Highlights
- Call of Duty Zombies' music adds depth to the gameplay experience, with tracks that reflect the story and themes of each map.
- Alan Wake 2 also uses music effectively, with songs that enhance the mood and provide deeper meaning to the game's narrative.
- Just like the hidden songs in CoD Zombies, paying attention to the music in Alan Wake 2 can greatly enhance the player's immersion in the story.
When looking at Call of Duty Zombies, it is always surprising that a military FPS spawned such a mode. Treyarch’s co-op survival experience is filled with unique features like perk-a-colas and Wonder Weapons to match unique locations like a medieval castle and an alternate version of Stalingrad overrun by dragons. CoD Zombies offers a strong story to boot, and that narrative is extended through its Easter egg songs - a trick that is also used by Alan Wake 2.
Call of Duty Zombies’ hidden songs got their start in Verruckt, the second ever Zombies map from Treyarch. Though “Lullaby of a Deadman” was just a cool-sounding track that was written before the Zombies narrative truly began, once Treyarch started to tell a story within the mode, the music began to acknowledge that story. The verses within each song reflected the themes of the maps as a whole or the viewpoint of a specific character, and while artists like Kevin Sherwood ensured that they all sounded great, the way that the lyrics suited each experience was especially cool. For Zombies fans seeking a game that uses music in a similar way, Alan Wake 2 is worth a shot.
Alan Wake 2's Brutal Jumpscares Would Be a Perfect Fit For Dead Space 2 Remake
Alan Wake 2 features some truly brutal jumpscares, and while they would not suit every game, they would fit perfectly into a remake of Dead Space 2.
Alan Wake 2 and Call of Duty Zombies’ Music Do Similar Things
Call of Duty Zombies’ Music Has Always Been a High Point
While there have occasionally been different ways of triggering Call of Duty Zombies’ hidden songs, like shooting coins, dying in strange ways, and so on, the most common way to activate CoD Zombies’ music is to find three hidden items. Once players have done so, they’ll be met with a tremendous bit of music that correlates to either the story or the Zombies map that they are playing on. General story tracks like “115” and “Beauty of Annihilation” are iconic, while the introduction of the Shadow Man later in the story gave the first riddle in “Abracadavre” new meaning, making it fun to return to.
“Coming Home” from Moon correlates closely to Samantha Maxis’ journey at that point in the story, while “We All Fall Down” is a nod to the skyscraper gameplay of Die Rise - and happens to be something that many players will be doing throughout the match. “Where Are We Going?” suits the fears of the mobsters at the heart of Mob of the Dead, while “Archangel” being a big collaboration of all CoD Zombies’ singers is perfect for what Origins meant to the story. “Dead Again,” “Dead Flowers,” and “Dead Ended” representing each member of Ultimis that died in Black Ops 3’s DLC maps was brilliant, and the great music continued throughout Black Ops 4 and Black Ops Cold War. For example, “Lost” featuring Samantha’s actor Julie Nathanson singing about her experience while trapped in the Dark Aether felt like an essential part of Firebase Z’s storytelling.
Alan Wake 2’s Music Suits The Game’s Mood and Themes
Much like Call of Duty Zombies would not feel the same without its Easter egg songs, Alan Wake 2 would be a bit less special without its own music. While players do not need to do anything special to acquire these songs, as they simply play at the end of each chapter, like Call of Duty Zombies their lyrics have deeper meanings. Tracks like “Superhero” can easily be listened to outside the game and without having any knowledge about Alan Wake 2, but with the added context about Saga as a character and when considering where the song appears in the story, it becomes a bit more special.
While Alan Wake 2’s end of chapter songs are phenomenal, a standout music sequence with music from the Old Gods of Asgard is also worth noting. Like Zombies’ music shines when players are fighting the undead while listen, some of Alan Wake 2’s music also hits hard when accompanied by gameplay.
Whether it is nods to Remedy Connected Universe figures like Trench or “Follow You Into The Dark” having lyrics that reference Saga’s search for Alan, it is worth it for players to pay close attention to the music at the end of Alan Wake 2’s chapters and episodes. Just like Call of Duty Zombies’ music, these tracks greatly enhance the experience for those looking to further immerse themselves in the story. While players could skip by them, just like they do not have to activate Zombies’ hidden songs, those that do so are missing out on music that both sounds great and adds value to the experience.
Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 debuted in October 2023, nearly fifteen years after its predecessor first hit stores. Remedy's survival-horror game tells a dual-protagonist story, with one part following the eponymous writer while the other revolving around an agent named Saga Anderson.
