Call of Duty: Vanguard review, a disappointing campaign but brilliant multiplayer

Call of Duty is one of my indulgences, one of my guilty pleasures. Ah, that's for sure, it's not Baudelaire. But, each year, I feverishly await the release of the annual opus, and I yearn in advance for the hundreds of hours of play promised by its multiplayer. But with Vanguard, the enthusiasm was more modest than usual.

Developed by Sledgehammer Games (Call of Duty: WWII), Vanguard offers us yet another backpedal of the license sending us back to the Second World War. Original, isn't it?

A risk-taking at the level of the daisies, which is even more illustrated in the light of its direct competitor, to be released in two weeks: the aptly named Battlefield 2042.

The whole question is therefore whether this 18th installment (phew) of Call of Duty is only there to tickle our nostalgia for the great days, or whether it proposes - as its title seems to invite it - to embody the avant-garde.

Call of Duty: Vanguard review, a disappointing campaign but brilliant multiplayer View PriceRead ConclusionCall of Duty: Vanguard

Well developed characters...
A multiplayer with colossal content…
A more welcoming zombies mode for novices…
The Return of the Modern Warfare Engine

… but a campaign with an uneven pace
… but maybe too classic
… with screenplay content currently unavailable

Test carried out on PC thanks to a code provided by the publisher.

Berlinpinpin Powder

For some, the main draw of a new Call of Duty is its single-player campaign. Admittedly, it is never very long but, like a film by Michael Mann, has the merit of entertaining us by putting our eyes on it without us noticing the time passing. And the approach of this Vanguard was not lacking in energy, on paper.

Aware that we know the theaters of operations of the Second World War inside out, Sledgehammer deviates slightly on the timeline to take us to 1945, just after Hitler's suicide. Germany at bay seeks to reorganize and, above all, to found a Fourth Reich thanks to the mysterious "Project Phoenix". To put an end to it, the British SOE sends a squad of 5 special agents to Hamburg: the Avengers the Vanguard.

So far, it's nothing but very classic. But the cutting of the campaign and, above all, its staging, blow a fresh wind on the habits of the license. Which doesn't mean it works, mind you. Indeed the story will be cut between cutscenes in CGI (very well done moreover) depicting the events of 1945, and flashbacks intended to introduce us to the Vanguard agents and the reasons which led them to join this detachment.

More than any other Call of Duty, Vanguard therefore tightens its focus on its characters. A good thing, as the franchise lacks incarnation (there is only the immortal Colonel Price who stands out). But this is unfortunately done at the expense of the rhythm and common thread of the campaign.

Call of Duty: Vanguard review, a disappointing campaign but brilliant multiplayer — CoD Vanguard primarily tells the story of its characters.

Disjointed like an old trellis

Arthur Kingsley, Richard Webb, Polina Petrova, Jackson Wade and Lucas Riggs; everyone is entitled to their missions in the form of an origin story which will illustrate in one person his ability to lead, in the other his insubordination, his patter or his thirst for revenge. Episodes which, in themselves, do a very good job of taking us to the different fronts of World War II, but which in truth take us out of the main stake of Vanguard.

In fact, the campaign of this new Call of Duty reminded me of the "War Stories" of Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V. Stories picked here and there on the great frieze of 39-45, and shoehorned into a fragile screenplay mould. Frankly, it doesn't work as well as Sledgehammer Games likes to believe. But the studio already has the idea of making Vanguard a trilogy. We bet that, the presentations with the characters being made, we will be offered something more convincing next time.

Despite everything, we are not having a bad time in this campaign. Because in its desire to make its protagonists superheroes, Sledgehammer grants them each a special ability. Kingsley can for example ask his comrades to focus their shots on a particular target, when Wade can slow down time and see his opponents through walls.

It should also be noted the great variety of missions that are offered to us. We obviously do not leave the clichés of the genre, and the specifications are followed to the letter. But, some moments of bravery deserve an honorable mention, like the aerial battle of Midway or this mission during which Polina replays the film Stalingrad by Jean-Jacques Annaud, carried by inspired compositions signed Bear McCreary (The Walking Dead, God of War) .

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Some missions stand out.

Back to the Modern Warfare Engine

But Call of Duty: Vanguard does not go back in time only for its scenario, it also does it for its technical part. Indeed, this new opus uses the same game engine as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019), designed by Infinity Ward. He therefore enjoys a much closer feeling with the latter than with Black Ops: Cold War – the latest episode, which runs on the engine of Black Ops IIII.

All that to say what exactly? Simply that if you had reaccustomed yourself year after year to the rather special gameplay of Cold War, you will have to remove the wheels from your bicycle again. If we were teasing, it even looks like Call of Duty: Vanguard could pass for a Modern Warfare mod. But that's not our style.

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You can again mount your weapon on surfaces to reduce recoil while staying in cover.

In addition to a graphic coating more worked than on Cold War, we therefore find the possibility of “mounting” his weapon on different surfaces. New: you can also shoot blind from cover. A bit like in a TPS. The physics engine also makes some progress by allowing more destruction on the maps. Certain walls, easily identifiable, are destructible and bear witness to the intensity of the fighting. A detail that also encourages players not to hold their position too long and, as long as possible, to play the objective rather than looking for the easy frag.

I'm not going to lie to you: it suits me perfectly. I had immediately been seduced by Infinity Ward's approach to the game, where the opus signed last year by Treyarch had quickly left me on the sidelines. Especially since Sledgehammer offers this year one of the most varied multiplayer content of the license.

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Some walls are destructible, making multiplayer maps more scalable than before.

A promising multiplayer mode

With the campaign wrapped up and the ugly disappointed pout gone from our face, it's time to get down to exploring Vanguard's multiplayer brick. And as I wrote above, there is plenty to do.

At launch, the game features no less than 20 maps, inspired by various environments in the campaign and beyond. 16 correspond to the standard game modes (MME, Domination, Hotspot, etc.), and 4 fit into a new mode called Champion of the Hill.

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In Champion of the Hill, we regularly return to the hub to redo the icing.

Let's start with this one since it's both the new kid on the block, and the one we'll never touch again after trying it. It should be thought of as a cross between the traditional Gun Game and the Battle Royale Call of Duty: Warzone. In squads of two or three players, you access the game via a central hub where you can buy weapons, perks, ammunition and armor. You then take turns playing opposing teams until you are the last team to have any remaining lives (each starts with 15 lives). Each time we kill an opponent, we get money which is used to improve his equipment or to buy accessories in the central hub where we return regularly.

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The loot is set once the opposing team is defeated.

Let's be clear: the mode is fun and the maps interesting. But as the game progresses and the teams disappear from the rankings, the rhythm takes a big hit in the gums and we sometimes end up waiting 3 or 4 minutes like pignoufs for the launch of the next game.

We are therefore very far from the immediacy that characterizes the multiplayer experience of a Call of Duty. And here I am stretching out a perch to myself, since I just wanted to talk to you about “combat rhythms”.

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Battle beats are a great idea to make Call of Duty more welcoming to any type of player.

Each person at his own pace

It may not seem like much, but Vanguard introduces a mechanic that could drastically change the intensity of combat in multiplayer. On the main lobby, we have the possibility to filter the games according to their “combat rhythm”. Three are offered to us: Tactical, Assault and Unrestrained. The first will limit the number of players to 12 per game, the second can go up to 36 depending on the size of the map and the last up to 46.

In other words, players who, like me, do not have the nervousness of a cat in front of a laser pointer will be able to adopt a more “tactical” gameplay by choosing the first rhythm. The size of the maps does not change, but the number of players who compete there is capped. The idea is to avoid getting killed in a loop by reappearing – like in a frantic pace – right next to an opponent.

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The number of players on the map is adjusted according to the chosen combat rhythm.

I find this addition very relevant in the sense that it does not take anything away from veteran players while being more welcoming towards novice or casual players.

All game modes (except Champion of the Hill) take combat pacing into account. Including the other new kid on the block, the "Patrol" mode. This one is also rather original in that it declines the concept of Strategic Point by making it moving. The goal is to hold a position that is constantly moving on the map. Suffice to say that in “Fresh” rhythm, it is quite difficult to keep calm.

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In Patrol mode, you have to keep control of a point that moves on the map.

Arms to guedin

You know the song. Each game played grants you experience, which increases your level, which unlocks new weapons and unique abilities that can be organized as desired in the dedicated menu. The weapons, but also the operators, have their own level gauge which makes it possible to unlock accessories, replicas or execution animations.

As on the two previous opuses, we obviously find the armory, which allows you to customize your weapons as you wish. But if the most historically inclined look away, it could hurt.

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Good taste is clearly not a compass for Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Yes because this year Call of Duty has completely dropped the ramp, side eccentricity of its arsenal. If the selected weapons correspond more or less to the era, the scopes, sticks and chargers that can be mounted on them come straight out of a parallel universe.

It's not a big deal: we're not here to revise your geo-history. And we understand that, if this new episode makes a good 40 years back compared to Black Ops: Cold War, it cannot decently offer less content to unlock. In addition, we appreciate now having 10 accessory slots on our weapons. Enough to give life to some pretty crazy pop-guns, and above all to vary the pleasures.

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With 10 attachments equipped, the weapons look like Christmas trees. But we can really do what we want with the slightest bit.

Shoot in the head, the zombie will search

Finally, what would a Call of Duty be without its zombie mode? Don't ask me, I never really understood it. But it seems that, for some and some, it is very important.

To these, I have two things to say. Vanguard does offer a zombies mode, but it is currently incomplete. Indeed, Treyarch (to whom we have delegated this mode) has promised us that his game will continue the Dark Aether plot. But, for the moment, the script content is kept under lock and key until December 2 and the launch of the first Season.

Never mind, we can already get our hands on Der Anfang, the new map dedicated to this game mode. And get ready because the changes are quite numerous compared to the last iterations.

Vanguard's zombie mode is much more welcoming to newbies — like me. It is no longer a question of progressing through a course by surviving successive waves of the living dead, but of launching missions with a clear objective from a central hub. Hub where you will also spend your money to improve your weapons or buy various and varied bonuses.

Several portals are present in the area and teleport you and your squad to a small piece of the map in order to accomplish the objective. This can be collecting runes to charge into an obelisk or holding a position for a limited time. Small experiments to peck at a rather brisk pace, which at the same time allow you to accumulate experience on your weapons for multiplayer.

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Zombies mode now has much clearer objectives than before.

You are free to continue grinding like this ad vitam. But after five missions have been completed, you will also have the option of requesting an exfiltration. At least if you manage to survive the impressive wave of opponents and special zombies that will fall on you before the portal is operational.

Call of Duty: Vanguard, l'avis de JVFR

Despite having a fairly underwhelming single-player campaign, even as it tries to give Call of Duty some real characters, Vanguard is a less memorable installment than it is straight in its rangers.

In multiplayer, we are clearly on familiar ground and Sledgehammer does not offer much in the end other than a World War II version of the excellent Modern Warfare of 2019. But, as far as I am concerned, the disappointment Black Ops: Cold War was such that I finally expected nothing else.

Also, thanks to gargantuan content and the well-thought-out integration of “combat rhythms”, Call of Duty: Vanguard already seems to me to be a more welcoming opus, in which I want to invest myself. Will this be enough to retain players before the release of Battlefield 2042 in two weeks? The future will tell.

Call of Duty: Vanguard

While not one of the franchise's great installments, Call of Duty: Vanguard succeeds where Black Ops: Cold War left us on the sidelines. It reconnects with a more modern engine, and provides an incredibly rich multiplayer experience. Too bad his campaign is down this year.