Call of Duty Zombies has not shied away from remakes, as one of its most successful releases of all time is a collection of updated maps. The original Zombies Chronicles for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 was full of faithfully remade maps, though this has not been the only style Treyarch has used when bringing old locations forward to another game or engine.
A few times now, fans have gotten a chance to witness reimaginings of classic Call of Duty Zombies maps, with the responses to this process being mixed. While the idea of expanding an old map to add new areas or Easter eggs sounds great on paper, not all of these additions are well received. For instance, though Shi No Numa Reborn and Classified were big hits with fans, the same could not be said for Alpha Omega. With Blood of the Dead and Tag Der Toten also splitting the community, faithful versions of Mob of the Dead and Call of the Dead would be welcome.
The Strengths of Call of the Dead and Mob of the Dead
Both Call of the Dead and Mob of the Dead share one thing in common, and that is their celebrity casts. In Call of the Dead, players control Danny Trejo, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Robert Englund, and Michael Rooker, with George Romero being the map’s mini boss. In Mob of the Dead, iconic gangster movie actors make up the cast. Chazz Palminteri, Michael Madsen, Joe Pantoliano, and the late Ray Liotta all play fictional mobsters trapped in a hellish version of Alcatraz.
While bringing back these actors for a remake would surely be a barrier, especially with George Romero and Ray Liotta having died in the time since the maps released, perhaps their voice lines could be remastered. While consistently used survivor groups like Primis, Ultimis, and even Victis were always great to see, having these unique casts gave the two maps some very different feels. Players controlled figures with unique personalities, and some new storytelling elements were able to be brought in because of the different characters players controlled.
Both maps played very well from a gameplay perspective, too. While some were frustrated by George Romero constantly stalking them throughout Call of the Dead, the mechanics tied to George made for a unique boss that gave Call of the Dead a feel unlike any other map. The map's aesthetic was great, too, with the blizzard and icy water still standing out over a decade later. As for Mob of the Dead, its storytelling is still unmatched, with everything about the map serving the greater narrative. On top of this, building the plane and flying over to the Golden Gate Bridge is satisfying no matter how many times gamers do it.
Blood of the Dead and Tag Der Toten Feel Like Entirely Different Maps
While fans have technically already seen new versions of these two maps, their status as reimaginings means that they played nothing like the original versions. For starters, the celebrity casts were swapped out in favor of Primis and Victis, with Blood of the Dead and Call of the Dead telling their own stories that helped wrap up the original Aether narrative. While it was great to see these characters again, and the Blood of the Dead main quest featured the most emotional scene in CoD Zombies history, a new cast and narrative focus for each reimagined map contributed to a different vibe.
Gameplay-wise, the maps played very differently from their predecessors. Blood of the Dead spawned players in an entirely new portion of the map, for instance, asking them to run across a catwalk and through hordes of Zombies in a memorable and challenge sequence. However, while this new area and the added Warden’s House were neat, the map lacked the plane building and Golden Gate bridge of the original Mob of the Dead - something that many fans said they missed. With different side quests to complete and a whole extra chunk of the map to explore, the flow changed completely.
Tag Der Toten is a similar case, as this map took gamers to a very different version of the Siberian Wasteland. While this map was received better overall by the Call of Duty Zombies community, it still felt very different from Call of the Dead. Like Blood of the Dead, players spawn in a previously nonexistent part of the map, with a large laboratory able to be explored as well. While there is significantly more to do in Tag Der Toten when it comes to Easter eggs, some miss the gloomier weather of the original map. Likewise, George Romero is nowhere to be seen, with the map seen as too easy by some fans without his presence. The Scavenger and VR-11 Wonder Weapons are also missing, which disappointed some gamers.
Padding Out a Standalone Zombies Game or Zombies Chronicles 2
Fortunately for Treyarch, it could have some opportunities to provide more visually impressive versions of these two maps. While the developer’s next major Call of Duty game in 2024 is one option, fans would likely prefer to see original maps in that game. However, the heavily rumored standalone Zombies game would be an excellent outlet for new versions of classic maps. While this project could also provide new maps, it would also be a great place for classic maps to be rereleased. This way, Treyarch could focus most of its attention on Call of Duty 2024’s Zombies mode, with the leaked standalone game being built mainly around remakes and a possible map editor.
While it is unclear if the standalone Call of Duty Zombies game will actually happen, Zombies Chronicles 2 has also been rumored, which could be released as an add-on for an existing Treyarch game. While this DLC would likely include Buried, Die Rise, and TranZit, three maps would pale in comparison to the eight offered in the original Zombies Chronicles. Even including the Survival maps from TranZit (Town, Farm, and Bus Depot) would leave Treyarch with a total of six maps. However, faithful versions of Call of the Dead and Mob of the Dead would raise the count to eight. While Treyarch could remake the original versions of Nuketown and Five, too, Call of the Dead and Mob of the Dead should be prioritized.
Considering how different Call of the Dead and Mob of the Dead feel compared to Blood of the Dead and Tag Der Toten, it would be great to see them get faithful remakes one day. After all, other classics like Origins were remade to play almost exactly like they did originally with Zombies Chronicles. Given the aged look and feel of Call of the Dead since it can only be played on the original Black Ops, and the legacy of Mob of the Dead as one of Zombies’ greatest experiences, these maps should get some faithful remakes soon. From the celebrity casts to the map layouts to the Easter eggs, everything about these Call of Duty Zombies maps should be kept the same if remakes ever become a reality.