Review: Black Ops 6’s Horrible Maps Hinder Incredible Gameplay

Treyarch is back after four years with a new Call of Duty installment: Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Despite the lengthy development time for this entry, compared to most annualized titles, it arrives with mixed results. The gameplay is top tier for the series, but the general content and maps greatly hinder what could otherwise be one of the best entries in the franchise.

It has been far too long since a Call of Duty game impressed me. The last one to do so was Call of Duty: Cold War. Before that, ignoring Black Ops 3 and the Infinite Warfare I helped test, Advanced Warfare. Black Ops 6 comes the closest to recapturing what I love about this series in a long time, but it falls short because of everything aside from pure movement and gameplay.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 gets the “feel” of the experience right. Its omnimovement is single-handedly the best movement style in a Call of Duty game outside of the jetpack era I dearly miss. It feels like the right balance between the normal boots-on-the-ground movement and aforementioned jetpacks. You can sprint and move in any direction without issue. Want to sprint sideways or backwards? Sure, you can do just that by moving your character in that direction without any penalties.

Then there is the diving. You can dive or slide in any direction too, as well as fire your weapon with little issue no matter which action you take. It is so smooth to use, even though it has a bit of a steep learning curve. But once you get used to the feature, it is impossible to go to the old style of games like Call of Duty: Vanguard or MW3. The natural feel of diving around a corner, instantly laying down, performing a 180-degree turn to look behind me, and firing at someone before they get me first never gets old.

It also helps that the gunplay in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is fantastic too. Weapons are, fortunately, one area in which Treyarch still never misses. Whether you like assault rifles or SMGs, there is something for everyone. Sure, ARs currently have the advantage, but that is mostly because of the maps. I adored weapons like the AMES AR just as much as the speedy AK-74u-like KSV SMG. Pair the excellent weapons with the genre-defining Omnimovement, and this is the best a Call of Duty game has felt in a long time.

Unfortunately, the juxtaposition of those positives only highlight the problems with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which involve pretty much everything else. For one, the maps in this game are possibly the worst ever available with the launch of a title. There is not a single standout, memorable multiplayer map. Sure, there are some decent maps like Skyline, Vault, and Payback. But even the best of the worst are pretty forgettable in the grand scheme of the series, especially considering how horribly tiny the size of them are.

Take a map like Skyline, for example. It looks beautiful, thanks to its luxurious penthouse setting. The layout, however, is a bit odd. The different floors don’t flow well together and feel a bit messy. This really shows in game modes like Search & Destroy, due to the awkward bomb placements. These inherent flaws are present in the best of the multiplayer maps.

Past years of bad Call of Duty games at least introduced great new maps like Berlin, Bocage, Hotel, and Rio. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 doesn’t have a single map that competes with any of those. Unfortunately, this extends to other modes too, like Zombies. The return to traditional Zombies is welcome, but both Terminus and Liberty Falls are a bit lackluster. I like them more than the multiplayer maps, but even they struggle. This is mostly due to the continual invasion of Warzone mechanics into Zombies. Armor plates and the like just don’t have a place in this mode.

The singleplayer campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 fares a bit better than its fellow game modes. This is one of the more engaging narratives thus far. The mission variety is great, and these range from a classic casino break-in to bombastic wartime set pieces. The visuals are great, and fan-favorite characters like Woods return. The story itself doesn’t do anything too terribly interesting, but this campaign is certainly more serviceable and complete than the last several games.

It is this general lack of memorable content, or downright terrible additions, that hold back Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 significantly. This could easily be the fourth best game in the series if it had the content and maps to match its gameplay. Even still, that gameplay is enough for me to have some fun and recommend this title to others. There is something so enticing about the Omnimovement system that I hope is in every non-jetpack title from now on. The incredible feel of BO6 is enough to keep me hooked for now until, hopefully, Treyarch gives us worthy content to enjoy.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is available right now for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

7

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty®: Black Ops 6 is signature Black Ops across a cinematic single-player Campaign, a best-in-class Multiplayer experience and with the epic return of Round-Based Zombies. PS5 version reviewed. Review copy provided by company for testing purposes.

Black Ops 6 is one of the most impressive disappointments in Call of Duty history. Despite the best gameplay in the series outside of the jetpack era, the general content from Zombies to multiplayer maps is downright terrible across the board, leading to the most mixed game yet.

Food for Thought

• Master Prestige is back once more for long-term fans
• AR fans should try out weapons like the Model L, AK-74, and AMES
• SMG players like myself should give the KSV, Jackal, and Kompakt a go

A copy of this game was provided by the publisher for review. Reviewed on PS5.