Meanwhile, Freisinger is merely portrayed as a mustache-twirling villain with little nuance or intrigue. Unlike the other playable characters, Kingsley and the Western Front only get one mission. It’s Kingsley and the antagonist Freisinger, however, that get it worst.

Fascinating tales like how Polina earned the moniker Lady Nightingale are unfortunately absent. Polina, Wade and Lucas only get two missions apiece before their tale in the war ends, and rather than watching the characters develop, we’re told through narration at the end of missions about how the events impacted them. The story tries to cover four different fronts of World War II while personifying four unique characters, but ultimately fails to make any fronts or characters compelling. The campaign’s most significant flaw isn’t its scope, the developer’s passion for World War II or the interesting representation of history, but rather that it spreads itself too thin during its 4-5 hour runtime. There’s undoubtedly good intention along with an interesting plot in Vanguard’s campaign it’s just too unfocused for the short amount of time allotted to it. Lucas Riggs and their battles are all based on real people and events. Sledgehammer’s team showcases a lot of passion for World War II in its campaign and selection of characters. Forced to relive their pasts, the team must hold on, find a way to work together and put an end to Project Phoenix. Unaccustomed to working as a cohesive unit, however, the squad is captured by the villainous Hermann Wenzel Freisinger for interrogation. Concerned, the Allies put together the first Special Forces squad comprised of soldiers from Great Britain, Soviet Russia, the United States and Australia to infiltrate Germany and uncover the project’s secrets. Can Call of Duty: Vanguard deliver on that ambition and help Sledgehammer carve out its own niche in the franchise or should this entry be relegated to the history books?Ĭall of Duty: Vanguard takes place at the tail-end of World War II, where the Allies discover a secretive plot by the Nazis dubbed Project Phoenix.

Promising a gripping campaign, content-rich multiplayer and fun new take on Zombies, Vanguard doesn’t lack for ambition. With Call of Duty: Vanguard, the studio hopes to discover that by returning the action to World War II. While Infinity Ward and Treyarch’s Call of Duty titles have developed unique identities, Sledgehammer has yet to find theirs. From there, Sledgehammer worked on a futuristic title ( Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare) and a World War II title ( Call of Duty: WWII). Formed initially to develop a third-person side project, the studio was looped in to help Infinity Ward with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Sledgehammer Games’ standing in the Call of Duty franchise has always been an odd one.

Third person call of duty