“What the hell is that thing,” screams one battle-hardened special ops soldier. “Who cares, shoot it,” replies their teammate. They’re specifically talking about a group of shambling zombie-like hallucinations that pop up early in Black Ops 7’s near-future sci-fi campaign but it’s a sentiment that holds true across the latest entry in the long-running Call Of Duty franchise.
Gross spider-demon? Shoot it. Rival soldier? Shoot them. Giant flower which spews deadly bubbles? Shoot it, then shoot the bubbles too. So far, so Call Of Duty. What’s more surprising is the sheer range of enemies on display here, from humans to mechs to screen-filling monstrosities which absorb so many bullets that it’s best to tackle them via the newly launched co-op mode.
Enemy variety aside, this isn’t the ground-up revitalisation that last year’s Black Ops 6 offered. Instead, the sequel tweaks the mechanics as developers Treyarch build on those solid foundations. Still, Black Ops 7 is much more than a DLC with a AAA price tag.
There’s a charming gluttony to the latest Call Of Duty. The game merrily blurs the boundaries between the single-player, multiplayer and ‘Zombies’ modes with nightmarish flesh-eaters and shared progression throughout. It means there’s a real joy to hopping between arenas on a whim.
The story-driven campaign is another twisting tale of deceit, heroism and conspiracy. While Black Ops 6 tried to keep things grounded in the early ‘90s, the 2035 setting of Black Ops 7 provides a playground of murderous gadgets and Black Mirror-inspired horrors. This thriller can be tackled by up to four mates in co-op, meaning each level is overflowing with enemies. Limited self-revives are available but it helps to have at least one friend on hand to pick you up when you inevitably bite the dust.
This focus on teamwork is epitomised by the new post-campaign ‘Endgame’ mode, which sees squads of up to four players thrown into a huge sandbox to take down targets, hunt down rewards and generally have a blast. Perks are gained the longer you survive and new areas featuring tougher enemies ensure that the challenge level never dips. Despite the sheer number of opponents thrown your way, it’s the perfect way to wind down after another nail-biting game of ‘Team Deathmatch’. According to developers, there’s a lot of seasonal content planned which should stop even the most committed of players from running out of things to do. If they do, a huge new ‘Zombies’ map is waiting alongside the punishing new ‘Cursed’ mode.
However you’re playing Black Ops 7, the gunplay is as satisfying as ever. There’s a fine balance which ensures no one weapon dominates the competitive multiplayer field. The visceral satisfaction of pulling off a tricky shot or a hail mary grenade toss is enough to have you punching the air in excitement.
The ‘Omnimovement’ system returns to complement the game’s impressive arsenal, adding wall-jumping gymnastics to your action hero moves. This fluidity of movement is enhanced even further by an excellent grappling hook and wingsuit combo in larger multiplayer modes such as ‘Skirmish’. Just getting around the map has never been so much fun.
A few years ago Call Of Duty seemed a bit lost, churning out annual entries without any real improvements. Black Ops 7 is proof that those days are behind us and the franchise is back to being the gold standard of shooting things – whether the gun’s pointed at a man, a monster, or a giant plant.
‘Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7’ is out now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
VERDICT
Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 builds on what made last year’s Black Ops 6 such a breath of fresh air, tightening up the gunplay and movement while still finding time to introduce a huge, polished new game mode. It’s not the quantum leap that the last game was, but it’s still one of the best entries in the series to date.
PROS
- Most fluid, fast-paced multiplayer in years
- More enemy variety than ever before
- ‘Endgame’ is a novel and enjoyable new game mode
CONS
- Higher level enemies in ‘Campaign’ and ‘Endgame’ will eat up all your bullets
- ‘Campaign’ is not optimised for the single-player experience
- Sheer amount of content can be disorienting for those unfamiliar with the franchise