Black Ops 7 Review: A wreck with a two-fold comeback

Call of Duty Black Ops 7 is one of the most controversial entries in the series, and rightfully so. It received a surprise reveal at Gamescom 2025 featuring David Mason, son of Alex Mason. On top of that, Activision announced that it would be a direct sequel to Black Ops 2 (2012), which is one of the best Call of Duty games of all time.

Needless to say, I was quite excited about it. One of the best COD titles was finally receiving a proper sequel after all.

So, did the game live up to my expectations? Or was it a let-down? You’ll find out the answer to these questions as we go through this review. Don’t worry, I will be judging the game as a whole and not just its parts. Meaning, we’ll explore all three major modes: Co-Op Campaign, Zombies, and Multiplayer.

With that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at Black Ops 7 and discuss my experience with Call of Duty’s latest game.

Black Ops 7 Review: My first impressions

I will keep this section of the Black Ops 7 review brief. My initial impressions of the game were quite subpar. Any recent Call of Duty fan would be familiar with the “Update Requires Restart” message, and that was my introduction to the game.

As sad as it may sound, it is the rite of passage to consider oneself a “Call of Duty fan” after all. Anyway, once I was in the game, I was presented with three modes as discussed earlier. I was hyped for the Campaign, so I decided to begin my journey with this mode. As soon as I got into it, I realized I couldn’t load in to the game directly.

Searching for Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign lobby (Image via Activision)

Since it is a co-op mode, even if I am playing solo, the game has to find me a lobby first. It was a major turn-off. Why do I need to wait to play a solo game of Campaign? It was unnecessary to do so.

Eventually, I found a lobby and loaded into the first mission. I won’t dive deep into the Campaign here; I'll discuss it in the next section.

So, this was my first impression. A restart and wait time to load into a solo game. It was nothing short of disappointing. I hadn’t even started playing yet, and I was already exhausted. However, I pushed myself, hoping that the “mind-bending” Co-Op Campaign would be worth all the wait.

Co-Op Campaign: The hype train derailed spectacularly

That title was perhaps just enough to give you an idea of what I thought about the Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign. It was a disappointing mess right from the get-go. I will try my best to avoid any spoilers, and even if I do, trust me, you won’t miss out on much.

Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign (Image via Activision)

The game was supposed to be a direct sequel to Black Ops 2. The 2012 title had succeeded in creating a Campaign with a single tale that continued across decades. It took its time to show us how all the characters evolved and why they became the way they are.

But Black Ops 7 doesn’t care about that. Forget your Black Ops characters; it doesn’t even give you a chance to wrap your head around what’s going on in the missions.

Simply put, all you do in the Co-Op Campaign is survive large hordes of different enemy types. I mean, that is honestly it. You shoot a bunch of enemies, move to the next marker, and you get presented with a cutscene. Soon, the next mission kicks off. It felt like I was playing a match of Zombies and NOT a Call of Duty Campaign.

Unfortunately, it is severely lacking in gameplay variety. Sure, there are some puzzles here and there, but they are too easy to crack. Just look at Black Ops 2, for instance. It had us controlling aircraft, fighting on a naval carrier, riding horses in the desert, going invisible, and much more. It had variety.

This kept the player excited and engaged with the game. On top of that, there was a narrative that gave every action a purpose. You had choices you could make in the Campaign, even in the final moments.

Boss fight in Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign (Image via Activision)

Compared to that, the Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign is bland. The story is mind-numbing to say the least. Plot twists? Well, there is one, but how it leads to that point is so uninteresting that you couldn’t care less.

Choices in Black Ops 7? Well, yeah, you do get choices about which upgrade you would opt for, or which equipment you would pick. That’s it. Those are the choices you make. As a Campaign, Black Ops 7 showed that the devolution of the series is real. Calling this a Black Ops 2 sequel is an insult to the 2012 release.

Speaking of the levels, some of these areas were already showcased in Black Ops 6. In fact, a lot of the areas are Multiplayer maps themselves. Now you would say that this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

And yes, I agree. But the Campaign should be good enough so that the maps for the Multiplayer would feel like they were inspired by it. Here, it's the other way around. It felt like the Multiplayer mode was an inspiration for the Campaign.

Activision was cutting corners here for sure. The levels barely use new assets, the narrative is bland, the gameplay loop gets boring, and the characters are uninteresting.

Invisible wall bug in Black Ops 7 Co-Op Campaign (Image via Activision)

I even encountered a couple of bugs, something which I have had yet to face on a console version of a Call of Duty Campaign on PS5.

Unfortunately, I’ve nothing good to say about the Campaign. In some ways, it is worse than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023).

The Endgame, however, can be fun with a squad. Go in without expectations, and you will find a lot of things to do. I wouldn’t call it a part of the main Campaign as such, but it’s the only fun part of this mode.

In my opinion, Activision should have skipped the Campaign altogether this time around, and all the focus should’ve been on other modes. The Campaign is the soul of the Call of Duty games. If it turns out to be lacklustre, many perceive the game to be bad. Modern Warfare 3 suffered a similar fate.

However, just like MW3, Black Ops 7 doesn’t falter in other areas. Let’s discuss the Multiplayer next.

Multiplayer: Played the underdog card and won

Once I was done with the Campaign, I was convinced that the Multiplayer experience would be worse. To my surprise, it wasn’t. I had a lot of fun running around all the different maps. Sure, not all maps were equally fun, but they got the job done. I was finally having fun with Black Ops 7.

The maps, for the most part, are fun. They are well-designed with proper layouts. They aren’t too big nor too small. The developers nailed it when it comes to the layouts and size. All these maps allow the latest gameplay innovations to shine.

Taking a closer look at Black Ops 7 Multiplayer (Image via Activision)

One of the things I was skeptical about was wall jumps. Fortunately, it works just right. It doesn’t allow infinite wall jumps, and the areas where it can be used properly are limited. This allows the player to anticipate action from multiple angles in certain areas. Needless to say, this adds a learning curve to the game, which is essential for a Multiplayer mode in my opinion.

The Overclocks system is fun. It allows you to unlock new abilities for your Equipment. So, now more than ever, players wouldn’t just rely on their weapons but use their complete set of utilities to their advantage. This adds variety to the gameplay loop. Moreover, the Hybrid Perk Specialty also allows you to earn new abilities by mixing a certain set of Perks.

These further improve engagement. Players aren’t forced to play in a certain way, and instead, the game allows them to play it on their own terms. These have been made possible by the latest gameplay innovations. So, in my books, that’s a win for the community.

It also brought back non-disbanding lobbies, reduced the impact of SBMM for casual matches, did away with Tactical Sprint, and so much more. These were some of the things that the series’ fans have been asking for a while, and Treyarch finally delivered.

Skirmish in Black Ops 7 Multiplayer (Image via Activision)

But there’s one particular aspect of the Multiplayer that I didn’t enjoy, which is the 20v20 Skirmish mode.

In my opinion, it was an unnecessary addition. The game could’ve done without it. Is it fun? Not really, at least I didn’t enjoy it. It doesn’t carry the spark or excitement that the Core modes do.

The gameplay mechanics of the Multiplayer mode don’t quite shine in Skirmish. Sure, there are more things you can do, but that is not the traditional Call of Duty experience. Maybe it could’ve fared better with more squad-based tasks and better maps. However, this is already being done in Endgame.

Overall, I loved the Multiplayer and will continue to grind through it in the coming days. It has a lot to offer and is certainly an improvement over Black Ops 6. It gets almost everything right. It’s not perfect by any means, but considering how well it plays out with the new mechanics, for me, it was surprising to say the least.

Sure, there are certain issues with network connectivity in rare instances. But overall, my time in Multiplayer isn’t without regrets, and I still enjoyed every second of it.

Zombies: Easily among the finest we have seen in years

Black Ops 7 Zombies is easily the best mode in this year’s entry. At the time of writing, we’ve had only one map and main quest Easter Egg, and it blows every other mode out of the park. The sheer scale of this map is baffling. This is not a main quest you complete at one go.

Ol' Tessie in Black Ops 7 Zombies (Image via Activision)

No, it will take you a while to explore everything this one map alone has to offer. In fact, it is so big that traversing on foot isn’t an option. Hence, they have introduced a vehicle so that players can make their way from one POI to another. Ashes of the Damned is well-designed in every possible way, and the dark, gloomy, and night setting of the map perfectly fits with the horrors this mode can inflict.

I won’t spoil anything, but some side Easter Eggs can be borderline creepy. However, if you are a solo player, completing the main quest could be daunting, especially the final boss fight. In my opinion, the difficulty level of the entire mode should be tweaked a bit for the casual or solo players for an overall better experience.

Currently, if you are playing it solo, the chances are you will get mowed down pretty easily. Even if you don’t in the early game, once you hit Round 20, it gets insanely difficult. Nevertheless, this is the mode where Black Ops 7 truly shines.

Dead Ops Arcade 4 in Black Ops 7 Zombies (Image via Activision)

Dead Ops Arcade has also made a comeback and is surprisingly a fun experience. Sure, it is not a hardcore experience like Ashes of the Damned, but the fast-paced action and power-ups make it a fun experience for those looking for something casual.

Except for the difficult scale in the mode, I have honestly nothing to complain about here. It is a solid evolution of the Black Ops 6 Zombies experience.

Graphics and audio: Looks questionable, but sounds phenomenal

Before we get to the conclusion, let’s quickly discuss the overall visual and audio quality of the game. Let’s kick things off with graphics.

Graphics

In some ways, the game looks worse than Black Ops 6. That said, it can look good when it wants to. However, for the most part, especially in the Cradled Avalon and certain sections of the game, it looks bland.

For instance, in one of the missions, you are teleported to the Amazon rainforest. This area could have looked so much better, but it falls flat. The entire presentation is bland and lacks depth.

Graphics of Black Ops 7 (Image via Activision)

On the other hand, in some missions, you’ll explore closed spaces with vivid lights. These environments look astonishingly good, even on the base PS5.

So, graphics is a mixed bag. The game can look good when it wants to. However, it all comes down to how the developers have decided to design the environments. Some areas are detailed and others blurry. There is a lack of consistency in the overall visual presentation.

Audio

This is one of the areas where Black Ops 7 succeeds. Audio design is top-notch. Even if you use budget headphones such as the HyperX Cloud II, you’ll hear each footstep clearly. All the guns sound fantastic, and the atmospheric audio truly intensifies immersion. This is consistent across all the modes.

Be it the dialogue and music in the Co-Op Campaign, the explosions and gunfire in Multiplayer, or the spooky undead in Zombies, it excels in all the modes. This is an area I have no concerns with, and I hope audio quality only evolves for the franchise following this release.

Conclusion: Is Black Ops 7 worth your time?

Simply put, yes, Black Ops 7 is definitely worth your time and money. If you can look past the abysmal Co-Op Campaign, the Multiplayer and Zombies experience are some of the best we have had in years.

The Campaign is an utter disappointment and fails to maintain the standard that Black Ops 2, its prequel, had set. It is a messy, uninteresting, run-and-gun show. There is honestly nothing more to it.

The Multiplayer, on the other hand, played much better than I had anticipated. All the latest tech and innovations seamlessly integrate with the gameplay, delivering users a glimpse of what the ‘classic Call of Duty’ experience would be in a futuristic setting.

Zombies easily outshines every other offering in Black Ops 7. This mode, with just one map, can easily take on the zombies experiences we’ve had in the last couple of years.

It gets nearly everything right. Sure, the solo experience can be challenging, and it needs a few changes here and there, but overall, it doesn’t disappoint. It gives fans of the mode exactly what they have been asking for.

So, if you want to get Black Ops 7, do it for the Multiplayer and Zombies. If you tend to just play the Campaign and are hoping for a proper narrative with good characters, do sit this one out. This was a pathetic attempt at a Campaign, worse than Modern Warfare 3 (2023). Fortunately, it is the Multiplayer and Zombies that pull the weight and carry the entire game.

Overall, Black Ops 7 is a mixed bag. Sure, two modes shine, but Campaign, which is supposed to be the main identity of the game, fails miserably.