Wolfenstein II: The Freedom Chronicles – The Amazing Deeds of Captain Wilkins brings the downloadable content cycle for MachineGames’ sophomore effort to a close. Overall, I’m torn on how they’ve gone about its production, but even though my opinion of Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus has soured a bit since its release, I’m still a fan. And while I think I’d have ultimately preferred more supplementary material about B.J. and the Kreisau Circle, what we’ve got is harmless at worst. But where does The Amazing Deeds of Captain Wilkins fall as far as The Freedom Chronicles goes? It's pretty much par for the course: it's fun, but it doesn’t play to the core game’s biggest strengths and often falls prey to its most problematic design flaws.

Captain Gerald Wilkins could have been the protagonist in any World War II adventure from any medium, but he’s got the misfortune to have been cast in the alternate universe in which Germany won the war and achieved near-global domination. But just because the Great Crusade didn’t reach the conclusion the world hoped for doesn’t mean that the greatest generation is necessarily going gently into that good night. Indeed, even as they approach their twilight years, the heroes of the civilized world choose to rage against the dying of the light. It is resistance until death, and Captain Gerald Wilkins is that cliché made flesh.

Our hero’s backstory and motivation may be a bit more traditional than those of The Freedom Chronicles protagonists who came before, but that doesn’t stop him from dreaming big. Turns out, the Greater Reich has developed a new superweapon. They call it the Sonnengewehr: literally, the Sun Gun. With a little help from a former brother-in-arms, he sets out to do what he does best on a journey that takes him through heavily-guarded Alaskan bases and a U-boat being used as a party barge.

Wolfenstein II: The Freedom Chronicles – The Amazing Deeds of Captain Wilkins fancies itself a more freeform experience than the episodes that precede it, but in truth, it’s probably the most restrictive of all of them. Stealth is possible in some sequences, but the prevalence of Lasergewehr-wielding armored soldiers render it more of a herd-culling option than anything else. And as I’ve mentioned several times over the course of my coverage, Wolfenstein II suffers from severe balancing issues during its arena-style combat sequences. The lack of viable cover, high enemy accuracy, and almost-nonexistent damage feedback will have you reloading saves several times on end.

The Amazing Deeds of Captain Wilkins forgoes the narrative goofiness that provided Gunslinger Joe and Agent Silent Death with the ubersoldaten upgrades that B.J. received over the second half of The New Colossus. Instead, it goes with the quick and easy explanation that Captain Wilkins simply found the Battle Walker (here known as the Kampfwanderer) and is now using it against his enemies. This is by far the weakest of the upgrades; its mobility benefits during exploration hardly outweigh the fact that it’s an attention-grabbing liability in combat.

Wolfenstein II: The Freedom Chronicles - The Amazing Deeds of Captain Wilkins is short on surprises and on running time, but its main character is just so damned lovable that you'll power on through regardless. You could certainly find worse ways to spend a few hours.

Overall, Wolfenstein II: The Freedom Chronicles is enjoyable but insubstantial. It doesn't necessarily need to divert from the core experience to stand out, but there's a frustrating safeness to the whole presentation that renders it ultimately unable to make a case for itself. All the first-person shooting action is competent, but its storytelling and level design feel like afterthoughts. Ultimately, it might not provide enough enrichment to warrant a standalone purchase. It's more Wolfenstein II: a good thing, to be sure, but that's really all it is.