Infinite Warfare is introducing a vast set of new (or simply tweaked) systems for multiplayer designed to give you more control over how you play and how the firefight goes down – seemingly in honor of Call of Duty’s first foray into space. We played quite a few matches at Call of Duty XP this weekend, and two things stood out in particular: soldier classes and map design.
Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer seems really focused on how players usually want to play Call of Duty, and that results in a modular system of classes, loadouts, and weapon upgrades. It’s a lot to take in. The build we played didn’t have the weapon crafting system, though those upgrades are promised for the future, so putting a loadout together wasn’t too difficult this time around. It’s actually the same pick-10 system you’re probably used to, complete with a lot of the same weapon attachments and perks. I tried not to think about how weapon upgrades could overwhelm the process.
Similar to Black Ops 3’s Specialists, Infinite Warfare features a set of six “Combat Rigs” that are basically different soldier classes inspired by popular play styles. There’s the typical sniper and mid-range traditional Call of Duty soldier, but there are also more defensive kits, including a fast, jump-oriented guerrilla assassin. These Rigs each come with a set of interchangeable “payload” abilities and traits that complement each combat style — so the sniper rig offers an ability that shields you from behind so you don’t get flanked, for example. It’s my personal favorite of the ones I tried.
This Rigs system of classes gives you over 50 possible combinations to choose from. Coupled with the pick-10 loadouts, I was able to get really granular with my kit and loadout to get exactly the combat style I wanted. That’s precisely the goal of multiplayer in Infinite Warfare: it’s all about giving you more control over how you can play and actually rewarding different combat styles.
The maps, too, facilitate a more nuanced approach for the non-competitive player. They’re lane-based Call of Duty maps done better than before, at least from the few we played. The lanes aren’t as obvious as they were in, say, Black Ops 3, which made them feel less like funnels toward a chokepoint and more like a part of my overall strategy. They pair well with the Combat Rigs idea in that no matter what role I took on based on how I wanted to play, I felt like there was a good way to execute my role.
Sure, sniping on a close-quarters map might not work, but that rear guard ability on the marksman-like class is still super useful even with a different loadout. That’s what it means to have more control over a combat style, and in that aspect, Infinite Warfare’s multiplayer is off to a good start.
That being said, multiplayer in Infinite Warfare does largely feel the same as in previous Call of Duty games. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s a way more customizable, gameplay style-focused version of its predecessors. My concern is that customization will bloat mutliplayer too much — at some point, options designed to give you more control can actually just cause you to lose focus, and I felt that a bit when going through nested menu after nested menu. But the heart of Call of Duty is there, and despite its new systems and the introduction of zero-gravity environments (since zero-g doesn’t make a gameplay-changing appearance in multiplayer), it still feels completely like Call of Duty.
Kallie Plagge is a host of IGN Anime Club and is IGN's resident Poké Kid. Follow her on Twitter @inkydojikko for cute things, FPS adventures, and more.
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