"Call of Duty Vanguard" released today! Report on new elements and points of interest in multiplayer and zombie mode from the pre-experience meeting

Finally released today (*), the latest in the popular military FPS series "Call of Duty Vanguard". Prior to its release, a trial session for the multiplayer mode and zombie mode was held for the media, so let's summarize the features of this work and deliver the impressions of playing. (*Editor's note: The home game console is on sale. The PC version will be released on the 5th at 1:00 pm Japan time)

As usual Fast tempo!　Multiplayer Edition

　First of all, when it comes to multiplayer battles in the "Call of Duty" series, it can be said that the fast-paced game tempo is characteristic. Among them, it is no exaggeration to say that one of the reasons for its popularity is the relatively fast TTK (Time To Kill, the time it takes from contacting the enemy to the conclusion of the battle) when it comes to shooting with the enemy.

Then, how about this work? The answer can be said to be "as fast as ever". In fact, I thought, "This speed is Call of Duty," and I enjoyed it a lot, including the crispness.

　Unlike "Call of Duty World War II", which deals with the European front of World War II, this work is set on the Eastern Front, Western Front, North African Front, and Pacific Front. Maps and operators (characters used, no difference in abilities) will appear from all over the world.

　In addition, there are 16 types of maps for the multiplayer core mode (in addition to this, there are 4 types of maps for the new mode "Champion Hill" of this work). From east and west Europe to the jungles of Southeast Asia and the battlefields of arid North Africa, there is a lot of variety here as well.

　The following 5 types of rules were actually played at the trial session. At the same time as writing down the list below, I would like to touch on the newly added rules this time.

The patrol is newly recorded in this work It's a way of playing. Like a hard point, you gain points by conquering a designated area, but when the player enters it, the area starts to move and you have to follow it.

It should also be noted that the movement of this target area is designed to change for each match. It seems that it is possible to fight against the side that is suppressing, "waiting in a building near the progress route that the side trying to take back is predicted in advance, and assaulting when it approaches".

When I actually played the game, it was quite a burden for the controlling side to constantly move areas, so I had to defend while nervous about where the enemy was attacking from, and on the contrary, I was able to escape from an ambush. It was honestly fun to recapture it successfully and get frustrated because the area didn't follow the expected route. It's like, ``Just adding a twist to the rules, where tactics tend to be fixed, will make a big difference.''

　In addition, in CoD's multiplayer battles, we must not forget the kill streak, which allows you to obtain additional weapons by continuing to kill consecutively, and the field upgrades obtained by cumulative kills. This work also has many strong elements. Choose one that fits your playstyle, and activate it when you can use it to defeat your enemies.

　In this work, there are destructible obstacles in various places on the map. Destroying these will open up new routes and lines of fire, bringing changes to the game.

　In addition, it is also possible to create a peak hole (peephole) that can be seen on the other side by slightly breaking it, and launch an attack from there when the enemy passes by. Be careful not to be easily defeated with this hand in the early stages.

On the other hand, with rules like Search and Destroy, it would be possible to leave the walls untouched and let them know the location of the enemy from the sound of destruction like Naruko. It's just a wall, but depending on how you use it, it can also be a weapon.

　Just like in previous games, as you continue playing multiplayer, the level of your weapon will increase. As this level increases, attachments such as stocks that add sights for easier aiming and reduced barrel shake become available.

　In addition, the variety of bullets has increased this time, and it is also possible to change the ammunition used to hollow point bullets and incendiary bullets and aim for secondary effects. Unlocking bullets takes a while because it's quite a level after the middle stage, but it's a good idea to find a configuration that suits your play style while playing. For reference, I will introduce what kind of ammunition is available for the German submachine gun MP40.

　The gun you are using can be mounted (fixed) on the edge of the shield. It was possible to mount it in previous works, but once it was mounted, there were disadvantages such as being unable to move from that location unless it was released, and being unable to respond to attacks from outside the angle of fire.

In this work, while maintaining this mounted state, the degree of freedom is increased by sliding the fixed position left and right. As a result, until now, it was not possible to attack enemies outside the firing angle, but by shifting the fixed position, it became possible to deal with it, and the risk that was a problem when mounting was greatly reduced. This will undoubtedly make machine guns such as light machine guns easier to handle.

Zombie mode with a new system that redesigns the flow of play

Zombie mode is as popular as the multiplayer mode in the "Call of Duty" series. Up to 4 players can play, and the content is to repel an army of zombies that become more vicious as the rounds increase. Here we will touch on the PvE zombie mode, which is a bit different from multiplayer.

　In this work's zombie mode "Der Anfang" (German for "beginning"), in order to oppose the Nazi zombie army, a contract is made with a divine being in the world of Dark Ether and equipped with that sacred treasure. will fight in addition to

　Sacred Artifacts are special abilities that affect the player and their allies, and can be charged and used by defeating zombies and earning points. Both of these abilities are extremely powerful. The abilities of the four Sacred Treasures that will appear at the launch stage and their masters are as follows.

　Since this can be set as part of the equipment on the loadout screen, It would be nice to set it up in advance. By combining with the "covenant" explained next, you can build a combo of special effects, and you should be able to advance the battle more advantageously.

　"Covenant" is a special effect that can have a maximum of 3. By consuming the "heart" that you get at the end of each round, you can choose one of the three randomly presented covenants and replace it with the one you have. The effect of the covenant is as follows (the name is the English version).

　There are 11 covenants listed above, each of which has a rarity such as Rare, Epic, and Legend, and the effect will be stronger depending on the rarity. If you can combine these covenants and sacred treasures well, you will be able to fight more efficiently.

Zombie mode play flow: alternating between hub area and missions

　In this game's zombie mode, the hub area is Stalingrad, and the objective area (Shi no Numa) where missions are played. and maps of various parts of the world such as Paris).

　The initial hub area is narrow and the player's range of action is limited. Therefore, a gimmick is adopted in which the hub area is expanded when you pass through the warp portal that leads to the objective area and return after completing the mission at the destination. The following three missions can be played in the objective area.

　After completing the mission and returning, a new area has opened in the hub area, and zombies have appeared at the same time. First of all, it is one flow to mop up this guy, strengthen shopping etc., and challenge a new mission again in the next round.

　As the round progresses, the number of enemy zombies that appear in hub areas and missions will gradually increase, and stronger enemies will appear. At first, normal zombies, which are weak at first, will gradually increase their durability, so it is a must to strengthen their status and obtain more powerful weapons.

On the other hand, the amount of Zombie Essence points obtained by defeating enemies also increases. Zombie Essence can be used to strengthen the player's status, strengthen weapons, add armor, etc., so it can be said that the point of capture is to strengthen the character by defeating enemies.

　In this work, weapons other than the initial equipment can be obtained by aiming for random drops from powerful enemies, by consuming zombie essence and aiming to obtain weapons from mystery boxes, or by aiming to obtain them from boxes on the map. There are only three things to get lucky from such as. In the previous work, you could buy it from a vending machine called Wall Buy, but this work is a bit strict.

　If you want a powerful weapon at an early stage, you should aim to obtain it from the Mystery Box, but since it consumes 950 Zombie Essence in one go, it can be said to be a pretty bad gamble. However, if you want a strong weapon before a powerful enemy appears, it's still a gamble... a conflict arises. It's exactly "use according to plan".

　In addition, to enhance stats and equipment, use devices such as PERK springs in the hub area and object area, workbench (for making armor), and pack-a-punch (for enhancing weapons).

*PERK is free for Tier 1, Tier 2 for 2500 Essence, Tier 3 can be upgraded with 5000 Essence, Tier 4 can be upgraded with 7500 Essence

After completing the 4th round mission, you will be able to choose to escape from the hub area as an option. If you reach the warp portal for escape while dodging the final attack, it will be cleared.

　The 4th round is still the beginning, so I think it's basic to keep progressing through the rounds, but if you succeed in escaping, you'll receive bonus XP, so if it gets tough, you should consider withdrawing. In addition, I was tired because I had to do it for about an hour and a half at the trial session.

Oh yeah, just like in past games, when you defeat a zombie, you'll occasionally drop instant special effects such as "Instakill", but I felt that the drop rate was a bit daunting. The random element may have been designed with the covenant in mind.

　When you get used to the game, you can build a theory like "I'd like to have this many weapons and perks in about a certain number of rounds, and draw a covenant around here~", but that's where it ends up. It may be quite difficult.

By the way, since the multiplayer mode's rank and weapon level are shared with the zombie mode, it is also possible to "raise your favorite weapon in the zombie mode when you get tired of fighting". It would be good for people who say, "It's hard to get beaten in battle until the weapon level goes up and the attachments start to come together", so you can grow your weapons first in zombie mode.

　In addition, the Covenant, the contents of the missions in the object area, and new Sacred Artifacts will be added in the update after Season 1, which starts on December 2nd.