Over the last decade, Zombies mode has become a staple of the Call of Duty franchise, allowing four players to take on waves of the undead in a trial of skill and teamwork. Previous games have allowed players to battle zombies on increasingly over-the-top battlefields, from the ruins of WW2 Germany to a moon base. Now, the official reveal trailer for Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies suggests that the new title's Zombies mode may be bigger and more hilariously absurd than ever, with the trailer's choice of soundtrack--the simple but playfully unsettling "Bury a Friend" by Billie Eilish--appearing to fit its tone quite well.
The reveal trailer isn't the only teaser fans have received for Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies. Previous videos have showcased scenes of zombies rising from the dead, hoards of walking corpses apparently crawling directly out of hell, and a multi-armed figure emerging from flames to the lilting tones of "Bury a Friend," all while a Nazi officer grins madly. In the reveal trailer, his name was confirmed to be Oberfuhrer Wolfram von List, and it appears that he is responsible for this iteration of Zombies mode.
Apparently, List's plan involves contacting a vengeful supernatural presence and raising an army of the dead into the mortal realm, but it seems that his otherworldly ally is more concerned with its own revenge. This leaves room for the players, which appear to be a small, international squad of era-appropriate soldiers in true Zombies tradition, to forge their own alliances with other, hopefully less evil supernatural entities. Whatever the case, it's clear that gamers will be going up against possessed corpses and demons in Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies as well as more standard varieties of undead.
In the trailer, players are showcased making contact with these entities and wielding their strength, which appears to take the form of an arsenal of supernatural weaponry and new "Dark Aether" skills. One of these magical weapons appears to conjure storms of flying icicles and gradually freeze enemies, while a second seems to cause some kind of magical grenade effect and a third conjures a floating red obelisk. While it's uncertain what role "Bury a Friend" will play in the final game, the lyrics of the song may be quite fitting for a game about putting the restless dead back in the ground.
As of writing, it appears that Call of Duty fans are excited about the Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies news. Several users left comments under the original video commenting that the mode looks refreshing, disgusting, and generally incredible. One group of fans discussed their hopes that Zombies becomes its own series in the future, while a second playfully compared the trailer to Doom Eternal.
Call of Duty: Vanguard is scheduled to release November 5 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.