Facepalm: The past several Call of Duty games have required constant internet connections, even in the solo campaign mode, but early reviews of Black Ops 7 describe it as a truly online-first experience. Solo players should use the restroom before starting missions and prepare for challenges designed for teams of four.
Critics and day-one players are reporting that Treyarch and Raven Software essentially designed the story campaign in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 exclusively for online play. Although playing solo is possible, the experience resembles playing alone in an online lobby.
Not only does the campaign require a constant internet connection like prior entries, but players cannot pause. Furthermore, there are no checkpoints or difficulty options, and the game boots players who are idle for too long. Users who need to stop playing must restart missions from the beginning upon returning to the military first-person shooter, and playing alone might make those missions far more difficult and repetitive.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 includes the franchise's first co-op campaign since Black Ops II, released over a decade ago, and supports up to four players. However, the difficulty and objectives are exclusively designed around four players, and the game doesn't provide solo players with AI-controlled companions to compensate.
For example, if a mission normally tasks four teammates with planting one C4 explosive device each, a lone player must repeat the task four times. According to at least one Steam review, this also extends to the story, as solo players will still hear dialogue from supporting characters who are not present.
Steam reviews also describe the campaign as an extension of Warzone, the free-to-play battle royale mode that has deeply influenced every Call of Duty title since its introduction in 2020.
Similar to that mode and unlike most other campaigns in the series, killing enemies grants experience points, which players spend towards unlocks. Furthermore, missions reuse Warzone maps, and enemies have armor and health bars, which significantly increases the time required to defeat them.
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The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 campaign has also divided players with bizarre levels and subject matter, owing to its psychological thriller-themed story. Players encounter what is likely the first boss fight in the franchise's 22-year history early in the game – a giant that must be defeated with killstreaks. Other odd elements include cyborgs, zombies, ninjas, and a living tree.
Generative AI art has also drawn criticism toward the game. Many of the multiplayer calling cards use an art style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films, which has become a common motif in AI art.
Having launched to a "Mixed" Steam rating, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 also appears to be far less successful on Steam than Battlefield 6, which debuted in October. According to SteamDB, Battlefield 6 achieved a day-one peak player count of 747,440, more than eight times its rival's 86,852.
In fact, EA's military FPS has already far exceeded Steam player counts for any of the past several Call of Duty entries. The Call of Duty launcher, which consolidates player counts for multiple titles, peaked at 491,670 players in late 2022.
However, this does not tell the whole story, as Call of Duty is also available on Game Pass, which likely draws a significant portion of its players. Reports have suggested that Microsoft recently raised the price of the subscription service because the inclusion of the popular shooter franchise cost it $300 million in sales.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 campaign can't be paused, has no checkpoints, and kicks idle players
