Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies is undeniably the most divisive appearance of the survival mode ever. Many fans shared disapproval of a new perk system that did away with fan favorites like Juggernog. Though the hope was to remove crutch perks that were considered must-buy, the decision ultimately stripped personality from the mode due to the lack of unique perk machines and jingles. While the game boasted the finale of the 10-year long Aether story, all Aether maps were remakes, making the gameplay side of the ending feel stale. Lastly, and most importantly, the game launched in such a rough state that content creators for Zombies soured on the mode — with this negativity spreading throughout the community like a plague.
Despite these problems, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies has one massive, underappreciated strength: the Chaos storyline. Though splitting the maps between two separate narratives was a poor idea, as it saw all the resources and fresh ideas going to the Chaos storyline, the result was a series of excellent maps that helped the fresh plot get off on the right foot. The characters were interesting, and the use of different mythologies was exciting and different — allowing for things that could not be done in the Aether or Dark Aether stories. With this in mind, the Chaos story deserves to make a return in a future Treyarch Call of Duty game.
With Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies ending the story arcs of characters players had grown attached to for an entire decade, it is easy to understand why nobody cared about the Chaos storyline when it released. When choosing between paying attention to a narrative that has been built up over several games or an entirely new, disconnected take, the choice seems obvious. Unfortunately, this doomed the Chaos story, with Treyarch fighting an uphill battle the second they put it in the same game as the Aether plot.
What makes this so disappointing is the fact that the Chaos storyline got off to a strong start. From the get-go, the cast had more depth than the original Zombies characters. While the Primis versions of Richtofen, Dempsey, Takeo, and Nikolai were excellent, layered characters, the Ultimis versions from World at War and Black Ops 1 lacked depth — functioning only as goofy stereotypes of their respective countries. However, the Chaos crew was different, with each member of the group having a complex past and a motivation to help the crew leader Scarlett rescue her father.
The problem with the Chaos characters is not the fault of the writers or the cast themselves, but simply a lack of interest caused by a love for what came before. Had Treyarch focused entirely on providing a proper finale for the Aether story in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, with fully original maps and the old systems in place, the Zombies mode would have been looked at fondly. With the story closed off, players could move on and fully embrace the Chaos crew in a new game, focusing on their story instead of worrying about what will happen to the characters they know and love. Telling two stories at the same time made the Chaos narrative dead on arrival, and while this cannot be fixed in Black Ops 4, Treyarch can give the characters another shot in a future game.
Another thing that makes the Chaos Story’s premature ending disappointing is that the narrative ended on a cliffhanger. After completing trials for various gods which saw the Chaos characters destroying the eye of Odin, fighting zombified war elephants, and taking down werewolves, Scarlett and the crew track her father’s captors to Delphi. A Greek map that leans heavily into the most iconic mythology there is, players ride the horse Pegasus and do battle in Mount Olympus during Ancient Evil’s main quest.
The easter egg trophy for Ancient Evil is named Greek tragedy, an apt name for what happens as the map’s story comes to a close. Not only does Bruno turn on Shaw, with the brainwashed figure killing him before resurrecting him and turning the chemist to his side, but Scarlett finds out her father is already dead. Turned to stone by none other than the legendary gorgon Medusa, the villain puts Scarlett into a coma as the final cutscene comes to an end, with Diego being the final uncorrupt and awake crew member.
While this Call of Duty Zombies easter egg was clearly meant to be a season finale and not the end of the entire story, the Chaos story’s lack of popularity makes it seem more likely than not that players will never know what happened to Diego and Scarlett. A bummer of an ending that sees a new villain appear and completely succeed while punishing the heroes, this cliffhanger should have been resolved in future maps. Even if it is for one map only or in a spinoff comic series the Chaos story should reappear so that this can be addressed.
Beyond having a cliffhanger and a cast of characters with untapped potential, the Chaos story allows for gameplay opportunities that the Aether and Dark Aether stories do not. By leaning into mythologies, players were able to fight gladiators in IX and vampires in Dead of the Night, while the six-armed Gegenees proved to be a thrilling mini boss in Ancient Evil. Weapon types do not need to be rooted in science, either, as players are able to wield the powers of several gods in Ancient Evil and paralyze their foes with a scorpion in IX.
Mini bosses like the Blightfather should not be trapped inside the fun-but-niche Dead Ops Arcade forever, while awesome shields like Apollo’s Will from Ancient Evil deserve to be usable once again. The Homonculus was a hilarious alternative to the monkey bomb, and the numerous upgrade phases for the Alistair’s Annihilator make it one of the best Wonder Weapons in Zombies history. With side easter eggs that were just as strong as the Aether story’s best, as well as a narrative that was easier to follow than the classic Zombies story, there is so much about the Chaos universe that works — even though Black Ops 4 Zombies did not.
While Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Dark Aether story is off to a fine start, as it is great to see Samantha Maxis becoming a focus again, taking a short break to close off the Chaos Story would be a welcome surprise. While Black Ops 4 Zombies made several unpopular decisions, nearly everything that worked about the mode can be attributed to the Chaos story. Truly unique maps like IX and Ancient Evil deserve to be treated with respect, and those that enjoyed the Chaos universe that was being built up should not be left to wonder what could have been. The Chaos content was not just good; it was great, and it deserves to be treated as such.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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