Since the mode made its debut in Call of Duty: World At War, Call of Duty Zombies has been one of the most popular aspects of modern CoD, with the mode being implemented in almost every instalment of the franchise since 2008. Time and time again, fans have returned to the game's Zombies mode, whether that's to follow the story of the Ultimis and Primis crew or simply to blast their way through hordes of the undead.
And while many Zombies fans spend hours upon hours searching for the games' complex and intricate series of narrative Easter Eggs, some fans have always preferred the simple maps. Some of Zombies' oldest maps have some of the best level design across the series, and give the game a definitive focus that leads to an iconic experience.
Cementing The Horror Atmosphere
The Zombies experience, when boiled down to its bare essentials, is a simple FPS wave-based survival horror. While the first-person shooting mechanics are of course key to the experience, the horror atmosphere at the heart of CoD Zombies shouldn't be overlooked. In more contemporary Zombies maps, the varied objectives and Easter Egg hunts lead to the maps feeling more action-based, as opposed to horror; zombies are no longer enemies to be feared, just objects in the players' way.
In the original set of Zombies maps, there is only one objective: survive. This admittedly simple focus allows the mode's horror elements to really stand out. Lighting and weather effects are often used to make the zombies appear more unsettling, such as Nacht der Untoten's fog that obscures their approach and makes their eventual arrival far scarier. Environmental design is also used effectively to highlight the game's horror atmosphere, with chalk being frantically scrawled on doors in Nacht and surgery chairs dripping with blood on Verruckt.
With the game's one primary focus, players are also likely to spend longer in each room, being able to absorb all of this intricate environmental detail over the course of a few rounds. In modern Zombies maps, players are often encouraged to rush through certain areas, with many rooms being simple pit stops on the way to the next objective.
The Best Maps Are Simple, Small, And Effective
The relatively small size of those earlier Zombies maps, at least when compared to contemporary ones, is another core reason why they were so effective. This time, though, it's the gameplay that's affected for the better. The small size of a map like Nacht der Untoten restricts players on what they are able to do. While this may seem like a downside, it actually gives the game one primary gameplay focus. Rather than having to scour the map for collectibles that will unlock a power weapon or Pack-A-Punch, players on Nacht are given just four rooms, a handful of wall weapons, and an ingeniously-designed Mystery Box.
The limited map size and contents forces players to pay attention to every detail of the map's layout; there's a reason why long-time fans of the series can still remember every weapon placement on Shi No Numa. Similarly, this gameplay focus gives a simple yet rewarding sense of progression, with the general gameplay formula always coming down to shooting a zombie, getting points, buying a better weapon, repeat. There's no need to press a series of buttons or find an array of radios across the map to progress.
But this limitation on map size is far from a hindrance on the game's replayability or level of variation. Each of the World At War Zombies DLC maps has a particular gimmick; Verruckt separates the 4-player squad into two separate teams that have to work their way towards each other, Shi No Numa has a swamp that slows the player down, and Der Riese has the first Pack-A-Punch appearance, only requiring the linking of a few teleporters to activate. These maps all retain an inherent level of simplicity, but the design of each one itself is very unique and replayable, leading to some of the most memorable maps in Zombies history.
This inherent variation is only made better with subsequent iterations of these iconic maps. In Black Ops 3, the original set of World At War and Black Ops maps were remade and tweaked. New weapons were added to the Mystery Box, the Ultimis crew replaced the nameless pilots on Nacht, and, most importantly, Perks were added to each map. On the surface, this is a simple change, but in practice, this massively increases the already-high replayability of these stages, giving players new opportunities to experiment and discover new tactics to survive the horde.
Creating That Iconic CoD Zombies Experience
The simplicity of some smaller Zombies maps leads to some of the most focused atmosphere and level design across Call of Duty, which is one of the core reasons behind why these maps hold so much nostalgia for long-time fans. All of the most beloved Call of DutyZombies maps follow the same simple formula that's been present since day one. Even iconic maps like Kino der Toten from Black Ops, which has some more complex elements, stick very closely to the same gameplay formula present in Nacht, with just a few key rooms being present and the overall goal being centered solely survival.
When it comes to choosing a favorite map, or looking back on those maps that still stick out even years after playing them, players will likely land on one where the goal is simple, and the layout is easy to learn but difficult to master. At its heart, Call of Duty Zombies has always been a simple game, and that's what makes it so memorable.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is available on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.