Totenreich is on the way, and Black Ops 7’s third post-launch map may have delivered the game’s best intro cinematic yet. It combines the action of Astra Malorum with the character focus of Paradox Junction to create a 90-second spectacle that delights and poses questions in equal measure.
The crew arrives in the Norwegian village of Eidskallen in search of the next Shadowsmith. They’re surprised to find a Frost Giant mauling a Group 935 Giant Robot. There’s no time to waste, though, as they quickly find themselves under attack by Zombies. Richtofen is yanked to the ground, losing all composure as the horde gathers around him. Weaver takes one for the team, laying into the undead before helping Richtofen to his feet.
The cinematic ends with the crew cleaning house, only for the Frost Giant to notice them. It begins to slam its foot down on them, a familiar shot to anyone who has played Origins. This is the kind of “fan service” I can get behind. It’s a homage to the past that won’t confuse newcomers, and it makes logical sense. The frozen beast just knocked out a 935 Giant like it was prime Mike Tyson; of course, it’s going to want to squash the crew!
It’s a small moment, but I like Richtofen fending for himself for a second or two before Weaver makes the save. It shows that most of the crew have very little time for him and highlights Weaver’s leadership credentials. This version of Richtofen (like most, tbf) is a piece of shit, but Weaver recognises that the crew would be in far more trouble without him. He doesn’t trust him, but he’ll ensure his safety until the job is done. After that, who’s to say?
I want to give a quick mention to the combat, too. I enjoyed the callback to the Call of the Dead crew using melee weapons, and Dempsey inadvertently sending Grey flying got a laugh out of me. She landed with grace, at least!
Messages from Beyond
I was surprised to see more cryptic text during the cinematic. It’s funny that the first time we saw this happen in Astra Malorum, we paid it no mind. Even when it appeared in Paradox Junction’s intro, some were convinced it was a mistake. There can be no confusion now. It means something.
Astra Malorum: Sometime later… Space…
Paradox Junction: I think you’re getting to him…
Totenreich: Now I remember… That Samurai really doesn’t like teleportation
The latest one makes it pretty clear that this is someone with memories of Aether. That narrows things down quite a bit and leaves me thinking it has to be tied to Samantha Maxis. Paradox Junction makes it a little more complicated, though. The Twins appear to be physical manifestations of Sam in the Aether story (the Zombie Twin) and the Dark Aether story (the Human Twin).
With that knowledge, it feels obvious that the text is written by the Zombie Twin, since she’d remember Takeo from Aether. Yet it would be strange to keep pushing the mystery dialogue now that we know who The Twins are, not to mention the fact that they’re actively helping the crew.
Perhaps someone — or something — else is watching the crew? It’s hard to tell, but this text adds an additional layer of mystery to every intro cinematic. Everyone will be watching the bottom-left corner of the DLC 4 intro, waiting for the next message.
Richtofen’s Deal
Before getting put on his arse by a solitary Zombie, Richtofen mentions the village is his legacy — a result of “that verdammt deal” he made. If a Norwegian fishing village ending up in the Dark Aether is what he’ll be remembered for, it’s fair to say he knows more about the crew’s current predicament than he’s been letting on. Just how much of the Dark Aether had he experienced before Ashes of the Damned?
As for the deal, I’ve whittled it down to two wildly different explanations: either Richtofen made a deal with the Third Reich, or he encountered an entity in the Dark Aether. We know from one of the teasers that Richtofen’s rank is Oberst-Gruppenführer, placing him directly under Heinrich Himmler as one of the most important members of the SS. That likely gave him the power and sway required to negotiate the creation of a project like Group 935, especially if he had already created an atomic bomb prior to experimenting in Scandinavia. With the finer details of “the bomb” still unknown, we can’t say for sure whether it predates Group 935 or was an integral part of it. I’m just spitballing here!
I hope we get a closer look at Richtofen’s role within the Nazis, as the most interesting outcome would be Treyarch doubling down on his participation in the party. With how bold some of his lines have been so far, it’d be a shame not to go all the way. Call of Duty has covered plenty of sensitive historical events over the years; there’s no reason not to do it now, as long as it’s handled tactfully.
I’m not against Richtofen having better morals than we previously thought, but it would need to be executed in a way that doesn’t make him feel like a complete retread of Ultimis Richtofen, who gradually became a character that took the fascists for a ride to get funding. I also hope we avoid the “Nazi-discovers-empathy-and-suddenly-wants-to-make-amends” angle.
Of course, there’s always the chance that Richtofen’s deal was with an entity from across the dimensional veil. Group 935’s meddling in Eidskallen could easily have alerted a Dark Aether denizen or two. There are plenty of candidates to choose from:
- The Warden: The most nefarious outcome would be discovering that Richtofen was actually in cahoots with The Warden, something he might not remember happening until his memories are restored via a Shadowsmith. There’s very little evidence to support this theory currently, but a fascist and a slave-owner would undoubtedly enjoy each other’s company.
- The Shadowman: Unlikely, but if any antagonist from Aether were to return, I hope it’s him. He had history with both Primis and Ultimis Richtofen. Why not go for the Richtofen hat-trick?
- Kortifex The Deathless: Kraftt and the Allied Forces defeated Kortifex in the finale of Vanguard Zombies, but the clue may be in his name. I remain adamant that there’s more to Kortifex’s story than falling into a pit at the end of COD’s most infamous Zombies mode. Perhaps Kortifex used his experience of World War II to lure Richtofen in?
Whether it’s a cowboy, a tentacled apothicon, a useless Archon, or none of the above… one thing’s for sure: when Richtofen makes a deal, it’s usually only for his own benefit. He might be lamenting the deal now, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he finds a way to gain the upper hand again, with or without the crew’s blessing.
The Frost Giant
If the other BO7 maps are anything to go by, the horned Frost Giant is probably the next Shadowsmith on the crew’s list. Veytharian and Caltheris will know all about it, I’d imagine, but there are a few faint connections to Norticus, one of the Elder Gods from Vanguard Zombies. For one, there’s this radio from Der Anfang:
Norticus: The Norsemen over here sensed this about me. They looked up to me. Revered me, in fact. Father of the Frost Giants. That is what they called me. Mighty warriors, the Norse. You would have liked them.
Could the residents of Eidskallen be aware of Norticus? Maybe he’s an old fisherman’s tale. If you’re into your Norse mythology, you’ll know that the Father of the Jötnar (giants) is known as Ymir. Quite the coincidence when you compare some of the depictions of him to the Giant in the cinematic.
As with all the Vanguard Elder Gods, Norticus bonded with many humans via his artifact: the Horn of Norticus.
Norticus: I have consorted with many humans over the centuries, but few left a lasting impression. It is difficult to remember their faces, much less their names. But one in particular stands out. Lucien Poiret. An architect. “Freemason”, he called himself. Quite clever, for someone so short-lived. He was a senior member of the Société Occulte — a group in contact with my kind since your Middle Ages.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about the Socéité Occulte, so I’d rather not go too far down that rabbit hole. I remain hopeful we’ll learn more about them one day.
Unless there’s a massive curveball, you’d imagine the Frost Giant will be Totenreich’s boss fight. Even the slightest possibility of taking it on in one of the 935 robots is enough to get me hyped, and I’m not usually interested in Gundams or Mechs (are those the same thing? I don’t know. It’s really not my thing). Defeating the Giant will purge the Shadowsmith of corruption, revealing its true form. With Veytharion having a “true name”, I wonder if that rule applies to all the Shadowsmiths. Are they always undercover? Is The Warden’s betrayal of Veytharion not the first time they’ve been enslaved? It feels like there’s something they aren’t telling the crew. I’m starting to grow wary of them.
It goes without saying that this is speculation and nothing more. When we discover the truth of the Totenreich main quest, the Shadowsmith could easily be a new character, similarly inspired by Norse mythology. Treyarch may simply have decided not to use the Elder Gods again. I think that would be a missed opportunity to tie the lore together — especially with the Kortifex mention during The Tomb — but if that’s the case, so be it.
Odds and Ends
I’m getting deja vu with so many “something will go wrong” theories. I remember the same thing happened before Gorod Krovi, when many of us anticipated a twist where Primis failed to secure Nikolai’s soul. I think that’s unlikely, as radically altering the crew’s plan halfway through the DLC season is risky. It’d certainly keep us on our toes, mind you.
Playing with our expectations of who gets cleansed next may have been the play. It makes sense that Richtofen would be next to get his soul back, but he’s been so impatient since Astra Malorum that if he were skipped over, he might finally crash out. The blog post suggests this won’t be happening, sadly, as the reward for completing the main quest is a Richtofen operator skin. I’ll spare you the “I hate blogposts“ moan, but it’s a shame to see the theory ruled out a week before launch. Ah well.
Given the overt links to Norse mythology in Totenreich, I think we might finally get some more Chaos references on this map. If so, I hope they’re more about building narrative tissue and less about name-dropping characters who do nothing. By all means, include them in smaller roles, but Alistair Rhodes only appeared in Black Ops 6 to introduce Archibald, briefly mention Scarlett, Shaw, and Kortifex, then peace out.
There’s plenty to think about, and that’s the mark of a good cinematic for me. Give us style, but layer it with substance. Whether anything I mentioned here actually rings true or not, we’ll have to wait and see. I’m just looking forward to Totenreich! If the build-up is anything to go by, this map is going to be a special one.
For even more Totenreich speculation, check out Episode 2 of “Where Are We Going?”, where Stanley, Korbo and I dive into some of our predictions and expectations for the map. We also discuss the implications of Paradox Junction and Jason Blundell’s “Blundellathon”.
