How Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s ‘Emergence’ Pays Homage to Zombies’ Past

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How Call of Duty: Black Ops 6's 'Emergence' Pays Homage to Zombies' Past

As a seasoned Call of Duty veteran with over a decade of gaming under my belt, I must say that ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ has truly outdone itself with its psychological horror-focused campaign, particularly with the mission titled ‘Emergence’. This thrilling journey through a haunted facility was reminiscent of a love letter to the franchise’s beloved Zombies mode.

This article contains MAJOR SPOILERS for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s campaign

The campaigns for the Call of Duty series have occasionally delved into the horror genre, but they typically emphasize portraying the horrors of war itself. Games like Call of Duty: World War 2 haven’t shied away from depicting the brutality and futility of combat, and each installment in the franchise contains some intense, violent scenes. However, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 adopts a unique strategy by concentrating on psychological fears instead.

In essence, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War incorporated a mission where players took control of a character grappling with an identity dilemma, resulting in intriguing, thought-provoking gameplay. The upcoming release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, expands upon these ideas, offering not one but two missions that delve into psychological terror. One of these missions seems to be a tribute to the series’ beloved Zombies mode.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s ‘Emergence‘ Feels Like a Love Letter to Zombies

In the middle of the campaign of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the mission titled ‘Emergence’ unfolds when Frank Woods and his band of renegade black ops agents embark on a quest to track down a long-abandoned CIA research facility located in Kentucky. Their objective is to gather information about a baffling bioweapon called “The Cradle.” As they arrive at the facility, the player character, William “Case” Calderon, unfortunately tumbles into an elevator shaft, leaving him separated from the rest of the team.

When Case reaches the base of the tunnel, his gas mask shatters, causing him to inhale an unidentified green gas. This mysterious substance quickly shows its psychotropic effects, as mannequins positioned around Case spring to life whenever he turns away from them. Eventually, the player will discover themselves in a sprawling atrium, where they learn that they must locate four keys to operate the elevator, which will ultimately lead them back to their team.

‘Emergence’ Is Essentially a Narrative-Led Zombies Mission

As soon as the objective is reached, players will detect a group of gruff sounds coming from behind. Turning around reveals a band of undead lab staff members and researchers, whom the player must eliminate using their available axe.

During the next 20-30 minutes, the player embarks on an immersive, solo adventure akin to playing a story-driven version of Call of Duty: Zombies. Throughout this journey, players must navigate the facility to find four keys hidden within it while fending off hordes of hallucinated zombies along the way. To collect each key, the player encounters mini-bosses, some drawn from Black Ops 6’s Zombies mode or appearing to reference past antagonists in Call of Duty: Zombies.

In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s ‘Emergence’ map, players will encounter three challenging foes: a Mangler, an Abomination, and a creature capable of becoming invisible and hiding within objects, similar to Terminus’ Amalgam boss. The final boss they’ll fight resembles a floating undead researcher armed with a yellow lightning strike. Although there isn’t a direct comparison, this end boss may subtly reference Avogadro, the electric-based antagonist from Black Ops 2’s TranZit and Black Ops 4’s Alpha Omega.

In the novel ‘Emergence’, there is a scene where a character resembling a zombified scientist whizzes by the protagonist just as they unlock a door. This might be a subtle nod to the character known as Five and his exploits as a thief in the Pentagon.

‘Emergence’ Features a Direct Reference to a Famous Kino der Toten Easter Egg

The strongest nod to the lengthy past of Call of Duty Zombies is found during the third boss battle in Black Ops 6’s ‘Emergence’. This is when the unseen boss makes its initial appearance, and long-term Call of Duty enthusiasts are rewarded with a surge of nostalgia as the iconic tune 115 starts to play.

Originally composed by Kevin Sherwood and initially played by Elena Siegman in 2009, the piece titled “115” was first featured as the background music during the death screen for the “Der Riese” map in “Call of Duty: World at War.” A complete rendition of “115” was later played on the “Kino der Toten” map in “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” where it served as a musical hidden gem within the game.

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2024-10-31 14:33