Right now, it’s safe to say that mostCall of Dutyfans are eagerly awaiting the release of theupcomingCall of Duty: Modern Warfare, which promises to take the series back to its roots with a shock-filled campaign, more realistic multiplayer, and the return of the fan-favorite Spec Ops mode. But while fans wait to get their hands on the next main series entry, they may want to seriously consider passing the time with the recently releasedCall of Duty Mobile, which is one of the better mobile first-person shooter experiences available on Android or iOS devices.
Whether one loves or hates theCall of Dutyfranchise, there’s no denying the level of polish and wealth of content that the series consistently delivers.Call of Duty Mobilebrings that design philosophy to the mobile space, givingCall of Dutyfans plenty of content wrapped in a package that works well with minimal hoop-jumping or other irritations that tend to plague mobile games.Call of Duty Mobilerecreates theCall of Dutyconsole experience flawlessly, making it simple to jump into a party with friends and communicate with voice chat. Moments after downloading the game,Call of Duty Mobileplayers can be playing matches on Nuketown with friends, with no technical issues or matchmaking problems to speak of.
Call of Duty Mobilemakes playing with friends simple and painless, and that’s something it applies to other areas of the game as well. For example, players have the choice between a simple or advanced control scheme. The simple control scheme removes the need to press an extra button to shoot, so it shoots automatically when players are aiming at an enemy. While this may seem like sacrilege to hardcoreCall of Dutyfans or may make the game less fun, it’s actually a great way to get around the limitations of phones and touchscreen controls. Typically when players are aiming at an enemy, they’re going to be shooting anyway, so removing that extra button press doesn’t have a negative impact on the experience at all. Both control styles are fine, but we definitely recommend the simple control scheme.
While the simple control scheme does make gunplay infinitely easier, there are still some issues that the developers need to work out in regards toCall of Duty Mobile’s controls. We found throwing grenades accurately to be a struggle, especially in the heat of the action. Switching quickly to other weapons is also cumbersome, and the screen in general is busy with different buttons that players need to tap.
Something that could have let the developers free up the HUD would have been controller support. Unfortunately,Call of Duty Mobiletoyed with controller support, but it has since been removed from the game (or may not have ever been truly implemented at all; there are conflicting reports and by the time we played the game, it definitely wasn’t available).Call of Duty Mobilemouse and keyboard supportis also technically possible, but we didn’t try it. While some may feel that these extra controller options would give some players an unfair advantage, it seems unlikely, especially if one uses the simple control scheme. Ultimately, it just means less options for players, and so it’s a little disappointing to see controller support removed.
Call of Duty Mobilecontroller supportisn’t the only thing that’s missing from the game.Call of Duty Mobileadvertises three game modes on the home screen, but players can only access two, those being standard multiplayer and the battle royale mode. The third mode is something Zombies-related, but there’s been no indication as to when fans can expect it to be added to the game.Call of Duty Mobilestill has more high quality content than one would usually expect from a mobile game, but it is a little disappointing that the full experience isn’t available at launch.
As far as the battle royale mode goes,Call of Duty Mobile’s battle royale experience is arguably superior to that ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 4’s battle royale. One of the main reasons is that the map features accurate recreations of famousCall of Dutymultiplayer maps, which was something thatBlack Ops 4’s Blackout battle royale modepromised to do but didn’t really deliver on. One example is Nuketown, which looks mostly the same inCall of Duty Mobile’s battle royale mode, but was changed almost beyond recognition in Blackout.
Call of Duty Mobile’s battle royale modehas a surprising amount of features at launch as well, including numerous vehicles for players to use, zombies that spawn at certain areas of the map, plenty of weapons and gear, and even supernatural bosses that drop loot. The map is a little too big and going long stretches without seeing anyone isn’t uncommon, but overallCall of Duty Mobiledelivers a high quality mobile battle royale experience, perhaps second only toPUBG Mobile.
While the huge map is definitely one reason whyCall of Duty Mobile’s battle royale matches sometimes go on too long, another is the game’s use of bots.Call of Duty Mobilefeatures botsthat populate matches for players at lower skill levels. This isn’t a terrible idea on paper, but the bots are not nearly as aggressive or smart as real players. It’s not uncommon to find bots inCall of Duty Mobilejust standing on cliffsides in the battle royale mode, doing nothing but waiting to get discovered and killed. The developers are also sneaky about implementing the bots, giving them names that look like real player names, instead of properly labeling them. This can make it difficult to determine if a victory was really earned or just came about because the enemy team was populated by bots.
Bots or not, it’s still awesome to be able to playCall of Duty’s best maps on the go.Call of Duty Mobilefeatures the greatest hits ofCall of Dutymapsfrom throughout the franchise’s history, including iconic maps like Nuketown, Hijacked, Crash, Firing Range, and more. Better yet, players can choose exactly what map they want to play on each time, which is a great feature that ensures players are never playing maps they don’t like. There’s also a decent selection of multiplayer modes at launch as well, with standard Team Deathmatch, Search and Destroy, and Domination available. Hopefully future updates will add even more modes, like Gun Game and Kill Confirmed, but what’s there at launch will keepCall of Dutymultiplayer fans plenty busy.
WhetherCall of Duty Mobileplayers are playing Team Deathmatch or battle royale, they are constantly earning experience for their character, individual weapons, and the Battle Pass. There are ways tolevel up fast inCall of Duty Mobile, but we have been leveling up so quickly that it’s not necessary. And the game showers players with rewards, so we haven’t felt like we’ve been really missing out from not buying microtransactions either. If one does decide to spend money on the game, they could purchase the battle pass and then win enough in-game currency to get the next battle pass for free like inFortnite, which would also net them a ton of extra cosmetics, but as we said, the game offers plenty regardless.
Call of Duty Mobilehas satisfying progression, a nice selection of fan favorite maps, and it looks great on phones and tablets. The game’s liberal use of bots hampers the experience a bit, and the battle royale mode could stand to have a slightly smaller map or something to make firefights happen more often. Future updates will likely make the game even better, though there’s also a chance that the in-game economy will be re-balanced to try to get players to buy into the microtransactions. In its current state, though,Call of Duty Mobileis a pretty great mobile FPS that will no doubt please fans of the franchise.
Call of Duty Mobileis out now for iOS and Android mobile devices. Game Rant played the game on an iPhone 8, Samsung Galaxy S8, and an iPad.
Call of Duty Mobile
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Call of Duty hits mobile devices with the release of Call of Duty Mobile. This release has a very arcade feeling to it, with the same fast-paced action and gameplay that has made the series so iconic.
