‘Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile’ impressions: Worthwhile multiplayer experience, if your device can run it properly

Warzone Mobile replicates the multiplayer experience of its console and PC counterparts, but you’ll need top-tier hardware to run it properly. 

Activision-Blizzard launched Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile on iOS and Android with the promise of delivering an authentic extension of Warzone beyond consoles and PC, and in that regard, the game is a shining success. 

The solid gameplay and the terrific visuals do an excellent job of replicating the experience that fans of the popular battle royale shooter have come to love, though there are some caveats. The most glaring of which is that you’ll need some fairly powerful hardware to run the game without encountering any performance or graphical issues. 

In essence, Warzone Mobile is a scaled-down version of its console and PC counterparts that leverages some of the same systems and assets, so it’s no surprise that it can be a demanding game to run.

However, I do think the developers have managed to find the perfect balance between what elements to keep and what to cut back on to create a Warzone experience that fits the mobile format. 

One of the best examples to highlight that point is the inclusion of the Warzone Mobile-exclusive mode, Mobile Royale. 

Fundamentally, the mode plays almost exactly like Warzone on consoles and PC. You and a bunch of other players are dropped into a map, and fight to see who’ll be the last one standing. 

But in Mobile Royale, the map is smaller and more condensed and the player count tops at 78, which means you’re more likely to engage with other players in combat. That then reduces the length of matches to about ten minutes or less, making them ideal for on-the-go play during commutes, for instance. 

If you do want longer matches, the game has Battle Royale mode, which features large-scale maps and ups the player count to 120. Its inclusion is a huge win in my book since you’re given the option to play a more traditional battle royale mode, which can involve more strategy and planning. 

Porting over that fast-paced and twitchy nature

When it comes to the gameplay, it’s unmistakably Call of Duty. The fast-paced and twitchy nature of the gunplay should make you feel right at home if you’re a fan of the franchise. Even with touch controls, there’s an intangible familiarity to how your operator controls that makes the gameplay so easy to pick up. 

What I love is that the game almost overwhelms you with the number of accessibility settings and customization options, from the button layouts to the stick sensitivity to the weapon trigger, allowing you to tailor the controls and button layout to how you play. 

However, as much as the game streamlines a lot of the gameplay elements and mechanics specifically for mobile, the touch controls can at times still feel imprecise. If you’ve played any first-person shooter on mobile before, you probably already have an idea of what I’m talking about. To remedy that, you might want to connect an external controller to your device to better manage the game’s controls. Then again, for casual play, the touch controls should do fine. 

Graphics-wise, Warzone Mobile is a looker, nearing the visual quality of its console and PC counterparts on the highest settings, granted you’re running it on top-tier hardware. 

On an iPhone 15 Pro and an Asus ROG Phone 8, texture resolution and overall detail of the models, environments, and guns look impressive, and there were barely any popups or visual stutters during actual gameplay. But I did notice that the iPhone 15 Pro got quite hot during gameplay, and that’s a relatively new and capable device. So if you’re running the game on older devices, don’t expect the same visuals, unless you’re willing to let performance take a hit. 

Overall, Warzone Mobile fulfills its promise in replicating the multiplayer experience of its console and PC counterparts on mobile. Cross-progression support also makes it a worthwhile on-the-go game for fans of the franchise, allowing them to grind while they’re out. But, again, the caveat is that you’ll need a high-end device to run the game properly. Even then, it can be a massive battery-drain, which might make you think twice about how much time you’ll want to spend playing it when you’re out and need your device for other tasks. – Rappler.com