Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Campaign Review

Two years after Modern Warfare, Call of Duty returns with Black Ops 6. Sure, multiplayer and zombies are on the menu, but in this article, we’re going to focus on the campaign… So, does the single-player of this sixth episode do better than Black Ops Cold War (which was already a great success)? Here’s our review.

What do you expect from a Call of Duty campaign? Superior shooting experience worthy of the name? Yes, that’s been guaranteed for several years now. A captivating journey that pulls you in and keeps you hooked until the final moment? Yes. Explosions in every direction and spectacular direction? Of course. But what about the element of surprise? It seems almost impossible in Call of Duty… a franchise offering a new episode ( not always of the highest quality) every year. Yet I’ve had plenty of surprises with Black Ops 6’s single-player, and some very good ones too!

History Course

First of all, you need to know that Black Ops 6’s campaign is a direct sequel to Black Ops Cold War. Here, we’re in the early 90s, with the Gulf War at its peak. We play as Case, the last descendant of the Woods family. The CIA team you’re forming, along with a new character called Troy Marshall, is dismissed after a mission in Kuwait… All the evidence suggests that a secret organization has infiltrated the highest echelons of the American agency.

Long story short, your little group is suspended, but you’re not going to stand by and watch the CIA fall apart. Woods, Frank, and Case retreat to an old KGB hideout and come up with a plan. Russell Adler, already present in Cold War, will join them, along with Sevati (a pro in disguise) and Felix, a high-tech wizard.

As in Black Ops Cold War, the KGB hideout – known as “The Tower” – serves as the hub of BO6’s campaign. It’s a big house lost in the middle of the forest. You’ll return there after each mission, and can explore the building, find a big secret, and above all, chat with your teammates. Activision’s teams have done a great job here, we found the conversations better written and more interesting than in Cold War. It’s more human, less artificial, with a few humorous touches that work well.

As your strike team grows, you’ll also notice the rooms in The Tower getting upgraded (a nice touch), and with the money collected during missions, you’ll even be able to improve the place. We’ll come back to this later, but basically, it’s a matter of three rooms which, once improved, allow you to increase your stats. Three rooms is still a bit light, It would have been nice if Raven had taken this idea a step further.

In any case, the Evidence Board in the hideout allows you to launch your next mission (or even replay one). As usual with Call of Duty, Black Ops 6’s single-player gameplay will quickly become a world tour, with a variety of situations and settings. However, there is a strong appetite for infiltration, and above all, the missions are more ambitious and extended (1 hour or more) than usual. This last point is important, in this campaign, there was almost a constant sense of adventure from A to Z, and not just a quick popcorn experience, as was the case in the Modern Warfare 3 remake.

Here, Raven takes the time to carefully set the mood and challenges of its levels, and honestly, it works great! In fact, some sequences, such as Clinton’s Party and Luttazzi’s Casino, are absolutely breathtaking. Their infiltration-action cocktail, rhythm, and immersion are top-notch, supported by a technique, shooting sensations, and solid sound design. By the way, depending on your gameplay style and chosen difficulty, the single player can take between 6 and 8 hours to complete around ten missions.

To make these big scenes feel alive, Raven developed the work begun in Cold War! The zones are large, offering several approaches to eliminating a group of enemies or carrying out an infiltration, so much so that certain locations are entitled to their own map (with points of interest and all) and offer secondary objectives… There’s even a mission in Iraq where you wander around on foot and in a vehicle, in a kind of open world.

This is the kind of surprise I was talking about earlier. Before launching Black Ops 6, I wasn’t really expecting to wander around the desert for 1h30 and gather weapons that would help me infiltrate one of Saddam Hussein’s palaces in the same operation. So, while Raven isn’t always very creative in its approach to granting players freedom (often 3 objectives to be completed in any order), it’s fair to say that things are always moving in the right direction, because the title puts us in a new situation, when something unexpected happens on the way to an “umpteenth” objective…

In hindsight, the studio merely catches itself in the act during supernatural sequences, which are less well executed than the classic scenes. These sequences may be a little too disconnected from the usual COD theme, but they were still entertaining (and surprising). Last but not least, BO6’s storyline falls into certain clichés, but these don’t stand out like a nose on your face: the adventure remains truly compelling from start to finish.

A Test of Skill and Strategy

Another point that surprised us in a good way: the campaign’s challenge… Even in Second Class, be prepared to bite the dust a few times! Black Ops 6 doesn’t hesitate to put you up against countless enemies, some of them heavily armed and even entitled to a life gauge (because they’re so “badass”). Overall, Raven rarely gives you the impression of facing a wall of mindless opponents. On the contrary, this episode will often require you to get creative with the tools you have, or those you obtained earlier in the mission. Because yes, Black Ops 6 introduces a weapon wheel with 8 slots for storing all sorts of goodies – from explosive knives to air support and remote-controlled cars. It’s up to you to manage your inventory. We also noticed that the AI was more developed than usual.

What about Omnimovement ?

Yes, “Omnimovement”, the new movement system introduced in Black Ops 6. Basically, it lets you run, jump and dive in any direction. It does allow for some stylish moves, but it’s something that doesn’t particularly shine in the campaign (although it’s obviously useful for completing it). In hindsight, Raven could have used this system a little more in the single-player, but it’s not something we missed either. It’s in multiplayer that the omnimovement will make all the difference.

We should also mention that the single-player mode includes the Warzone armor plates, which are crucial for survival. All things considered, it’s easy to see why Raven lets you upgrade your character from the hideout… Once you’ve unlocked the Training Zone, the Equipment Station, and the Weapons Workbench, you’ll be able to have more life, carry more plates, and even have access to an extra magazine. Overall, there are around 30 upgrades to buy, and in these corners of The Tower, you’ll even find a few weapons for multiplayer. Each mission completed will also give you a reward for the online modes, whether it’s a weapon skin, an execution animation, or even a blueprint. Check out our multiplayer and zombies full review for more details.

Conclusion

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is more than just an excellent single-player campaign, it’s an incredible action-infiltration experience (and more). It’s been a long time since the franchise has surprised and innovated its campaign to this extent – with talent – and it feels amazing. Of course, the title also relies on all the franchise’s expertise in terms of technique and sensations, making it a particularly pleasant mix… There’s even an interesting level of challenge here. Despite the limited organic freedom offered by its approach, this single-player experience will definitely surprise you, and you’ll remember some missions for a very long time.