🎮 Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Campaign Review
A New Low for the Franchise
Written by: Manas Mitul
Edited by: David Delima
Last Updated: 31 December 2025, 19:19 IST
Photo Credit: Activision
🔍 Overview
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 marks a disappointing chapter in the franchise’s once-legendary single-player legacy. While the series was once celebrated for its cinematic storytelling and unforgettable missions, Black Ops 7 abandons nearly everything that made Call of Duty campaigns special.
⭐ Key Highlights
- 🗓️ Release Date: November 14, 2025
- 🌐 Always-online co-op campaign
- 👥 32-player Endgame PvE mode
- 🧠 Hallucinatory, Far Cry–like mission design
🕹️ Campaign Impressions
Call of Duty campaigns have historically defined cinematic storytelling in video games. Iconic moments from Modern Warfare and earlier Black Ops titles are etched into gaming history. Unfortunately, Black Ops 7 forms the lowest point on that legacy curve.
The campaign is no longer a true solo experience. Even single-player runs require matchmaking, constant internet connectivity, and offer no checkpoints or pause functionality. AI companions disappear during gameplay, making missions feel empty and disconnected.
🧪 Identity Crisis
Instead of grounded military espionage, Black Ops 7 leans heavily into psychedelic hallucinations, bizarre power-ups, and exhausting boss fights. These elements feel more at home in Far Cry or Zombies mode than in a Black Ops campaign rooted in covert CIA operations.
The story, a direct sequel to Black Ops 2, brings back Raul Menendez in a contrived “somehow returned” twist. While familiar faces like David “Section” Mason return, the narrative struggles to maintain credibility or emotional weight.
🌍 Level Design & Gameplay
- Open-world missions set in Avalon feel bloated and lifeless
- Reused multiplayer maps weaken immersion
- Boss fights are repetitive, unimaginative, and frustrating
- Hallucinatory missions dominate the campaign and overstay their welcome
That said, gunplay remains excellent—tight, responsive, and satisfying. Performance on PC is strong, with stable frame rates and extensive graphical options.
🤝 Endgame Mode
The Endgame co-op mode stands out as the most enjoyable part of the experience. It offers a progression-based PvE challenge for up to 32 players. Tellingly, Activision unlocked this mode without requiring campaign completion—suggesting even the publisher lacks confidence in the campaign itself.
✅ What Works
✔ Excellent gunplay
✔ Smooth PC performance
✔ Fun Endgame co-op experience
❌ What Fails
✖ Always-online campaign cripples solo play
✖ Lack of memorable missions
✖ Poor boss fights
✖ Rehashed multiplayer content
✖ Identity confusion
📝 Final Verdict
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 promises innovation but delivers a misguided, identity-lost campaign that sacrifices storytelling for multiplayer-style mechanics. While the franchise’s multiplayer remains strong, the single-player campaign urgently needs a return to its roots.
Black Ops 7 represents a new low for Call of Duty’s campaign experience.
