Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a breath of fresh air to fans of the beloved Call of Duty franchise, bringing back familiar faces, new gameplay mechanics and a thrilling story.

The game is the latest entry to the Call of Duty franchise and the sixth installment of the Black Ops series. The first-person shooter offers a nice change of pace with its spy thriller campaign missions and refreshing multiplayer gameplay, stepping away from the classic run-and-gun type of gameplay that Call of Duty is known for.

The game’s setting is centered around the Gulf War and acts as a near direct sequel to the previous game in the series, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. This marks the first time in its nearly 15-year history that has focused on the Gulf War..

Campaign

A few of iconic characters make their return, including Frank Woods and Russell Adler. The campaign also features several callbacks to past characters and moments from previous the Black Ops installments.

Players assume the role of William “Case” Calderon, a member of Woods’ “Rogue Black Ops” team. Case is one of the generic, non-voiced playable characters in the game, similar to Bell in Black Ops Cold War. However, Case’s character gains more depth through cutscenes and gameplay, showing bits of his background.

The Black Ops 6 campaign is one of the more distinctive campaigns of the franchise in recent years. Like its predecessor, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, it features open combat missions, allowing players to complete objectives in a nonlinear fashion.

However, unlike MW3, Black Ops 6 offers more chances to complete missions with a focus of stealth. Missions such as “High Rollers,” where the Rogue Black Ops team infiltrates a casino in a heist that is reminiscent of “Ocean’s Eleven”. Other missions, such as “Most Wanted,” takes the player through an intense prison breakout inside Washington, D.C.

The campaign balances slower, methodical missions, which at times could be tedious, and missions where stealth is simply not an option.

After the opening mission, “Bishop Takes Rook,” the player is introduced to the main campaign hub, “The Rook”, an open area safe house that the team uses as their base of operations for the campaign.

The campaign introduces new characters, including high ranking CIA officials Daniel Livingstone and Jane Harrow, portrayed by Lou Diamond Phillips and Dawn Olivieri respectively. Marshall also joins the team as a new addition to the series.

As expected in the Black Ops series, the campaign offers twists and turns that are hard to foresee. While it may not be the best campaign that Treyarch has produced, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 offers a fun 10 to 11 hour single-player experience that the player can sit back, unwind and enjoy the ride.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer is one of the main reasons why Call of Duty is one of the highest grossing video game franchises of all time. The latest edition of the fan favorite mode brings excitement, nostalgia and fun times.

In Black Ops 6, the loadout customization becomes much more simplified. Gunsmith returns with a simplified approach, allowing players to add five attachments to their weapons without being overwhelmed by excessive options from past games.

Treyarch has also taken a different approach with maps, moving away from the classic three-lane type maps that are loved by professional players, and the casual gamer alike. Maps such as Derelict, Subsonic and Rewind offer a nice variety, featuring different points from the campaign.

In addition to bringing back map voting, Treyarch also brought back the ultra fan-favorite, Nuketown, post release.

However, multiplayer isn’t perfect. One map in particular Is Babylon. The map is small and uncomfortable, nothing similar to the close quarters maps of previous Call of Duty games. Babylon felt, to me, like a poor man’s version of “Rust,” from the Modern Warfare series.

Skill based matchmaking also returns. It’s one of the most divisive topics about multiplayer, but in my experience, I didn’t have too much to complain about in terms of my lobbies being too difficult or not hard enough.

To me, the movement in Black Ops 6 feels looser. In the most recent previous installment of the franchise, Modern Warfare 3, movement felt slow and didn’t have the fluid feel that Black Ops 6 has. The game brings back the true feeling of running and gunning around the map. The quick movement allows the player to feel like they aren’t stuck in mud and are able to fly around the map, something I enjoy.

One of the biggest features touted about the game was the introduction of “omni-movement.” Omni-movement gives the player the ability to quickly dive in more directions than just forward. The player is able to dive in every direction possible, including diving backwards and left to right. I didn’t find anything groundbreaking about the ability to move and dive in any which way. It was convenient in a couple of situations like when I would get boxed in a corner of the map, but with how slow the animation actually looks, more often than not when I would use the omniv-movement, I would just get killed right away.

An underrated feature of the multiplayer is the streamlined menu that makes accessing anything easy.

Zombies

Zombies mode is back and as solid as ever, keeping the same enjoyable formula that fans love. This mode makes the most of the game’s quick movement and omni-movement, which work especially well for dodging zombies during intense rounds.

The game launched with two Zombies maps:Liberty Falls and Terminus. The two maps differ heavily, with Terminus offers a more objective-centered approach and Liberty Falls providing a more classic Zombies experience.

Treyach has also brought back “Gobblegum,” for the first time since Black Ops 3, a welcomed addition to the mode. Gobblegum adds fun and zany moments with its randomized effects. At times, players may be teleported randomly inside the map, or given a predetermined drop like max ammo or insta-kill.

In one of the most exciting editions of the Black Ops series, Treyarch brought back the core of elements that make Call of Duty fun. The game is one of the best entries to the franchise thanks to its fun multiplayer, cinematic campaign, and enjoyable zombies experiences.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam.