This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign.
It’s been a rough few years forCall of Duty Zombies. ThoughCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Outbreak Zombies mode brought some interesting ideas to the table,Modern Warfare 3’s open-world Zombies mode learned the wrong lessons from it, delivering a rather generic, lifeless mode that lacked the identity and beloved gameplay loop of its predecessors. Thankfully, though,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6has beenthe return to formfans hoped it would be.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode is the best the franchise has been in a while, delivering two maps at launch that hearken back to the franchise’s golden age. ButCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Zombies offerings don’t stop at its dedicated mode. In a surprising move,Black Ops 6’s campaign includes some zombies-themed missions, and though they’re fairly rudimentary, they could pave the way for a new type ofCall of Duty Zombiesexperience.
How Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s Campaign Lays the Groundwork for a New Type of CoD Zombies Experience
Black Ops 6’s ‘Emergence’ Is a Glorified Zombies Boss Gauntlet
About halfway throughCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign, players begin a mission that quickly takes a turn towards the paranormal. Titled ‘Emergence,’ this mission sees player-character Case making his way through an abandoned secret CIA research facility that used to be the site of bioweapon experiments. At the start of the mission, Case breathes in some of this bioweapon, and he begins to hallucinate some familiar foes.
A small army of zombie researchers, scientists, and facility workers start to chase the player through the hallways of the facility. The player must battle through this army of the dead and obtain three keycards that belonged to the facility’s directors. Upon reaching these keycards, the player is presented with a boss fight, with each one taking on the appearance and abilities of a boss monster fromBlack Ops 6’s Zombies mode, such as the Mangler and Abomination.
‘Emergence’ has quickly become one ofCall of Duty: Black Ops 6’s most popular missions, with its mind-bending narrative and presentation setting it apart from traditionalCall of Dutylevels. It’s also fun to seeCall of Duty’s zombies play a role in a more narrative-focused setting. WhileCoD Zombieshas its story Easter eggs, it could be interesting to see the mode take things one step further and deliver a full story campaign, complete with a similar structure and objectives to those found in ‘Emergence.’
Black Ops 6’s ‘Separation Anxiety’ Shows How a Zombies Set Piece Could Work
But a story-drivenCall of Duty Zombiesmode wouldn’t be able to entertain for too long if it solely followed Emergence’s structure of reaching an objective, fighting a boss, repeat. Instead, a full story mode forCall of Duty Zombieswould need some set pieces to keep players hooked, and thankfully,Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign paves the way for that as well.
In the penultimate mission ofBlack Ops 6’s campaign, titled ‘Separation Anxiety,’ players take control of ex-CIA handler-turned-villain Jane Harrow as she suffers from the mental dissociation brought on byFrank Woods' interrogation. Another mind-bending mission, ‘Separation Anxiety’ sees Harrow face off against pale, zombie-like versions of herself.
The final moments of ‘Separation Anxiety’ see players running through a skyscraper, blasting at zombified Harrows, and leaping onto a helicopter. When on board, players take control of the chopper’s mounted gun and rain fire down on the army of zombie-like enemies that are leaping from the surrounding skyscrapers. It’s a thrilling set piece, and a solid blueprint for a properCall of Duty Zombiescampaign.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
WHERE TO PLAY
Forced to go rogue. Hunted from within. This is Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Developed by Treyarch and Raven, Black Ops 6 is a spy action thriller set in the early 90s, a period of transition and upheaval in global politics, characterized by the end of the Cold War and the rise of the United States as a single superpower. With a mind-bending narrative, and unbound by the rules of engagement, this is signature Black Ops.The Black Ops 6 Campaign provides dynamic moment-to-moment gameplay that includes a variety of play spaces with blockbuster set pieces and action-packed moments, high-stakes heists, and cloak-and-dagger spy activity.In a best-in-class Multiplayer experience, players will test their skills across 16 new maps at launch, including 12 core 6v6 maps and 4 Strike maps that can be played 2v2 or 6v6.Black Ops 6 also marks the epic return of Round-Based Zombies, the fan-favorite mode where players will take down hordes of the undead in two brand-new maps at launch. Post-launch, players can look forward to even more exciting maps and groundbreaking experiences dropping into both Multiplayer and Zombies.
