The ending ofCall of DutyZombies’ Aether story was bittersweet, as it was full of positives and negatives. The tragic ending of the main cast was beautifully written, and their conversations around the campfire were extremely heartwarming. However, a reworked version ofCall of the Deadbeing the setting for the final map was hugely anticlimactic, and though it was nice to see Victis again, it was odd for them to be the playable crew for the last map. With no final boss fight, Doctor Monty disappearing from the narrative, and the lack of in-engine cinematics, there is a lot keeping the old story’s finale from being truly great.
Call of DutyZombies will likely continue to move full steam ahead with the Dark Aether storyline, focusing on Eddie and Requiem’s activities after the Cold War has come to an end. However, with an extra year of development, there is a chance that Treyarch could launch the game with a bonus map as well as the first entry in the Dark Aether story’s next chapter. Though it could be fun to see the Chaos storyline revived via a bonus map, fans would likely be even happier if they finally got to experience The Great War.
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What One More Aether CoD Zombies Map Could Accomplish
Though theCall of Dutyfranchise has relied a bit too much on nostalgia, withNacht Der Untoten returning too oftenand multiplayer map remakes like Shipment stopping the release of fully new content, a Great War map would be different. Players see some hand-drawn shots of the massive battle between the Keepers and Apothicons in Tag Der Toten, and based on the scale of the battle shown, it would have made for some incredible gameplay.
The Great War could play similarly tothe legendary map Origins, as despite plenty being said about how that map’s staff Wonder Weapons were copies of the original, players never got to wield the legendary variants. The Great War would provide that, giving players access to even stronger staves. Beyond that, the map could be full of mini boss fights against various types of Apothicons and Keepers before culminating in an intense battle with Dr. Monty.
The decision to tease a Great War map that never came with Alpha Omega’s final cutscene will always feel disappointing if that map is never released.Samantha Maxis’ promise to kill Dr. Monty is chilling, and her succeeding would explain why he does not get involved in Tag Der Toten at any point. Monty was far too important of a character to just sit things out at the climax of the story, and while it was likely a mixture of a low budget and a rushed development cycle for the finalBlack Ops 4Zombies maps that prevented Malcolm McDowell from returning, he deserved to deliver a final performance as the character.
The biggest obstacle to get over would be the character of Takeo, as his voice actorTom Kane unfortunately suffered a strokeafterBlack Ops 4’s DLC run came to an end. This has stopped Kane from doing voice roles, but since he is so integral to the character of Takeo, recasting would be a mistake. Treyarch could come up with a reason to leave Takeo voiceless for the map, or give him a background role while making a character like Pablo playable instead. As long as the right steps are taken to honor Kane and his work, this map could still happen.
A giant battlefield with alien enemies, the return of Origins’ fan favoriteWonder Weapons, and a battle with Dr. Monty feels like a far better sendoff for the Aether story than what fans ended up receiving a few years ago. Though the deaths of Primis and Ultimis were powerful and should be left alone, retconning things a bit to let the characters fight The Great War before the events of Tag Der Toten would be ideal. This would be a terrific second map to include inCall of Duty2024 at launch, as one last adventure with the Aether crew could reunite the fracturedCall of DutyZombiescommunity - giving Treyarch a proper chance to make up for its mistakes withCall of Duty: Vanguard.
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