Operation Wolf Returns – Going Off the Rails
Mat Pawluczuk·
2 MIN READ
Short verdict: A remake of a classic 1987 arcade game. Monotonous, unchallenging, and badly designed. On-rails shooters aren’t inherently bad, but Operation Wolf Return fails to deliver where it matters.
Operation Wolf 1987
Like many others, I picked up Operation Wolf Returns because I remember playing the original game when I was young.
In general, games based on known IPs guarantee at least a minimal quality bar. Operation Wolf Returns meets that bar, but the game itself is just not good enough.
Core Mechanics
Staying true to the original, the game is an on-rails shooter. You traverse various landscapes, taking out enemies as they appear left and right. Along the way, you acquire new weapons, use grenades, and take on bosses. So far, so good.
Unfortunately, what could have been a fun time is completely ruined by bad design choices. The enemies spawn carelessly, here, there and everywhere, almost at random. There was no real thought put into level planning or the sequencing of enemy attacks. The game almost feels like a wave shooter because of that. Enemies appear, they get mowed down instantly, then more enemies appear. The challenge is not there, and after 30 minutes, the novelty disappears and boredom sets in.
New weapons do not really change anything. They are more of a hindrance than a help, because the whole game can be completed with a machine gun. There is also no discernible logic as to why some bullets hit you and some miss. It is likely based on some form of probability distribution, but the game suffers from this because mastering the game boils down to dispatching the enemies as soon as possible and grabbing a ton of medkits along the way.
Refunded
Because the game is not challenging, there is no satisfaction from progressing through levels or defeating bosses. The only elements that break the monotony are the changing landscapes and a bit of a storyline between the missions.
The scenery is indeed diverse as you traverse jungle, villages, and military bases, reminding you that Operation Wolf Returns isn’t a wave shooter after all. The plot, although straightforward and shallow, offers some explanation as to why you are the good guy and why the enemies need to be vanquished. Both the new levels and the unfolding story provide a bit of motivation to keep moving forward, but not enough to offset the inherently boring gameplay.
Considering the game costs $24.99, I find these flaws to be a dealbreaker. Personally, I refunded the game and would not recommend it even at a discount. Successful on-rails shooters like Sugar Mess prove it is not about the genre, it is about execution. If the developers of Sugar Mess had access to an IP as big as Operation Wolf, I am sure they would have cooked up something special. Unfortunately, as it stands, Operation Wolf Returns is an example of a squandered opportunity.
Link: Meta Store (Meta Quest)