The single player campaign is largely set in the European Theater in 1944 to 1945. You play as U.S. 1st Infantry Division private Ronald “Red” Daniels. As you make your way through Europe, you take part in some of the most storied battles of the war, including D-Day at Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. You will not play every mission as Red, though, as Activision showed off one where you take the role of a female French resistance fighter.
The Call of Duty franchise is known for securing prominent voice talent, and WWII will be no different. Actors Josh Duhamel, Jonathan Tucker, and Jeffrey Pierce, are all on board for the campaign.
Activision emphasized “grounded, fast gameplay” that will reward expert gunplay. The campaign will have a dark tone as well as a keen awareness of the historical weight of the events. The developers traveled to the English Channel and did their homework to make the game’s locations as realistic as possible. It seems that the goal of the campaign is to illicit a strong emotional reaction to the horrors of war while introducing a new generation of people to this pivotal point in history.
On the multiplayer side of things, there will be a separate co-operative campaign called “Nazi Zombies,” which will have its own story and reportedly shake up the series’ zombie format. Nazi Zombies will effectively be a horror mode as it involves the Third Reich’s to create a new army in the final years of the war.
As far as competitive multiplayer, outside of the traditional deathmatch modes, there will be at least one new mode dubbed “War Mode.” The mode will drop you into historic battles as either a part of the Allies or the Axis. Each team will have different objectives to complete in order to come out on top.
Character classes will be replaced by Divisions and although Activision did not reveal many details about the switch, we do know that you will be able to enlist as different units such as infantrymen.
When you are not in the trenches, you can hang out in “Headquarters,” and interact with other players online. Headquarters sounds not all that different than the Tower in Destiny.
More details are expected at E3 in June and we will have a full roundup of all the Call of Duty: WWII news and rumors soon.
