Nacht der Untoten was a bonus mode tacked onto Call of Duty: World at War. It had recycled assets, no voice acting, and a simple layout because Activision didn’t fund it. Nevertheless, Treyarch implemented the small map for the fun of it, which went on to not only become the underrated game’s defining legacy, but also a franchise staple. Now it’s commonplace to expect a Zombies mode annually, and WWII won’t reject the lifeblood this lucrative trend affords. In the meantime, series veterans and greenhorns can experience why the undead have been a massive part of Call of Duty for nearly a decade with Black Ops III’s Zombies Chronicles, which digs up eight classic Zombies maps and revives them to the fullest.
Just as Raven Software blurred the lines between a remaster and remake with Modern Warfare Remastered, the same could be said for Treyarch’s efforts with this massive bundle. Revisiting Nacht der Untoten once more, comparing its appearance in Black Ops to its updated version is like night and day: volumetric lighting, dynamic shadows, effects such as fog and particles, and improved colour tones drastically enhance its mood and setting.
Walking inside or gazing beyond the decrepit building shows how the overall visual composition of the map hasn’t changed yet is entirely different with new, exclusive assets replacing the old ones. Creative flairs such as flickering lights scattered across the map and additional audio like thunder and infrequent musical ambience also contribute to an increase in tension and horror as you strive to survive.
The same can be said for all of the graphical updates. Verrückt is shrouded in excessive shadows and a drab, sepia tone, but the remaster has masterfully reworked lighting and colour balance. Kino der Toten adds two garages with cars next to Double Tap Root Beer and replaces the theatre's opulence with more grandiose designs, enhancing the original map’s aesthetic while smartly filling in empty areas with more personality. This isn’t mentioning minute details like the tanker next to the Russian mural in Ascension, which now has spilled oil around it on the cracked asphalt, reflecting and refracting light to give it a rainbow appearance. Instead of the Soviet Cosmodrome being covered in fog while riding the Lunar Landers, you can clearly see into the distance. There are no compromises made for processing here.
As a whole, taking time to revisit these maps unveils that Treyarch didn’t skimp on remastering, even with the sound design. This isn’t like Shi no Numa being ported to Black Ops with no touch-ups: the studio has remade these maps from the ground up, making their predecessors look unbearably blurry and bland in comparison. However, were they even worthy of being resurrected in the first place?
The Zombies mode’s design philosophy over time can be boiled down to increasing complexity and size; nearly every map has more features and open areas than the last. This can tip to the point of favouring two expectations, with one about finding spots to hold out in for the remainder of a session, and the other focused on continuously running around in planned circuits. The former is usually expected with Nacht der Untoten, Verrückt, Shi no Numa, Kino der Toten, Ascension, and Shangri-la. The latter works for Moon and Origins since they aren’t designed for camping, especially with enemies that force you to be on the move like Phasing Crawlers or the Panzersoldat.
Trying to play Moon and Origins by yourself or with friends proves to be quite the challenge then, and while the maps themselves are aesthetically pleasing and have neat, experimental ideas, they remain frustrating by having you erratically run around and micromanage so many things. We would’ve preferred Five and Call of the Dead instead. If you don’t have the patience for them, most of the other maps hit the right spot between simplicity and complexity.
Our favorite examples being Kino der Toten, Ascension, and Shangri-la, which demand satisfying mixes of camping and strategic movement, thanks to useful locomotive features like the Teleporter and Lunar Landers. Verrückt and Shi no Numa are not as diverse in this respect, but still have great layouts and plenty of viable strategies. Unfortunately, the map that started it all has lost a bit of its charm. It has remained the favorite of many because of the great limitations it forces on players. While other maps on average can be survived up to 25 to 30 rounds, it was hard to push 20 on Nacht der Untoten since there are only wall buys and the Mystery Box.
The remaster brings in Der Wunderfizz machine and GobbleGum, making it feel a bit easier and less exciting. While they somewhat hurt this particular map, they actually work in favour of the others due to their size and existing features by adding fun twists, especially with GobbleGum. For purists hoping for original weapons, only a handful have returned. This may seem to alter the spirit of the maps and odds of survival, but this isn’t the case. In fact, the balanced implementation of Black Ops III’s arsenal is enlivening for old fans to try out new Pack-a-Punched weapons.
While £24.99/$29.99 may be steep, eight maps with hours and hours of replay value is more than fair, which is especially worth it considering their extensive remastering. This particular editor will be returning to Black Ops III for these maps for months down the line to beat our solo scores and tear up flesh with old friends time and time again. After all, there’s lots of bad’uns out there you need to send to hell.
Conclusion
The visual upgrades for this DLC defy the bar set for most remasters. The majority of these classic Zombies maps offer the same addictive appeal of building strategies and loadouts through cohesive teamwork against the undead hordes, and with new life breathed into them with near-future weapons and features, we can attest that Zombies Chronicles is one killer collection you'll want to sink your teeth into – even if you only buy Black Ops III for it alone.
Comments 9
Great review, Joey. Kinda crazy that Black Ops III got DLC while Infinite Warfare is still going, but this does sound like a pack for fans.
Really wish this was a standalone and not attached to Blops 3. Would buy if I didn't have to purchase an additional game i'm not interested in.
This was a pre-order for me. I admit that I would have preferred Call of the Dead, Mob of the Dead, Die Rise, Buried - even Five to some of the earlier maps. I understand why the collection used these though but the Maps I mentioned are much more representative of the modern Zombies experience.
Nacht's simplicity is also is downfall. Locked to just 3 rooms, the sole purpose is to see how long you can survive. It doesn't have the staples we have come to expect - like dog rounds for Max Ammo, Pack a Punch but they have added Gobblegum and Wonderfizz to get more perks inc some that weren't created back then and the possibility of Pack a Punched weapons.
Shino Numa and Verruckt are certainly more interesting than Nacht but its the Maps with Pack a Punch and Easter Egg steps that really elevate the Zombie experience above the basic Horde mode survival experience. If anything, this collection shows how the Zombie experience has grown, has evolved and whilst its great fun, I can't help feel that some of the best Maps and experiences are missing. Call of the Dead was still integral to the story and just because you weren't playing as the 4 characters this collection focuses on, doesn't mean they weren't in the Map. The Easter Egg was essential to the story.
The reason these maps where remastered first is because of the story time-line, these are all the original characters the original 1.0 versions of them characters. Jason Blundell has already said when talking about Mob of The Dead: [I am sure there is another purpose for that at some point.] Zombies chronicles was also released a different way from how thay usually release map packs, it was released with the Zombies community because its been made for the community. Jason Blundell also spoke about this, and what a lot of people will not know especially if thay've not followed Zombies. With the release of Zombies chronicles its answered questions to do with the story time-line from almost 7 years ago, "Five" and the Pentagon Thief & even from the First Strike poster a unknown character on that poster and a lot more other questions. Because with the release of Zombies chronicles we got the whole story time-line on a unreleased poster only a few Zombies players got for now. But you can also go and see it on the official COD Black Ops 3 Zombies website.
Is this a stand-alone game, or do I have to own BO3 to play this?
My friend was complaining the other day about how much he liked the older COD zombie maps. He doesn't like the complexity of the Black Ops 3 Shadows of Evil map. He's going to be ecstatic when I tell him about this.
@SajidAmin
you need Black Ops 3
@RedMageLanakyn Already owned the game, so it wasn't a problem for me, but I understand why people would like this as a standalone thing. I didn't think Black Ops 3 was great anyway (came to dislike the multiplayer and hated the campaign), so I feel for anyone who'd have to get this only for Zombies. Still, it's kinda worth it if you can pick it up for $20-30!
@BAMozzy I agree! Call of the Dead was phenomenal. Absolutely loved that map, and I LOVED the easter egg for it. And yes, I believe the mode reached its pinnacle of perfect simplicity without too much complexity with Der Riese, Kino, Ascension, and Shangri-la. Moon is where things started to get too complex for me, and I can't really speak for any of the Black Ops 2 maps like Mob of the Dead or Die Rise. How would you rank them?
@banacheck Yeah, I remember being so invested in the storyline with Maxis, Samantha, and whatnot, but I have no clue what's been going on the past few years! (ha ha). But thanks for the explanation. Makes sense that they would do these maps for the story. Still...would've been nice to see the other maps. Hopefully they'll do a second "Chronicles" pack with all the extra Zombies maps that don't quite fit in the timeline!
@SajidAmin Unfortunately, you have to own the game to play this. However, if you LOVED Zombies back in the day, you can pick this up for about $30 and get the maps for another $30. Quite the investment, but loads of replay value for these maps alone.
@Ben_Rage_V2 My friends and I were the same way! We fell out of Zombies after Black Ops 2. The tides of complexity started coming in with Moon, and after that, we just gave up on Zombies. What's funny is that my friend @Naut was talking about how cool it would be if they remastered these classic maps just a few weeks before this was announced! We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw this announced. lol
Mob of the Dead is probably the 'best' Zombie Map of BO2. Origins is fantastic too of course but Mob of the Dead had something special about it. It combines elements we see in Shadows (like Beast mode - something similar, the Afterlife) and Der Eisendrach where you have to kill zombies to feed the Dragons. Its set in Alcatraz and the Easter Egg was great - build a plane to escape. Die Rise was set in collapsing high rise buildings and had a number of buildables. I loved the spring trap thing you could put down to 'jump' from one building to the next or put down to 'fling' zombies to their death...Both of these maps were a lot more interesting than Nacht, Shino and Verrukt.
I know the reason that these Maps were not included - mostly as they are not part of the 'main' storyline although they are all part of the same universe. Call of the Dead though is more integral to the Story. The Easter Egg itself features the four characters 'trapped'. I think the reason they 'didn't' remake Call of the Dead was purely financial - getting Sarah Michelle Geller, Danny Trejo, Robert Englund and Michael Rooker to re-do their vocals, as well as any licencing costs for using their, and George Romero's likeness. The Easter Egg was essential for Shangri La and Moon - now they just Give you the Golden Rod but back then, you had to do the CotD Easter Egg to get it. You may not of played as the Original 4 characters but they are in this Map and it was important to the Story Line too...
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