WW2 #38: Spear of Destiny
Classic shooter prequel a glimpse of the future
This review was originally posted to Twitter on March 15, 2020.
Initial release: September 18, 1992
Platform: DOS
Developer: id Software
Wolfenstein 3D is a landmark title that revolutionized gaming, setting the stage for ever bigger revolutions over the next half decade. But even as id Software got to work on Doom, they still had a publisher to please. Enter Spear of Destiny, a prequel designed in two months yet, arguably, is the better game.
At its core, Spear is an expandalone for Wolfenstein 3D. It offers very little that’s new to the experience: some new art, new music, a few new boss enemies, and 21 new levels (which is awful anemic compared to the 60 from the original,) but beyond that it’s almost identical to its predecessor. And yet I like it more.
The plot, such as it is, might be the first example of Nazi occultism in a video game. Set before the Nocturnal Missions (episodes 4–6, which were themselves a prequel to the original trilogy) of Wolf 3D, our hero BJ Blazkowitz is tasked with retrieving the mythical spear that pierced the side of Christ, believed to be wielded by Hitler to turn the tide of the war.
The spear is at the top of Castle Nuremberg, and heavily guarded; your mission begins with an insertion into the tunnels at the base of the castle. From there, you’ll work your way up to the very top, where the spear is stored. Think of all the Nazi murder you get to do!
The gameplay is identical to the original game. Most of the levels are confusing, abstract mazes, full of Nazis and mutants and little else. But this time around, id Software have seen fit to make at least an attempt at a realistic space. So in the course of the mission we’ll see things like the outer walls of the castle, an actual front entrance with sprite-decoration trucks parked in the way, a tunnel that’s been blocked by a cave in, the upper ramparts of the castle, and so on. Of course it’s still not the most realistic castle there is. The structure of the walls mostly just provides a framework for abstract mazes — it’s far from, say, the classic Going Down mapset for Doom. But it’s something. We’d have to wait until Return to Castle Wolfenstein, nearly a decade later, before we’d get anything more realistic.
The levels are a mixed bag. The tunnel and rampart levels at either end are great; the dungeon levels are hit or miss. But the castle levels about halfway in are just mediocre, like something out of Wolfenstein 3D’s sixth episode. But overall I think it’s an improvement. After this game’s release, Formgen (id’s publisher at the time) cranked out not one, but two of their own expansions to the game, titled Return to Danger and Ultimate Challenge. Featuring a new aesthetic, they promise a lot if you like Wolfenstein… and don’t live up to it. I honestly thought about going through them and reviewing them, but I decided life’s too short. I can tell you this: the new art and sound assets would be better put to use in the hands of a competent mapper. In terms of actual level design, they leave a lot to be desired. Still, though, digital re-releases of Spear of Destiny usually come with both expansions, so if you absolutely must give them a try, that’s three full games for the price of a bag of chips.
It’s a shame that Spear of Destiny never got the massive amount of ports that Wolf 3D did. In spite of the more “gamey” aspects of its level design, I can’t help but feel like it’s overall a better, tighter offering than its predecessor.
