It’s no secret that the Call of Duty machine essentially goes live at the end of each year, working on the next annual project in hopes of advancing the Modern Warfare or Black Ops series. Interestingly, now that we’ve gotten Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7 in quick succession, it looks like we’ll just have to wait for the next Modern Warfare.
Black Ops 6 offered one of the strongest overall packages in recent memory, with an engaging campaign, a rich Zombies mode, and a satisfying variety of multiplayer modes, but Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 feels like a sharp turn in the wrong direction. The gunplay is as solid as ever, but the cooperative campaign simply sets the experience back as a whole.
cooperation campaign
This is where we get serious and tackle the most difficult parts first. Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s campaign is set in 2035, 10 years after Black Ops 2. Adversary Raul Menendez has seemingly risen from the dead, threatening the world with a new hallucinogenic gas being touted as a new weapon of psychological warfare. In the wake of this, David Mason, son of fan-favorite protagonist Alex Mason, returns with the team to see what’s going on.
The team is soon locked in a battle of wits with all sorts of crazy visions and situations that Mason has to slip through and escape under the influence of Menendez’s new weapon. The story lasts approximately 5-6 hours in total before you gain access to additional content known as Endgame. The story has a breakneck pace but is very difficult to make sense of.
Credit: Activision
Most of the time, Mason and his team find themselves battling various hallucinations, even if they’re incredibly calm about it all. It takes very little time before the story picks up again and introduces us to a secret hostile institution known as the Guild, but so much time is spent on these hallucinatory missions that the stakes are actually low, even as we’re about to dive into David’s past. Still, the game barely mentions where Mason actually is or what he’s doing while he’s stumbling around, making it difficult for us as players to know what’s going through Mason’s mind and what he’s thinking in the real world.
I applaud this series for trying something different, but it’s so much more than that. What’s more, this campaign is advertised as a co-op campaign, meaning you’ll be automatically grouped into teams of four before participating in a mission. You can also play solo, but you also can’t pause the game during missions and will get kicked if you’re inactive for too long.
Still, it’s a strange choice, and it’s clear that the series is going through some sort of identity crisis. I’m not sure if the series is trying to satisfy fans who want some kind of story and stakes while investing most of their time and effort into the multiplayer and zombie modes. Either way, it feels like a double-edged sword. Completing the campaign advances to a chapter called “Endgame,” where players can drop into an open version of the city of Avalon and complete additional side missions in exfil-style mode.
Credit: Activision
This is still a tough pill to swallow for most people, as the campaign feels stitched together with elements from other modes, ultimately diluting the cinematic quality of each mission. You can get more ammunition than you need, and weapons are broken down into damage tiers and can be upgraded at certain stations. Enemies now feel like bullet sponges, thanks to large amounts of armor and special labels like “special” or “elite” enemies that simply absorb more damage.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this campaign is boring or a waste of time. Considering it only takes a few days to complete, it’s worth checking out. But it’s such a huge departure from the norm, both in terms of narrative and structure, that I’m sure most fans invested in Call of Duty’s campaign will quickly realize that this isn’t the way to go going forward.
multiplayer
On the other hand, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7’s multiplayer features are great. The overall gunplay and pacing is great, and the addition of wall jumping adds a nice level of verticality and speed to the gameplay without feeling overwhelming.
The Omnimotion system introduced in Black Ops 6 also returns here and is just as comfortable, allowing players to sprint and dive in different directions with precise body and weapon movements. Players can also perform up to three wall jumps from the surface here. This is always easy to do, most maps support it, so it doesn’t feel like a waste, and each encounter adds a sense of speed as you traverse the 18 launch maps (16 of which support the standard 6v6 mode, and 2 of which support the larger 20v20 mode).
Credit: Activision
Skirmish is also new to Black Ops 7 and is a 20v20 mode much like Battlefield’s Conquest mode. Here, players spawn in the air wearing wingsuits and must conquer a variety of objectives on a much larger map compared to the one found in the core lobby. This is a great mode if you enjoy this kind of pacing, but it’s much slower and depending on where you spawn, you’ll be shot out of the sky pretty quickly. I’ve always enjoyed the chaotic fun of Call of Duty in short bursts, but it feels a little lost here, but I applaud their attempt.
There’s also a new core mode called Overlord, where players pick up an EMP device at some point on the map and run it to the opposing team’s safe zone. It’s almost like Capture the Flag, but it fits in so well in terms of pacing that I’m surprised it took this long to implement.
I also wanted to touch on Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) over the past few years. I understand this has been a touchy topic over the last few years. Basically, previous Call of Duty games graded your stats and allowed you to join games with players with similar skill sets. The problem was that there was no way to know when or where it would change, so it would affect the outcome of the next match.
Have you ever dominated one game, only to completely fail in the next? Yes, it happened to many of us. SBMM is currently turned off by default, but you can turn it on to access the SBMM lobby if you wish. The real problem with this change isn’t that Treyarch listened and allowed players to turn it off, it’s that your skills will be tested at certain times of the day. Play on nights when most players are active? Get ready.
Credit: Activision
Overall, you’ll find that most of the remaining features are similar to Black Ops 6 in the best ways. Every weapon packs a punch and is well-balanced, and no matter how you choose to play, the overall progression of the game is packed with immersive elements. The improvements don’t necessarily change the game, but they’re definitely a welcome addition to an already great experience.
zombie
Zombies will be instantly familiar to fans of the mode, but the new map, Ashes of the Damned, is a real highlight. This serves as the standard Zombies mode map and is quite large. It’s so huge that you’ll be driving a pickup truck named Ol’ Tessie through its various zones. It needs to be kept safe and possibly repaired and upgraded until it has a pack-a-punch machine that can be moved behind it. This is great.
Ashes of the Damned can be played in Zombies Standard or Direct mode. The latter is similar to Standard mode, but with objective-based markers as you progress. There are also some nice Easter eggs, but I won’t spoil them here. You can still find GobbleGums and Perk-a-Colas for additional fun perks.
Credit: Activision
There’s a new Cursed mode, which feels like a more minimalist version of Standard mode and requires you to find your own way around the map. Exploration is key here, and you’ll need to find certain relics to unlock abilities and increase the overall challenge. There’s no minimap or point system here, so be prepared for a serious challenge.
There’s also a survival mode that wastes waves of zombies and takes place on the much smaller Vadorn Family Farm map. The map is much smaller, but fits the mode well. You’ll need to collect Essence to buy and upgrade weapons and Salvage to buy equipment, but it’s a more focused mode that’s easier to play in bite-sized bursts.
Finally, we have Dead Ops Arcade 4, which has been around since Black Ops Cold War. The mode itself is a fun twin-stick shooting mode that can be played from a top-down or first-person perspective, but it’s also a nice change of pace. Here you will fight against silverback gorillas in 80 levels and 10 bonus rooms. There are also Standard, Casual, and Hardcore ways to play, which increase the difficulty level as players change how they start each match. All of the GobbleGum is included here as well, and it’s very different from the standard Zombie mode and can be quite time-consuming.
final thoughts
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is actually a decent package overall, simply held back and let down by the weird co-op campaign.
Gunplay is as punchy and satisfying as ever, made even better with the addition of wall jumping and running, and even more comfortable when used in conjunction with the omni-movement system.
It doesn’t necessarily revolutionize the franchise, but it still has something to keep me going, even if it’s not as cohesive a package as last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.
3 and a half stars (out of 5 stars)
Highlights: Solid gunfights. Multiplayer remains incredibly satisfying and engaging. Clean visuals and performance
Cons: Co-Op campaign is a mess
Developers: Treyarch, Raven Software, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, High Moon Studios, Beenox, Demonware, Activision Shanghai
Publisher: Activision
Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Available: Currently
Review was conducted on a PlayStation 5 Pro using an activation code provided by the publisher.
A featured header image is also provided by the publisher.
