This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's campaign.
It's been a rough few years for Call of Duty Zombies. Though Call 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 6 has been the return to form fans 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. But Call 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 of Call of Duty Zombies experience.
One Classic Call of Duty Feature is the Odd One Out in Black Ops 6, But It Didn’t Have to Be
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's approach to customization is a breath of fresh air, but it is a shame that another classic multiplayer aspect falls short.
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 through Call 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 from Black Ops 6's Zombies mode, such as the Mangler and Abomination.
'Emergence' has quickly become one of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's most popular missions, with its mind-bending narrative and presentation setting it apart from traditional Call of Duty levels. It's also fun to see Call of Duty's zombies play a role in a more narrative-focused setting. While CoD Zombies has 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-driven Call of Duty Zombies mode 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 for Call of Duty Zombies would 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 of Black 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 by Frank 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 proper Call of Duty Zombies campaign.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 83 /100 Critics Rec: 91%
- Released
- October 25, 2024
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Suggestive Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- IW 9.0
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
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.
- Cross Save
- Yes - PlayStation, Xbox, PC
- Prequel(s)
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: World at War
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- PS5 Release Date
- October 25, 2024
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- PS Plus Availability
- N/A
- File Size Xbox Series
- 216 GB (October 2024)
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
