Hey all, I’m back with a look at the latest annual Call of Duty release. For this review, I’m focusing specifically on the single-player campaign of Modern Warfare 4. I’ll be covering the multiplayer portion separately, so let’s get into the story.
Plot: The campaign picks up after the events of 2023’s Modern Warfare 3, with Captain Price on the run after killing General Shepherd. But we don’t start with Price. Instead, we begin with a squad of South Korean soldiers and American Marines under the command of Lieutenant West, an American, performing a routine patrol in the city of Hajin. Rather predictably, that patrol turns out to be anything but routine.
You mostly play as Private Park Hyun Jun, a young South Korean soldier completing his mandatory military service, and who is looking forward to getting out rather than reenlisting. I’d say it’s a predictable background, and it is, but it’s also reasonable and believable. Unfortunately, things aren’t going to be easy for him.
That sentiment is echoed rather vociferously by one of Park’s squadmates, Joseph Dunn, an American Marine who frequently complains about how the squad keeps getting screwed over. Vehicles also have a particularly bad habit of exploding with them inside. Dunn is probably one of my favorite new faces in this entry, and honestly, I’d love to see Sierra 1, Park’s squad, return in future Call of Duty games.
Which brings me to my first major point. This is the final Modern Warfare entry in the recent reboot series that began in 2019. A lot of storylines are wrapped up. While a few threads remain, such as Sierra 1, most of the major plot points are resolved by the time the final mission ends. Some of those remaining threads may be addressed through the seasonal storyline in DMZ.
Speaking of DMZ, do not, I repeat, do not play that mode before finishing the campaign. It contains some significant spoilers, including major plot points introduced during its tutorial mission, which is essentially another story mission.
I won’t be covering DMZ in detail here since it includes multiplayer elements. I have tried three deployments so far, though, and to the best of my knowledge, I’ve only encountered another player when I brought a squadmate along for my first deployment.
Gameplay: The campaign plays like most traditional Call of Duty titles with a solo experience and largely linear missions. I consider that a good thing, especially after the online campaign approach of last year’s Black Ops 7.
The open-ended missions in Modern Warfare 3 weren’t exactly its strongest feature, although Modern Warfare 4 does include one particularly extensive mission that offers considerably more freedom.
I won’t spoil the details, but several objectives take place across one enormous map, and you’re strongly encouraged to explore it for additional resources. My advice is to complete the jamming objective first. Doing so unlocks bomb drones, which are extremely useful for dealing with the vehicles you’ll encounter during the other missions.
You’ll also want to repair the mortar fairly early. Once it’s operational, you can call in repeated mortar strikes with a short reload period after every five or six uses. You can mark targets while on foot or use your scout drone, which circles your character across a fairly large area.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a perfect solution. For some reason, surviving enemies can home in on your position even when you’re concealed in brush a considerable distance away and should be practically undetectable. It’s a frustrating little issue in an otherwise enjoyable mission.
One other thing worth mentioning is that the campaign occasionally forces players into some morally uncomfortable situations. I won’t explain exactly what happens because those moments are important to the story, but I can understand why some players might find them unpleasant. They serve a narrative purpose, even if I didn’t particularly enjoy experiencing them.
I also wasn’t thrilled about having to fight hostile dogs during certain missions in Modern Warfare 4. I usually love dogs, and being forced to kill them before they attacked in those missions wasn’t exactly enjoyable. They can also approach from unexpected directions, making those encounters disorienting, particularly during the large open-ended mission.
Those complaints aside, Modern Warfare 4’s gameplay is excellent, and the story is genuinely engaging. Even when I wished certain events had unfolded differently, I understood why the developers made those choices, especially given that this is intended to conclude the rebooted Modern Warfare storyline.
Art: The visuals are spectacular, as I’ve come to expect from Call of Duty. The environments, character models, and action sequences all look excellent, and the presentation helps make the campaign’s major moments particularly memorable. There’s really not much to complain about here.
Music: The soundtrack is also very good. It complements the action and helps maintain the atmosphere throughout the campaign, whether you’re dealing with intense firefights or quieter story moments.
Overall: Modern Warfare 4 delivers a very good single-player campaign, and it’s one of the best Call of Duty stories I’ve played in years.
There are some uncomfortable moments and a few gameplay frustrations, but the action, characters, and storytelling make this an excellent conclusion to the rebooted series. I’m especially hopeful that we haven’t seen the last of Sierra 1.
For those who like: First-person shooters, Call of Duty, strong storytelling, explosive action, excellent visuals, and cinematic military campaigns.
