While the Wonder Weapons seen in Call of Duty Zombies may be its most iconic aspect, the Perk-a-Colas featured within the co-op mode are a close second. Recently, a Call of Duty Zombies fan went out of their way to pay tribute to these perks, though their homage took on a different form from what fans are used to seeing.
First introduced in Call of Duty Zombies’ second map, Verruckt, Perk-a-Colas are beverages that give gamers some unique abilities. Over a dozen Perk machines have been created by Treyarch over the years, and fans have made plenty of fan art based on the colorful drinks. Alongside replica bottles, memorable projects include a 1980s-themed Juggernog commercial and custom-made LEGO perk machines. However, CoolingRiver’s perk art stands out because they give it a human touch.
The artist has made human perks for nearly every beverage in Call of Duty Zombies history, and players can find them all by checking out their Reddit profile here. Personifying inanimate machines is no easy task, though CoolingRiver managed to pull off the idea by leaning into the perk jingles and the abilities for each drink. For instance, Mule Kick’s song and machine design has a Mexican inspiration, which sees the human version of the machine wearing a poncho. They also hold three guns, a nod to the main purpose of the perk.
Dubbed “Perk-a-Sonas” by the Call of Duty Zombies fan, all the designs feel appropriate to the perks they are inspired by. The cheerful, catchy jingle for the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War perk Elemental Pop results in an upbeat girl in rollerskates, while Widow’s Wine’s gloomy woman is a terrific contrast to this design. Both perks have jingles with female singers, making the decision to give them a woman Perk-a-Sona a good one. The detail for Widow’s Wine is especially great, as the character’s veil is made out of webs.
The appropriate designs span several posts, with Stamin-Up being turned into a sprinter, Double Tap becoming a cowboy, and Speed Cola being a dancer. At the time of writing, Quick Revive and Death Perception seem to be the only major perks that still need to be done, so fans should keep an eye on the artist’s posts to see the final additions to the lineup. Unsurprisingly, the Call of Duty Zombies community has responded well to every post thus far, giving each batch of human perks hundreds of upvotes and some positive comments.
While this neat project will be coming to an end soon, any Call of Duty Zombies fan should be able to appreciate this collection of art. With Treyarch’s next Call of Duty game sure to feature CoD Zombies, too, perhaps some new perks will be introduced for CoolingRiver to personify.
Source: Reddit