CALL OF DUTY BLACK OPS 4: BLACKOUT was released and is eerily familiar in format to FORTNITE which has eaten a huge chunk of the genre COD established back in 2003. Many fans are reporting on Twitter that this new edition of COD will be keeping them occupied this winter instead of FORTNITE.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – Blackout

Black Ops 4’s Blackout mode shares many of the basics of its battle royale counterparts. Up to 100 players get airdropped onto a wide-open, sprawling map in either teams of two or four, or in solo matches. Everyone has one life and the goal is to be the last player or team standing. In duos and (s)quads, players can be revived by teammates within a short window of time before bleeding out. And of course, an ever-shrinking deadly circle closes in as the match progress and numbers dwindle to force players into conflict.

Looting works similarly to PUBG in that weapons, ammo, attachments, grenades, and healing items are scattered on the ground and within structures, and supply crates containing valuable gear occasionally drop onto the map. Guns can be tricked out with scopes, grips, and barrel attachments in a fairly streamlined inventory menu. While you won’t have to worry about encumbrance and item weight, backpacks grant you additional space in your inventory to carry extra items–a sort of middle road between the two other games.

One of the alluring factors of Blackout is that it’s a Call of Duty game, which means it has the smooth, refined movement and shooting that the 15-year old franchise is known for on a much larger scale. However, Call of Duty has now incorporated a new ballistics model just for Blackout; players will now have to account for bullet drop at long ranges. The game remains solely a first-person shooter, although vehicles are operated in third-person–PUBG has optional first-person matches and Fortnite is strictly third-person.

As for vehicles, the map is littered with ATVs, cargo trucks, and speedboats. But map traversal is notably different from other battle royales when you account for the helicopter; Fortnite and PUBG do not feature controllable aircraft. Bailing out of the helicopter or jumping off tall buildings is also made possible by using your wingsuit, making verticality a bigger factor than it would be otherwise.

Another twist in Blackout is that it isn’t strictly PvP since the Asylum area and a few pockets of the map contain AI-controlled zombie hordes. Fighting through zombies can lead to some high-level gear like the coveted Ray Gun, but it’s risky and costly for those low on supplies.

Blackout also incorporates the franchise’s Perk system and Specialist abilities in a unique way; they are treated like loot. Perks work as consumable items that grant passive bonuses for a limited duration. For example, Stimulant boosts your health by 100 for a three-minute window, and Paranoia activates an audio cue for when you’re being targeted by an enemy through ADS. Each can be especially effective in certain scenarios. Specialist equipment like the barricade, grappling hook, or sensor darts are rare items found during a match and are not tied to any one specialist.

While the overall battle royale formula doesn’t change much in Black Ops 4, smaller components from previous games work their way into Blackout for something that’s more accessible with a Call of Duty flavor.