Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is (significantly) inferior to the first mobile Call of Duty game.
A few years ago, in 2019 to be exact, the first mobile version of the Call of Duty game was released. Call of Duty: Mobile was released for iOS and Android platforms and shortly after its release on these platforms it won over a large number of players. It was one of the biggest mobile game debuts ever, with 270 million downloads in a year and over US$480 million in revenue.
That conquest continues today when the game earned itself a separate eSports betting market in the form of eSports betting sites. But it took some time for the CoD betting community to grow. Even if there have been many revisions, the Call of Duty betting scene is still flourishing as a result of the last largest surge – the third season of the game, which brought new stuff. Inspired by the success of that game, Activision treated players on mobile platforms to another mobile version of the famous franchise on March 31, Easter.
It was immediately clear that Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile had a long way to go. But how are the first steps going? Can it be said that Warzone is already better than CoD Mobile or not? And the most important question of all: is it worth playing the new, mobile version of the game from the renowned franchise?
You’ll get the answers to these questions in the rest of the review that follows.
Relatively Powerful and New(er) Smartphone Required if You Want to Enjoy CoD: Warzone Mobile
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is a graphically and technically very demanding game, which means that you’ll need a very powerful smartphone to be able to play this game. And we mean just to play, not to play on high details. And we consider this to be a big downside. For example, Call of Duty Mobile was perfectly playable from day one, on medium-high details on older smartphone models, such as Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus; the same isn’t true for CoD: Warzone Mobile.
In fact, you even won’t be able to download Warzone Mobile from the Google App Store, if you have a phone of a S9 Plus or similar. Basically, without further ado, if you have an older smartphone, that is, if you don’t own a device from at least 2021 that is mid-high or high-end in terms of specifications, you won’t be able to play CoD: Warzone Mobile.
For some, this won’t be a problem, but we honestly think that this is a problem, and a big one because gaming on smartphones isn’t the same as playing games on consoles or PCs, which means that gamers won’t (mostly, unless they are professional gamers or enthusiasts) buy a smartphone merely to try out a new game on it. That’s why, in our opinion, this is a big handicap, which you’ll come across without even playing the game yet. But after running the new CoD for mobile platforms on good smartphones, you might be having the same impressions as far as graphics capabilities are concerned like us. Is the game a new masterpiece for mobile platforms in terms of graphics or is it… not?
The Graphics Are… Well, Good
The graphics capabilities of the game are… good. Not more than that. We have to admit that we were a little disappointed in this segment as well. First of all, the game has quite high requirements regarding which and what kind of smartphones the user can install and run the game on. But after you finally download the game from the Google Store and install it on your device, after a short login, that is, connecting to your Google account, you certainly won’t be amazed by what the game offers in terms of graphics.
The game worked quite solidly, without stuttering at medium-high details, which is good. But as far as the details of the environment, light and shadow effects, weapon flashes, and other things are concerned, we can’t say that the game delighted us. We were much more amazed by what Call of Duty Mobile showed us in 2019, which even today we consider to be superior in everything compared to this sequel.
Maybe things will be further refined and fixed after some updates. The time will show. But, so far, we can’t say that we’re satisfied with what the game has shown in terms of graphics. And to make matters worse, the game drains your smartphone battery A LOT. We guess only if you play the game on specially designed smartphones, which are intended for playing demanding games at high details, such as the Asus ROG, the game won’t drain the battery energy so much. With any other standard smartphone, the battery drains very quickly. At first, we thought there was something wrong with our device. But after that, we checked things on the Internet, where we saw that other users were facing similar situations.
As Many as Three “Battle Royale” Game Modes
Warzone Mobile currently offers three different Battle Royale modes: Battle Royale, Mobile Royale, and Rebirth Resurgence. Battle Royale follows the same general format as the Warzone mode, although the total number of players has been increased from 100 to 120 per round. As a team of up to four players, you enter an open world and fight for survival. There are a number of vehicles to help you move quickly around the open world, while weapons and armor can be found inside buildings, by opening unlockable crates, or can be purchased with cash from automated purchase stations.
You get money by looting or completing contracts. These are essentially mini-challenges, ranging from hunting down a specific target player to securing recently dropped supply boxes, while the circle of poison gases gradually closes reducing the size of the map until the last team wins. It’s a tried and tested formula, although the rounds in Warzone Mobile play out a little differently thanks to the limitations of the mobile format.
Rebirth Resurgence is a similarly potent way to play, thanks primarily to its small map and the fact that 36 players are constantly respawning; which is a combination that leads to absolute chaos. You could also enjoy the basic multiplayer game modes including Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, and Domination. Each of these game modes uses an intense 6v6 format and takes place exclusively on small maps, such as Shipment and Scrapyard from Modern Warfare 2. The pace is quite fast, which is very good and suitable for a game like this, even if you play it on a smartphone screen. While there are currently only five total maps for these game modes, there are strong indications that updates may be coming out very soon, which should bring new maps, which is a plus.
What’s the effect of playing? It’s not bad, and if you have the ability to use a controller, it’ll be even better, especially if you’re used to playing this type of game on consoles. We’re of the opinion that first-person shooters are ideal for playing with the help of a mouse and keyboard, not on consoles, while the player is comfortably reclined in his chair, in front of his desktop or laptop screen. So, the concept of playing FPSs on consoles has never been dear to us, ever since PlayStation 2 and Call of Duty 3. If you like playing first-person shooters with a controller, the overall gameplay will be even better and more accurate, which is especially targeting relationships. If you’re a regular gamer and play on your smartphone screen, we can’t say you won’t enjoy it, but the controller takes things to a new level. So they say.
The Problem with Cheating…
As it happens with games of this type, especially when the game is new, and Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is still very new, various cheats can appear, which disrupt the overall experience for all other players.
After we encountered several situations in which we suspected that it was a classic “cheater”, we wanted to check it on the Internet, in order to eliminate all doubts. And unfortunately, yes, CoD: Warzone Mobile is a place that’s now very suitable for players who know how to use the game’s algorithms to their advantage, to the detriment of other players through cheating. Hopefully, Activision will deal with this problem as soon as possible, because otherwise, this could have serious consequences for other players and the game.
Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile Is a Game That’s Primarily Intended for Fans of the Genre and Franchise
Is it worth downloading the game and playing it? The answer to this question will depend on several factors. If you’re one of those players who loves Call of Duty and doesn’t mind playing the game on a relatively small smartphone screen, you should definitely play CoD: Warzone Mobile. Likewise, if you’re a die-hard mobile gamer, it means that you most likely own a sufficiently powerful smartphone, which can run such games at high or even maximum details.
You will also very likely want to play or have already played the game and enjoy it. As for standard users, that is, those who just want to play something quickly during a break at work, school, or before a lecture at university, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile is a game that we’d advise you to wait a month or so before downloading and you play. Or at least until the development team polishes some and fixes other things..
