Review: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Campaign (PS5)

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 marks a deliberate shift to an always-online, co-op-first experience that supports up to four players (solo play is technically possible but heavily shaped by the same design). Set in 2035 as a direct continuation of Black Ops 2, the story follows David Mason (voiced by Milo Ventimiglia) and JSOC’s Specter One squad as they confront The Guild—a powerful tech corporation spreading the reality-altering “Cradle” toxin across the sprawling Mediterranean metropolis of Avalon. Michael Rooker and Kiernan Shipka round out a strong voice cast, while the 11-mission arc mixes tightly scripted linear sequences, open Avalon incursions, and hallucinatory Cradle visions before unlocking the replayable 32-player “Endgame” PvE extraction mode.

On PlayStation 5, the game offers a choice of 4K/60 fps Fidelity or 120 fps Performance modes with ray-traced reflections, HDR lighting, and full DualSense integration—adaptive triggers provide distinct recoil resistance for every weapon, and haptics pulse in sync with Cradle-induced distortions. Load times are near-instant, and movement at 120 fps feels exceptionally fluid. PlayStation 5 Pro adds further sharpness and stability, though occasional pop-in and slightly muddied footstep audio remain minor notes.

The narrative leans heavily on Black Ops 1 and Black Ops 2 lore, bringing back Menendez through deepfakes and manifesting past events (Vorkuta, Angola, Woods’ scars) as toxin-fueled nightmares. While the voice performances are consistently strong and the psychedelic sequences look striking, the plot assumes deep series familiarity and resolves many twists in expected ways, prioritizing spectacle and callbacks over fresh emotional stakes.

Gameplay is built from the ground up around co-op scaling: enemy health, spawn counts, and objective complexity all rise with player count. Features such as lootable loadouts, armor plates, killstreaks, grapples, and shield bubbles reward coordination, while health bars and bullet-sponge foes push sustained team fire over classic run-and-gun pacing. Linear missions deliver rooftop chases across neon Tokyo, high-speed highway pursuits in Los Angeles, and tense Vorkuta infiltrations, whereas the open Avalon sections focus on intel gathering, crate defense, and extraction. Stealth is present but short-lived—alerts quickly escalate into large engagements.

Solo players receive only voice lines for absent squadmates, no visual AI companions, no pausing, no checkpoints, and a forced restart if the game idles for roughly five minutes or disconnects. These constraints make uninterrupted sessions essential, steering the experience firmly toward group play.

Upon completion, Endgame opens Avalon to 32-player PvE chaos with dynamic objectives, persistent skill progression, vehicle support, and seasonal updates already planned. It provides the campaign’s strongest replay value and most clearly signals Treyarch’s live-service ambitions.

Ultimately, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 presents a bold, clearly defined vision: a social, loot-driven, ever-evolving campaign best shared with friends over headsets. When played that way, the spectacle, coordination, and ongoing Endgame content can feel fresh and engaging. For those seeking a traditional, self-paced solo story, however, the always-online requirements and co-op-first balance create noticeable friction. It is an experimental pivot that succeeds most when experienced exactly as intended—together.