Somehow in the age of technology, developers have turned to making mobile games for almost any nostalgic game you can imagine. Since the masses are typically on their phones then this makes a lot of sense. There are however, still people in the world that won’t touch a mobile game because they want to stick by what they know, console games. Activision has challenged people everywhere with their launch of the Call of Duty: Mobile.
Tencent Games and Timi Studios came together to release this free-to-play shooter in hopes to reach more gamers and give diehard fans of the console Call of Duty games, another way to keep up with their favorite game. Not that this comes as much of a surprise, the mobile COD does not have a plot like its console predecessors.
For the most part, like other shooters, the goal is to attack the opposite team under a time limit and get the most kills. This determines who the victory goes too. In short, this is very familiar to Overwatch rounds. The maps are very small, such as the boat deck that seems like it would barely hold 5 players, let alone 10. Rounds go on for about 3 minutes and they seem to last forever, but this could mostly be due to the controls.
Using the left thumb will let you walk while using your right thumb lets you control the camera. This already becomes a challenge right away as you need to stop and aim and then click to shoot. Over time this becomes a little easier but still gets in the way of making a clear shot, or getting anywhere quickly. Loadouts are standard like other COD games but while in the middle of a mission, changing weapons can be a hassle, and it’s not easy to find ammo. This seems to be a balance issue right now but maybe this can be changed.
The sounds of the game are straightforward, but the graphics are pretty nice for being on a tiny screen. Every time you can see an opponent on such a small screen, from far away, should be considered a win on its own. Since the maps are so small, a mobile game such as this won’t impress everyone with the graphics and abilities to customize your weapons.
So far the older COD players seems to really prefer to immerse themselves in the console versions with their surround systems and headsets and the whole nine. They don’t like being on their phones to play a multiplayer game in the middle of the post-office line, even if you can use your microphone to communicate. Gamers young and older seem to be split right now about COD Mobile and that’s OK.
Right now, Call of Duty Mobile is an idea that appeals to a lot of people and gets the attention of people that are always on their phones or don’t want to own a console. The controls could be better or streamed differently for efficiency in order to be able to see the screen and get a faster reaction while playing. Other than that, the game does run smoothly.
7/10
Available on IOS and Android
