Recently, we’ve seen a massive influx of mainstream games making their way into the mobile gaming market. It is still a market with massive room for expansion as smartphones get more and more powerful. We’ve seen the likes of PUBG, Fortnite and The Elder Scrolls make their way onto the mobile platform in recent years. This is partly due to the fact that mobile users tend to spend a lot more money on their games in the form of microtransactions. Call of Duty is one of the biggest gaming franchises of all time and it was only a matter of time until it made its way to mobile as well. So, it’s finally here; after months of hype, Call of Duty Mobile is finally coming to iOS and Android in the form of a beta this week.
We now have pretty much all the details on what Call of Duty Mobile is going to be like. In short, the game is going to feel a lot like some of the Classic Call of Duty games like Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops. Call of Duty Mobile is not going to be a bogged down version of the original games but instead, is going to have all the bells and whistles of the original game. For example, it features some of the same maps, game modes and weaponry but it has just been adapted for a better mobile experience. Let’s dive into it and look at everything that has been revealed one by one.
Release Date and How to Play Now
Call of Duty: Mobile has been slated for release on both iOS and Android devices in the next few months. However, you can still play the game in certain areas. Call of Duty Mobile has a beta that you can sign up for right here. If the beta is out in your region and you get selected, you’d be able to play the game before its full release. Currently, the beta has been only working in India and will be coming to Australia soon with no word on when it’s going to be available in the U.S. You can also probably download and sideload an apk file for the game if you’re on Android. However, I’d still suggest waiting for the full release of the game.
Game Modes
Call of Duty Mobile, as mentioned earlier is going to have a plethora of game modes carried over from the original games. Most of the fan favourites are present here. Here’s all the game modes in Call of Duty Mobile and how each of them plays out:
- Free-For-All: This is a high-intensity every man for himself game mode. There are no teams and each player is on his own trying to kill everyone else in a deathmatch.
- Team Deathmatch: This is the classic Call of Duty styled team deathmatch game mode where players on two teams fight each other. Everyone has unlimited lives but the game mode comes to an end when the time or score limit is reached.
- Hardpoint: This is the Call of Duty version of King of the Hill with the players try to capture the hardpoint in order to gain points. The hardpoint keeps moving and the team with the highest points at the end wins.
- Frontline: Frontline involves players spawning at a team base and trying to eliminate the enemy team.
- Domination: Domination is a classic Call of Duty fan favourite that involves players taking control of three areas around the map for as long as they can to earn more points than the opposing team.
All of these game modes support up to 10 players except Free-For-All, which is limited to 8 players.
Maps
As far as the maps are concerned, you can expect to see a lot of classic Call of Duty maps making a return here as well. Call of Duty: Mobile, at launch, will have a total of seven maps. These are Nuketown, Hijacked, Killhouse, Standoff, Crossfire, Firing Range and Crash. The map selection seems very solid as they are some of the most iconic maps from the Call of Duty Franchise.
Controls and Gameplay
There are always going to be challenges involved with making a solid FPS game on mobile. A mobile touchscreen can never replicate the feeling of a controller or a keyboard/mouse. To overcome that challenge, Call of Duty Mobile is going to have a couple of different control schemes.
Simple
As the name suggests, this will be the simpler of two options and will be like riding a bicycle with the training wheels on. The gun, in this control scheme, fires itself when pointed at an enemy. While it does seem easy, it will also result in excess wastage of ammo. However, this can really help the players that struggle with touchscreen controls and generally despise mobile games because of it.
Advanced
The advanced control scheme, on the other hand, is much like a traditional mobile FPS. You can move the elements of the HUD around including the buttons and the analogues. You can tune pretty much every aspect of it to suit your own personal preference. This would be the perfect fit for PUBG mobile veterans.
Weapons and Loadouts
Many of the iconic weapons from the classic Call of Duty games will be making a return here as well. There is going to be a primary slot and a secondary slot. In classic Cod fashion, the game will also feature multiple attachments for the guns like scopes and sights etc. Players will be able to make custom loadouts with different weapons, perks and scorestreaks. The perks will include all the famous Call of Duty perks like Ghost and Fast Recover. Each of these perks can have a significant impact on how the game is played. Other than that, there is also a weapon skill per loadout. For example, you could activate a minigun or a flamethrower for a limited time during a match.
As far as scorestreaks are concerned, they are making the shift to Call of Duty Mobile as well. All of the classics like UAV, attack helicopter and drones etc. are present here. Players can gain points by killing other players or completing objectives to activate a scorestreak. Call of Duty Mobile also has some nostalgia invoking characters in the game. You can choose to play some of the well-known characters from the Call of Duty franchise in multiplayer matches. These characters include Soap MacTavish from the Modern Warfare series and Mason from Black Ops.
Call of Duty: Mobile is shaping to be a pretty good package that stays true to its roots despite being ported to mobile. I can see a lot of players who don’t generally play mobile games getting attracted to this. Let’s wait and see if it can really be the PUBG-killer of mobile gaming.