Activision has debuted the first gameplay trailer for the Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, and published a new blog on the Call of Duty website along with it that delves further into the loose narrative that ties the zombie killing together and the new and returning gameplay features in this year’s iteration. What’s most exciting for players who can’t wait to jump into the Zombies mode is that the upcoming Open Beta will feature the zombies survival gameplay mode on top of its other multiplayer modes.
The new trailer kicks off with a short recap of what we saw in the cinematic trailer that debuted last week, when we were first introduced to the cast of characters in the zombies mode, before showing off some snippets of gameplay to the tune of AC/DC’s Highway to Hell.
It’s all appropriately action-packed and what you’d expect from a trailer showing off some gruesome zombie killing, while the blog post that appeared alongside it has more of the juicier details about what the mode will actually play and look like.
Regarding the narrative in this year’s Zombies mode, Black Ops 7 Zombies picks up where Black Ops 6 left off, and sends players “to the beating heart of the Dark Aether,” with multiple timelines colliding in one place.
The eight-character crew you’ll play as throughout the Zombies mode are fighting their way through the Dark Aether, and the narrative bits that connect all this fighting will be dolled out as they usually are, through seasonal post-launch updates for players to dig through. Of course, though, no one really plays Zombies for the story.
It’s the creatures, the killing, intricate maps, and fun gameplay loop that continues to keep players hooked. The maps included in this year’s Zombies mode include Janus Towers Plaza, Vandorn Farm, Blackwater Lake, Ashwood, Exit 115, Zarya Cosmodrome, and The Fog.
Each map includes different points of interest and variations that make sessions on them feel different, like the thick fog that blurs your vision, the deteriorating and decrepit highway diner and gas station of Exit 115, the constantly sinking frontier town of Ashwood, and the picturesque resort of Blackwater Lake that’s made less eye-catching by the zombies everywhere.
One of the key new features in this year’s mode is the addition of a new wonder vehicle called Ol’Tessie, a truck that can be your battering ram through the hordes and get you out of a pinch when you need it, but you’ll still need to maintain the truck by reinforcing its frame whenever it takes too much damage.
There’s also a new ultimate weapon to tack on to the Ray Gun with the Necrofluid Gauntlet, a glove that lets you punch through zombies’ heads like nobody’s business. You can also fire spikes through it, and even pull items to you.