FPP shoots are slowly apologizing to history and returning to the old authentic armed conflicts like we've already seen in Battlefield 1 or the somewhat overlooked Rising Storm 2: Vietnam. However, it's hard to imagine a more symbolic return to basics than in the case of Call of Duty, which takes us back to the fronts of World War II, like the very beginning. Sledgehammer Games took on the difficult task of grappling with the legacy of the series and did reasonably well overall. While the controversial multiplayer mode requires a close look at many topics, the story campaign makes a very good impression. For the first time since Black Ops, the story served up by Call of Duty was a real treat for me - I felt the spirit of the old scenes in it and really couldn't tear myself away. Of course, this does not mean that the game formula has changed 180 degrees and the gameplay looks completely different. This is still Call of Duty style, fast-paced, linear, full of scripts and scenes straight out of the Michael Bay movies. Luckily, you are also feeling this long-awaited return to normality, things we know, to which we have a point of reference. While there are sometimes Uncharted-esque adventures, they're undoubtedly tales of ordinary soldiers on the frontlines, worried for their lives, their buddies, and a girl left behind somewhere in the country.
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Unfortunately, we will not meet these "normal" soldiers in the multiplayer module, where everyone can create a virtual avatar according to their preferences and use weapons that do not necessarily correspond to historical realities, which will not be to everyone's taste. Fantasizing at the expense of realism works in zombie mode - a long and complicated cooperative mission related to the myth of Nazi experimentation with the occult, in which we will see the faces of some famous actors. When judging Call of Duty: WWII, you have to keep in mind that the game actually consists of three major components that give slightly different impressions. The plot of the new CoD returns to the roots of the series, to the grim fate of an ordinary stray who freezes in a ditch and heeds the commander's calls. Mostly we play the role of soldier Ronald Daniels of the 16th Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, whom we follow from the landing at Omaha Beach to the capture of the Rhine Bridge in March 1945. The story presented in the game is loosely related to various missions and operations of World War II - people and their emotions are the connecting element here: the growing conflict with Sergeant Pierson and the friendship between Daniels and Private Zussman. The creators try to sensitize us to the importance of colleagues in the department with a few game mechanisms. We can expect that at our request they will drop us a first-aid kit, ammunition, a stock of grenades or marked enemies (which only greatly spoils the atmosphere due to a too clear "frame" around the character).
From time to time we also come across situations where you can take a wounded companion to a safe place or save him with an aimed shot at the last moment. Such trifles allow you to feel more in the role of an ordinary soldier on the battlefield, and besides that there are all the other atrocities of war. We see tragedies of civilians, executions of prisoners of war, manifestations of anti-Semitism, ubiquitous blood, severed limbs and protruding bones. We shoot the dogs and hold the prisoners at gunpoint. World War II in Call of Duty WWII is not polite, it is not adapted to younger players like in Medal of Honor. She is dirty and cruel, which makes her image more authentic. The structure of the entire campaign also deserves praise. The loading screens are hidden behind great-looking and realized cutscenes, whose characters are fortunately not overdone or unnatural. They are flesh and blood soldiers - almost like in the Band of Brothers, if perhaps not as well presented as one would like. The culprit is the rather rapid pace of the plot, which clearly took precedence over immersion in the characters of the main characters. Everything goes very quickly here, but is put together efficiently and there is no boredom - the entire campaign is practically "in one breath". We can slow down the tempo ourselves by choosing the highest level of difficulty - then without a crosshair and hit indicator we are often forced to think over every next step.
Already in the stages we experience everything we know from previous games of this type - but there was also room for a few novelties, and repetitions are easily forgiven when you see them with better graphics at the end. The essence of true combat-based missions is of course the ubiquitous scripts, but having spent hundreds of hours in various sandboxes lately, I was almost relieved to welcome them! Even more so because in Call of Duty: WWII they can really impress with their eloquence or even incredible Elo. We take part in a crazy jeep chase (which is a nice nod to the first parts of the series), support our companions with a sniper rifle from the church tower, watch dying soldiers on Omaha Beach and run groaning through the branches of the forest. None of this would be as exciting without scripting! This insane pace is slowed down by occasional stealth sequences - unfortunately done so-so and popping up too often. They are very simple, with an obligatory enemy fear meter and the need to use suppressed weapons, which, surprisingly, immediately alert opponents, which corresponds well to reality. Much more interesting is the stage when we have to maneuver in disguise between German officers, armed only with ... information from forged documents! Just like in Telltale Games' adventures, you must quickly select the correct dialogue option in order not to arouse suspicion. The whole thing is obviously very simple, but it's an interesting change of pace, especially when combined with exploring a fairly large building. I will also reveal that espionage as a member of the resistance movement is not the only variant of the campaign - we also play the role of soldiers from completely different formations for a moment!
