, 1024×768

Box art

Also known as

RTCWInformal title

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Facts

Developer

Genki

Released

19 November 2001

Platforms

PCLinuxWindowsMac

Age ratings

ESRBMaturePEGI16USK16ACBMA15+OFLC (New Zealand)R16BBFC15VET/SFB18 (Square)DJCTQ18
Official website

Tags

1st-personShooterDirect controlFantasySci-fi / futuristicWorld War IIWarRegional differences