Call of Duty Mobile has only grown more successful with time, as its multiplayer and battle royale content has proven to be hugely popular with fans. Pulling from Call of Duty history to deliver fan favorite Operators, multiplayer maps, game modes, and weapons, the on-the-go FPS has attracted longtime fans and newcomers alike. Further, TiMi Studios’ support for Call of Duty Mobile has kept players engaged, as transparency and open discussion with the community has been an excellent strategy for keeping the title popular. That said, despite all the game’s successes, one area it failed in was its Zombies offering.
Coming to Call of Duty Mobile shortly after launch, the game’s Zombies was quickly removed after failing to meet the quality standards of TiMi Studios. Despite this failure, a recent Call of Duty Mobile survey has hinted that the co-op mode could be returning after an absence of over a year. While there is good reason to be excited about this possibility, there are several things that will need to be done differently to make the second attempt at Call of Duty Mobile Zombies a success.
One of the core issues with Call of Duty Mobile Zombies was its use of limited time content. While cycling out battle royale content or multiplayer maps makes sense, doing the same with Zombies content did not sit well with fans of the mode. Not being able to choose which map to play on goes against a lot of what Zombies was built upon, as it quickly strips variety from the mode. Worse, survival time was limited, meaning that players could only reach a maximum of 3 hours of playtime before a match was ended. This system was incredibly flawed, as it made leaderboards pointless and gave players an early round cap.
Aside from a lack of high round gameplay options and no map pool to choose from, the Zombies content that was available in Call of Duty Mobile was nothing like the original versions of said content. For example, the mode launched with the Shi No Numa map from Call of Duty: World at War. An early map that introduced hellhounds and had a fairly simple playstyle, the flow of the map was damaged heavily by the inclusion of Zombies mini bosses like the Avagadro from TranZit, Brutus from Mob of the Dead, and Napalm Zombies from Shangri-La. Not only did these enemy types make no sense on Shi No Numa, but they hurt the map’s tone and aesthetic, something that was already damaged due to some over-the-top original boss enemies.
Plentiful mini bosses helped to make the mode overly difficult as well, with the extreme health of Zombies and hellhounds only adding to this unnecessary level of difficulty. Worse, instead of proper Wonder Weapons, regular guns were just given a Pack-A-Punch camo and a stat boost. Only obtained through limited time item crates in the in-game story, those that did not spend money to obtain the guns were at a severe disadvantage in the mode. While having a limit on how far players could get was bad, and throwing random enemy types into the map was worse, it was a lack of balance that truly made the mode unfun and served as a nail in the coffin for Call of Duty Mobile Zombies.
If Call of Duty Mobile Zombies is going to make a comeback, there needs to be a newfound respect for the content being used. Much like how television and film adaptations of stories from books and games work best when they are accurate to the source material, Call of Duty Mobile Zombies staying faithful to Treyarch’s past work would make a big difference. While not every easter egg quest and audio recording needs to be included, adding as much as possible from the original version of the mode would be a major step in the right direction.
Call of Duty Mobile Zombies should have the right wonder weapons, perks, and enemy types on each map that is brought into the game. Shi No Numa, for example, should have the Wunderwaffe DG-2 in the box alongside the Ray Gun, with other Wonder Weapons added to the appropriate maps. Further, players should only fight regular Zombies and Hellhounds, and their health should be accurate to whatever round players are on. A Pack-A-Punch system and perks should also be added, allowing all players to stay on equal footing. The round limit needs to be stripped away, too, and maps should no longer be limited time — allowing players to enjoy all Zombies content whenever they please.
Finally, some of the newer gameplay systems from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War should be considered. The armor mechanic, for example, would fit with the fast-paced nature that Call of Duty Mobile Zombies would likely be striving for. The new Zombies meta of perk tiers, ammo mod levels, and field upgrades would keep fans playing for a long time as well. A mini-map system could be added to help new players get familiar with the mode, while looting ammo and grenades from Zombies could keep matches progressing quickly.
As with any other successful Call of Duty Zombies game, providing a good map lineup will be crucial. While Call of Duty Mobile can do larger maps, as shown by the game’s battle royale content, focusing on balancing and keeping the mode’s personality intact should come first. As such, Call of Duty Mobile Zombies should start small, bringing in proper versions of the Call of Duty: World at War maps. Not only has Shi No Numa been in the game before, but Nacht Der Untoten was finished and ready to go before the mode was taken away. As such, only Verrukt and Der Riese would need to be added to complete the original map lineup.
From there, Call of Duty Mobile could look to the original Black Ops game next, as its maps were a continuation of the World at War style. Still, despite being small and simple, areas like Kino Der Toten and Ascension have become some of the most nostalgic and enjoyable locations for fans. As such, porting over these maps would be a safe way to expand the mode further. While Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and 3 contain maps that are arguably the best in the mode’s history, they are far more complicated and extremely reliant on easter eggs. As such, TiMi Studios should stick to Call of Duty: World at War and Call of Duty: Black Ops maps if it rebuilds its Zombies mode.
Lastly, the new Outbreak mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War has proven that multiplayer content can be repurposed as Zombies content in an effective way. If Call of Duty Mobile’s developers were to take this approach, introducing some smart systems for the horde’s AI, the same can be done with the game’s many multiplayer and battle royale locations. While making use of mechanics like perks and Pack-A-Punch would still be a necessity, this would allow for Call of Duty Mobile’s developer to do something original with its Zombies mode, with multiple maps chained together in a similar way to Outbreak.
Other little touches, such as additional Call of Duty Zombies Operators and the inclusion of hidden songs, would only make the mode go over better with fans. The original Call of Duty Mobile Zombies mode was full of wasted potential, but this time, TiMi Studios knows exactly what it needs to do to succeed. With the prospect of playing a premium CoD Zombies mode on the go being so appealing, such an opportunity seems too good to pass up.
Call of Duty Mobile is available now on Android and iOS mobile devices.
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