"In my dreams, I smell a barbecue... I see children, a dog — and I see someone. I think I see someone... These things — none of it for me. I move by roaring engines, among warriors. We come from the night." — Captain William "B.J." Blazkowicz

Twenty-three years in the making, that there quote is the first indication of B.J. Blazkowicz being a person (rather than an increasingly bloodied sprite); and the most substantial contribution The New Order provided to the Wolfenstein series of games.

The 2014 FPS+ by MachineGames sets the good Captain on a decisive collision course with long-time antagonist Gruppenführer Wilhelm "Deathshead" Strasse in a story that spans decades and includes an alternate history, fluctuating timelines, a rich, fully-realized setting and a relatable cast of characters (fun fact: the VOs for Deathshead and B.J. were done by A-Team alums, with the original Murdock scoring the mad scientist baddie and the morally unencumbered PMC head from the 2010 reboot movie voicing the game's protagonist).

Though it's a shooter at heart, The New Order is not as simple as its 1991 forebear and includes character development (via unlockable Perks), broader movement range (which now includes sneaking, sprinting, jumping, sliding, leaning and a cover system); weapons with alternate fire modes that can also be upgraded, puzzles, secret areas and collectible goodies (which, sadly, do nothing outside of earning pointless achievements).

Split into two divergent paths after the first chapter (which differ only in some unlockables and a slightly altered cast), the game is divided into action (the trademark "brrap! stab! 'splode!" of any self-respecting FPS); cutscenes (which fill the gaps in the narrative betwixt slices of action); and, hm — a walking sim, I guess? (where you get to explore the game's central hub and interact with NPCs; sort of like the resistance base interludes from Crusader: No Remorse).

And while the main focus of the game is dispatching legions of Nazi troops as quickly and efficiently as possible, the good folks of MachineGames put equal effort into realizing the game world, fleshing out the personalities and backstories of characters and constructing a narrative that – while linear – is intriguing enough to entice even FPS-skeptics like myself. Honestly, the original subtext for this review was going to be something along the lines of "come for the shooting, stay for the story." The plot and characters are simply that good.

It might seem weird to expend this much effort on the setting in a game whose mechanics preclude any real interaction or elaboration (it's hard to be an effective speaker when your only skill is dual-wielding assault rifles); but all I can say is that – in this instance – it works.

Even if the exchanges are one-sided and binary, the ability to learn the motivations or inner thoughts of the game's characters invests the player into their well-being, elevating the ever-present tension and injecting decisions with actual consequence and weight. It's the sort of slow, methodical build-up Bethesda (who, ironically, published the game) never quite got the hang of and the difference between being told you care and being given the chance to find a reason to.

Over the course of 16 chapters that see you "explore" (read: selectively demolish) asylums, concentration camps, office buildings and even Nazi moon bases, you get to learn B.J. Blazkowicz's innermost thoughts and fears, find out what makes him tick, make some friends (and lose others) and even fall in love. It's not an overlong experience (if you go out of your way to dot every "i", it'll still take only about 24 hours), but it is definitely worthwhile.

Wherever the game takes you, the overall production will never fail to impress (which would be news but for the fact that MachineGames is staffed mostly by Starbreeze Studios employees — and Starbreeze made Escape from Butcher Bay and Assault on Dark Athena — two of the best looking games I've ever played). From claustrophobic submarine interiors or brutalist office towers to secret caches of advanced technology and everything in between, the level design, visual presentation and sound are first rate.

On paper, Wolfenstein: The New Order might seem like an odd duck: good shooting mechanics interrupted by needless exposition (claim FPS purists); or elaborate world-building that goes nowhere, becasue the game is under-equipped to use it (bemoan the RPG-faithful). But, in practice, the game makes for a fun, balanced production half of which tells you what the stakes are and why they matter, while the other lets you fight like hell for 'em.

Now that Captain Blazkowicz has a personality and his own voice, it'd be nice to see future games veer away from strict FPS limitations (or at least lean slightly more into branching dialogue and nonlinear progression). For the time being, though, I'm more than happy to indulge yet another playthrough of The New Order.

And – if you are a fan of action, good writing or both – I think you might too.

Pig Recommends:

• -skipping The Old Blood (the New Order prequel), which – while well-constructed and nearly as elaborate – is more of a straightforward shooter, with fewer world-building trappings; do give The New Colossus a go, however: it's good, more along the lines of The New Order (with exploration and dialogue-y goodness to boot) and resolves the cliffhanger ending of the previous game;

• -if, like me, you find opening movies you can't skip irritating, add "+com_skipIntroVideo 1" to the target of your New Order shortcut;

• -if you end up playing The New Colossus refrain from pressing 'J' right after finding collectibles (it sometimes causes the game to CTD);