by theygamesWith Zombies having been treated as a bit of an afterthought in recent years, it’s refreshing to see that Call of Duty Black Ops 6 is putting it front and centre as part of its pre-launch hype cycle. We’ve just got a brand new cinematic showcasing the seven new and returning characters that will feature in Terminus, one of the two round-based experiences arriving at launch. We also seemingly learn that arguably the most iconic character in Zombies history is going to be our overarching villain: Edward Richtofen.
That’s right, in some form or another, Richtofen is back. The German scientist has been a through line for FPS game fans ever since the very first Zombies map, Nacht der Untoten, appeared in 2008’s Call of Duty World at War. Over the years, we’ve seen many forms of Richtofen pop up from various dimensions and timelines, but in Black Ops 6 he appears to be our main target.
In the new cinematic trailer for Terminus, we see Weaver, Strauss, Dr. Grey, Carver, and even good ol’ Raptor One getting bust out of an island prison (not Alcatraz, sadly) by Dr. William Peck and Maya Aguinaldo. For anyone that doesn’t remember Black Ops Cold War’s ending, or didn’t play it, that core group were imprisoned at the end of the game’s final Zombies DLC, before Peck was shown looking to acquire a boat five years later. Terminus, then, continues on the story of Cold War, with Peck being successful in reaching the prison and busting out the crew.
He also has Maya in tow now, who is an all-new character, and she also has a reason to be part of the prison break – her brother is locked up somewhere inside as well. Peck also confirms in the cinematic that everyone in the room has a common enemy in Richtofen, and that they should team up to go and kill him. Speculatively, it sounds like the main objectives of Terminus will be to find Maya’s brother and escape the island.
From past screenshots, it appears that there will be four, set playable characters, so you won’t be able to pick from all seven of these characters that were revealed today. The four characters in the screenshot were Weaver, Dr. Grey, Carver, and the now-confirmed Maya.
This trailer is just the beginning of an exciting week for Zombies fans, though. On Thursday, August 8, a Zombies gameplay trailer will air in which Treyarch developers will present a deep dive into the round-based gameplay. We already know from teasers that there is at least one new Perk-A-Cola to chug, but this gameplay trailer will reveal all.
It may also tell us a bit more about the second round-based map in Black Ops 6, which is called Liberty Falls. While both will be in the game when the Black Ops 6 release date arrives, I’d hedge a bet that Liberty Falls will narratively follow on from the events of Terminus, hence the reason only the latter was featured today.
In the meantime, why not check out everything we know about the Black Ops 6 beta, or learn more about the Black Ops 6 Omnimovement system that will let you dive around like a prime 1990s action movie star.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.