The recent reveal of Call of Duty Vanguard left fans excited for a return to World War 2. However, it wasn’t until this morning’s Gamescom 2021 gameplay walkthrough that we were treated to a much more impressive look at the upcoming campaign.
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The trailer is from the perspective of Polina Petrova, played by the talented Laura Bailey (Uncharted 4, The Last of Us Part II). Polina awakens in a crumbling building in Stalingrad and is ambushed by German soldiers. Polina stages a daring escape, trying to return to her father in the next building, as he defends against the attacking Germans. Action, stealth and vertical traversal meld between cinematic set pieces that may feel familiar in terms of tone, but are executed with fluidity. Incredible lighting effects stream into each location, as the flames and smoke outside pour into your surroundings with an orange glow. It’s a scene that’s clearly inspired by the town scene of Sam Mendes’ 1917, but it creates an incredible feeling of dread and danger as she navigates her way out.
Following her inevitable capture, there is a time jump to roughly an hour earlier. We are treated to blue skies and unaware allies. As she strolls about the military stronghold, the Blitz arrives. Planes suddenly roar above, laying down a hail of bullets in their wake. As you run for cover, the trailer does a great job at highlighting Polina’s traversal abilities, as she scales walls to get to higher ground. As she escapes a circling plane by jumping off a roof into the window of a nearby building, she is anything but safe, as the building begins to literally fall apart. And we’re right back where we started. It’s riveting stuff, and we highly recommend you check out the 10-minute trailer below:
Call of Duty Vanguard will release on both previous and next-generation consoles on November 5, 2021. PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 owners can join the open Alpha, exclusive to PlayStation owners, this weekend.
