Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 | Blackout Review

With the rise of battle royale games over the last couple of years, it was no surprise when Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 announced Blackout, its own take on the genre, just as Fortnite was in the height of its popularity last year. The Blackout game mode is more grounded than precursor PUBG and focuses more on tactical strategy than extemporaneous skill à la Fortnite’s building mechanics.

But did the Call of Duty: Black Ops franchise really need to invest its resources into a battle royale mode? It depends on whom you ask.

Battle Royale

Some longtime FPS enthusiasts consider battle royale games a passing trend. But this style of game is uniquely addictive given the high level of strategy and unpredictability inherent in the game mode, and Blackout is no exception.

In a sense, Blackout reaches a natural extension of the Call of Duty player base, people who may not have been initially intrigued by the battle royale format but are longtime fans of the Call of Duty franchise. There are also the battle royale diehards who were eager to try Blackout but haven’t bothered to touch the Multiplayer and Zombies formats.

But all and all, the desire to reach a crossover audience means Black Ops 4’s battle royale format isn’t grossly overcomplicated: Players drop in, grab loot including guns, shields, combat items and health, and then fight for glory. Unlike the Multiplayer mode, there is no Specialist play at hand here — everyone starts at nothing and has equal opportunity to reign supreme.