Sitting down to collect my thoughts after the Black Ops 7 reveal, I think what I find most surprising is that the game offers such a meaty package. Between the campaign and its endgame, 16 Multiplayer maps, a Tranzit-sized Zombies experience with Survival maps, and Dead Ops Arcade 4, there’s more than enough to justify the game—even if I still wish for the end of annual releases. I’m impressed by a lot of what’s going on in Campaign and Multiplayer, but Zombies takes priority. Here are my first impressions of what’s in store this year.
Cowboy Boots
As suspected by many (including yours truly), the ending of Reckoning was a glimpse of the Black Ops 7 Zombies intro cinematic. We were gifted a few more valuable seconds of Takeo swinging his Katana, ominous footsteps, and caged skulls.
I’m not being hyperbolic when I say this cinematic will define Black Ops 7’s story. It has a lot to cover, and the footsteps need to belong to a villain who is either recognisable or instantly charismatic. When you’re playing with the past, the margin for error is slim. Thankfully, Treyarch did reemphasise that “canon is canon”. Even if the reason for the alternative versions of the original crew ends up being naff, it won’t conflict with the ending of Tag Der Toten. That’s all I needed to hear.
I’m optimistic about where we’re heading. Black Ops 6’s story is a tale of missed potential, but the elements we’re taking forward here—such as the Great Voice’s goal and the Terminus crew being trapped in the Dark Aether—keep my hopes high. We also got confirmation that, for the first time in Zombies history, every map will have an intro cinematic. Excellent news, considering Black Ops 6 started strong in this field before coming to an abrupt halt after Citadelle Des Morts.
Tranzitioning to Gameplay
The full details on the map, including its name, are still a mystery. We know it’s Tranzit-inspired rather than a faithful remake, though, and I think that’s for the best. While technology hindered the Black Ops 2 map, it had fundamental issues that still make it one of the worst Treyarch Zombies experiences to this day, even if it was hilarious to leave your friends behind on the bus.
However, I am a little disappointed that the bus isn’t returning. It’s much cooler than a 4×4, and T.E.D.D. is the unsung hero of Black Ops 2 Zombies. Hopefully, there’s an Easter Egg of some sort, because the T.E.D.D. operator skin looks rotten. We need the skinless GOAT back! I will concede that the Wonder Vehicle looks like it’ll be more practical for navigating the Dark Aether than a bus would.
We’re aware of the scale of the map, but the scope is still something that Treyarch needs to clarify. How many Easter Eggs will there be? What are the wonder weapons? Are there new gameplay mechanics? Will Intel return, and will it be closer to Cold War or Black Ops 6 in terms of quality and quantity? How do the multiple crews interact? Are Denizens back? Is the fog thick? Many, many questions that I hope the Zombies Reveal will answer.
The return of Survival Maps is something I’ve hoped for since Black Ops 2, and I’m thrilled it’s happening. It just makes sense that as the maps get larger, Treyarch reuses parts of them to keep players engaged. I understand the frustration surrounding the drip-feeding of maps, but I’d much prefer that to a limited-time mode that’s a one-and-done affair. In terms of meaningful support, survival maps are probably the best we can hope for, outside of fully fledged, round-based maps. Hopefully, we can get a balanced schedule of new maps and survival maps through the post-launch seasons.
While the new round-based maps likely won’t match the scope of the launch one, I hope Treyarch can still get creative with survival maps. A survival map set purely in a boss arena, for example, or the return of the starting room challenge mode in the form of a starting room survival map.
Gobblegums carrying forward from Black Ops 6 is good news, and I expect we’ll see new ones added to the pool in Black Ops 7. We’re still waiting for Shopping Free, Mr Drew…
I Wrote You, But You Still Ain’t Calling
The Zombies portion of the reveal was once again plagued by misinformation after content creators got their wires crossed. Call of Duty media is much more corporate than before, yet somehow these things slip through the cracks. This has happened multiple times now, and something needs to change. The best we get outside of official correspondence is the odd tweet about a creator call or a game of Telephone after an early preview.
Speaking of those previews, and no disrespect to the old guard, but it’s time to mix some fresh blood in. There are so many great content creators out there who remain passionate about the mode and deserve a chance to represent the Zombies community. Say what you want about the Jason Blundell era of Zombies, he was always bringing different creators into the fold. Without a doubt, a Doughnuts, a Stanley557 or an MZC would have been given an opportunity during his tenure. Unfortunately, Call of Duty is a different beast now. Familiarity breeds content that is laced with contempt.
I strongly suggest that Activision change course and avoid including live Zombies gameplay at Call of Duty NEXT. It’s not a beneficial format for Zombies, and last year should be a perfect example of that: Liberty Falls was written off and ridiculed. The map ended up extremely popular, not because of its COD NEXT reveal, but despite it. Why walk into that mistake again? Debut a behind-the-scenes trailer, give us a tease about a future map, don’t subject us to Warzone streamers dicking around and making Zombies look boring. Less is more.
At least the full Zombies Reveal is only a few weeks away. I’m most looking forward to the intro cinematic, but I’m intrigued to see what else is new. I always expected Black Ops 7 to be more of a Black Ops 6 “Year 2”, so any additions or changes will be exciting. Would I like to see more depth added to the current in-game mechanics? Absolutely. But I’m also realistic that this game is coming a year after Black Ops 6. Even though BO6 and BO7 were developed in tandem, there’s only so much you can do—this isn’t a Black Ops 3 to Black Ops 4 jump!
That said, I do think this should be the last Zombies to feature mechanics like field upgrades, armour, and weapon rarity, as they have been featured in Cold War, Vanguard, MWZ, Black Ops 6, and presumably, Black Ops 7. The next game should be a radical departure from this era of Zombies.
Treyarch claim that Black Ops 7 Zombies “isn’t just survival. It’s a descent into madness.” I feel like I’ve been descending into madness since 2008, if I’m honest. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
