Major: Captain Blazkowicz, come in. You've been reassigned. The O.S.A. has a top-secret mission, and they think you're the right man.
The prologue chapter of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, "Cursed Sands", is exclusive to the Playstation 2 and Xbox versions of the game.
In it, O.S.A. agent B.J. Blazkowicz and the british Agent One are sent to the occupied egyptian town of Ras el-Hadid. The city is under martial law, with its residents not being able to do any business except between 8 A.M. and 10 A.M. under threat of being shot.
After destroying all the radio equipment of the Nazis, they make their way through the city, eventually reaching the Nazi headquarters and obtaining information on the excavation done in the area. They then make their way through the catacombs, and are noticed of the presence of SS head operative Helga von Bulow. After disposing of Helga's elite guard and reaching the airfield, they escape in an airplane, only for said airplane to crash near Castle Wolfenstein, where they're detained.
The prologue comprises the levels "Ras el-Hadid", "Inner City", "Headquarters", "Ancient Ruins", "Ritual Chamber", "Burial Tombs" and "Eye of Anubis".
This chapter provides examples of:
- Les Collaborateurs:
- A suspicion raised by the briefing for "Inner City"...
"We suspect that the locals are being repressed by the occupying Nazi force, but wouldn't be surprised if some have been hired to keep an eye on things."- ...that's eventually confirmed by a report located after the radio station:
"In the interests of security, I have hired several of the locals to assist us in keeping a watchful eye throughout the village. Their knowledge of the area will be invaluable, and they should be able to alert us of any potential situations with the loyal community." - Let's Split Up, Gang!: The briefing of "Inner City" has you and Agent One split up in order to cover extra ground on your chase of Helga von Bulow.
- Rewarding Vandalism: In "Ras el-Hadid":
- The first secret involves smashing a container with your knife in order to get the goodies inside.
- Two of the Treasures are hidden in a breakable box and behind a board near the end of the level.
- With This Herring: At the beginning of "Ras el-Hadid", you only have a knife, forcing you into a Stealth-Based Mission until you can get properly armed.
