Summary
Campaigns haven’t been the strongest suit of theCall of Dutyfranchise for a little while now. Nevertheless, there have been some greatsingle-playerCall of Dutymissionsover the years. While it’s seen its fair share of controversial missions,Call of Dutyhas also had more than its fair share of genuinely great campaign moments that range from intense blockbuster action to meditative stealth. Hopefully,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6will have a few standout campaign moments of its own.
Raven Software is leading the charge onCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign, and if its previous work onBlack Ops Cold War’s story mode is anything to go by, then fans are likely in safe hands. 2020’sCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Wardelivered some of the most memorable campaign moments in recent franchise history, andBlack Ops 6’s pre-release trailers have teased that some of these standout ideas could be returning in new forms this year. In particular, there’s one creepy moment fromCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s trailers that could hearken back to one ofCold War’s best missions, though it’ll be difficult for the sequel to surpass it.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Will Have a Tough Time Topping Cold War’s Break on Through Mission
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Break on Through Mission is One of CoD’s Best
The vast majority of campaign missions inCall of Duty’s lengthy historyhave been very linear. Players are usually tasked with following an AI companion and completing objectives in a specific order, moving the narrative forward with each completed task. So, whenever aCall of Dutymission comes along that adds a bit more player-freedom to the usual campaign formula, there’s always some buzz.Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warincluded several missions that delivered this higher level of player-freedom, with the mission “Break on Through” being one of its best.
Kicking offCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s final actin style, Break on Through sees players take control of the mysterious protagonist Bell as he’s strapped to a chair and forced to consume some psychoactive drugs. As the drugs start to take effect, shady CIA group leader Russell Adler asks Bell to think back on his time in Vietnam, beginning a flashback mission that has some reality-shifting consequences.
Without spoiling too much, it’s revealed during the course of the mission that Bell has been subjected to some highly advanced brainwashing, and Adler’s goal here is to try and unscramble his brain and get the location of the antagonist’s nuclear base. Bell’s psychological turmoil is integrated expertly into the mission’s gameplay, as whenever the player strays from Adler’s directions, the environment, enemies, weapons, allies, and even the time of day changes around them, mirroring Bell’s fractured mind. This all gives the mission a dark, foreboding atmosphere that leans intotheBlack Opsseries' penchant for psychological horror well.
How Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Could Improve on Break on Through’s Formula
BeforeCall of Duty: Black Ops 6was officially revealed in its post-Xbox Showcase Direct, it released a few short trailers that leaned into the theme of government deception and distrust. The “Open Your Eyes” trailer paired this theming with some psychological horror imagery, and fans caught a brief glimpse of what appeared to be a pink mannequin seemingly wrestling the player-character to the ground. It seems as thoughCall of Duty: Black Ops 6could feature another trippy, twisted mission.
to stand out fromCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Break on Through mission,Black Ops 6’s reality-bending mission needs to go even further with its psychological horror. The mission should also provide even more choices and gameplay variations to encourage repeated playthroughs.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
