The story ofReturn to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territoryis complex and deeply compelling. It’s rooted in the formation of developer Splash Damage, which grew from a group of modders to full-fledged game developers in the mid-2000s. As part of that growth, however, there were stumbles. The single-player campaign of theWolfensteinEnemy Territoryexpansion was dropped and the multiplayer released standalone. The story has come full circle, however, as a proactive modder has now rebuiltEnemy Territory’s singleplayer on his own.
The mod was created by one William Faure’s Dark Matter Productions. Faure has taken what Splash Damage made available of its single-player efforts and the existing multiplayer maps fromEnemy Territory’s official release and created a genuinesingleplayer campaign. A lone modder was able to deliver what Splash Damage was unable to complete, only 18 years later. It’s an impressive and uniquely special accomplishment and a monument to Splash Damage’s work.
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Being a mode from a single person, the singleplayer levels ofEnemy Territoryare very rudimentary. For example, the Gold Rush map provides players with an open map and a list of objectives. These include either stealthily following an officer and then stealing their gold or, if discovered, stealing a tank and blowing up the bank to then steal the gold. Players familiar with theoriginalReturn to Castle Wolfensteinand other first-person shooters of the time will certainly feel nostalgic for the style of gameplay.
TheEnemy Territorymod is, of course, entirely available for free to download and play. It does require that players ownReturn to Castle Wolfenstein, however. The game is currently available for $4.99 on Steam, but could be discounted even further during an upcomingBlack Friday or Christmas sale. In addition toReturn to Castle Wolfenstein, players will have to download the RealRTCW mod on Steam, a free overhaul mod that singleplayerEnemy Territoryis built on.
This project just goes to show that thelegacy ofWolfensteingamesremains strong. EvenReturn to Castle Wolfensteinretains a niche fanbase nearly 20 years after its release, embracing not only the game’s multiplayer but single-player possibilities thought lost to time.
Splash Damage has come a long way since the cancelation ofEnemy Territory’s single-player, too. It worked with Xbox Game Studios onGears of Warmultiplayer and the PC version ofHalo: The Master Chief Collectionthrough the late 2010s.Gears Tacticswas its last Xbox-published game before its parent companyLeyou was acquired by Tencent. It’s now working on an original sci-fi project, as well as other games, that all remain unannounced.
