What are the worst Black Ops 7 maps, and how could they be improved?

The current range of Black Ops 7 maps is extensive, spanning tiny, close-quarters combat maps to massive and intense cities under siege. There are, however, some complaints to be aired out.

Map design has long been a core part of the Call of Duty franchise, and while there are some trademark settings that it regularly revisits, this installment seems to have switched out innovation in favour of archetypal designs that do nothing to further the series.

There are 19 multiplayer Black Ops 7 maps, including the two that feature in its newest gamemode, Skirmish. 

Across the selection, players are skirmishing in abandoned hospitals, aboard yachts, and in heritage sites. But despite the variety, Black Ops 7 maps at launch lean too hard on old, proven map layouts to make a name for themselves.

Across all of the maps, I’ve had the least fun in Hijacked. This map, one of several Black Ops 7 maps from Black Ops 2, is defined by its ridiculously small combat zone, narrow corridors, and underground passages. It’s too small to enjoy objective-based gamemodes, and Team Deathmatch sees you spawn directly into locations where enemies are already aiming their crosshairs. It reeks of Black Ops—close-quarters, fast-paced and frustrating—and unfortunately, it’s not quite balanced enough to receive any praise either. 

The same goes for Flagship, which is aboard the decommissioned USS Barack Obama. This map is defined by its moving machinery and concentrated fighting zones, a trademark of Black Ops 7 map layouts. 

Again, this map fails to cater to anyone whose Black Ops 7 loadout doesn’t feature two sub-machineguns. This is less of an issue in maps like Toshin, which shines thanks to its vantage points and open spaces, which actually complement the compact layout.

Interestingly, you see Call of Duty’s map design shine the most in the maps explicitly designed for Skirmish. In both Edge and Tide, the huge maps incorporate small combat zones into wider scenes akin to Battlefield. You will see battles initiated by mobile run-and-gunners, tactical snipers picking off stragglers, and heavy artillery gunners playing defensive roles. The variety demanded from the larger maps forces players to think tactically, with teamwork in mind, and it’s undeniably the best Call of Duty experience to date.

Black Ops 7 relies on the franchise’s typical formula; the majority of its maps are small, intentionally so, allowing players to immediately rack up killstreaks. This is, unfortunately, a stale way to play the game, and it’s clear that players are far more interested in slower, more meaningful strategies now.

Skirmish, the saving grace of Black Ops 7 that otherwise has no reason to exist, is the only reason why Black Ops 7’s bigger maps exist, and for that, we have to be thankful. Likewise, another reason why I believe that Edge and Tide are worthwhile maps is thanks to the minimal near-future design elements. 

Whereas maps like Blackheart and The Forge are jam-packed full of uncanny technology, shifting and changing the stage, they all ultimately suffer the same sense of forgettable design. In some ways, the futuristic elements are almost a sore spot to look at. Conversely, the Skirmish maps are a little more realistic and, in some ways, timeless: ordinary buildings, an absence of unrecognisable technology and flashing lights, and an ample blend of nature.

Black Ops 7’s multiplayer maps fall short mostly because they’re simply doing too much, and that’s only more apparent when weighing them up against the best Call of Duty maps. 

This is far less of an issue in Black Ops 7 zombies maps, Ashes of the Damned and Vandorn Farm, both of which focus on immersive horror themes instead of the typical hyper-futuristic, clinical design of its multiplayer maps.

Typical for a game set in 2035, many of Black Ops 7’s flagship maps look like something lifted straight out of an Embark Studios game. It makes sense that Activision’s design ethos for the game would converge at this point of neo-futurism; bleak, forgettable, obtuse and unarguably soulless. The franchise has clearly run out of ideas and settled on the most predictable design instead.

There’s no denying that if the developers had focused instead on diverse layouts, as opposed to flashy billboards and distracting neon lighting in its maps, players would have had a better reception to the game. There should be no surprise, then, that reviews for the game mostly converge on ‘Mostly Negative’ on Steam.