However, while those intrigued by Call of Duty: Vanguard will surely be discussing the minigun-wielding boss Zombie and the story that was set up in the trailer, there is one disappointing aspect of this new footage. It seems like the new Zombies experience will be repeating one very big mistake from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, as generic Operators will feature as the playable characters as opposed to an original and fully voiced cast. Fortunately, Treyarch may have found one clever way mitigate this issue.
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The Problem With Operators In Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies
For years, Call of Duty Zombies players had grown accustomed to the story being told through character dialogue. Deep conversations featuring Primis Nikolai and Takeo led to an incredible amount of character development, while characters like Ultimis Richtofen and Dempsey arguing always brought some laughs. These conversations were entertaining, fleshing out the playable survivors with distinct personalities. As the story progressed, dialogue became more important, with hundreds of different lines featured in maps like Alpha Omega.
While many of the new Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies features were huge steps in the right direction, like the armor and crafting system, the decision to take this storytelling method away proved disappointing. Lengthy conversations about what is actually happening in and between each map is impossible without a fully voiced cast, and the switch to Operators meant that dialogue had to be reigned back. Recording hundreds of lines for a few dozen Operators, for every single map, simply cannot be done in the time Treyarch has to make the content.
Because Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies switched over to Operators, fans lost a reason to care about who they were playing as. While it may sound interesting to play as someone like Alex Mason or Captain Price inside of a Zombies map, the novelty quickly wears off once fans realize the lack of dialogue on offer. The characters will spout some one-liners when killing a group of undead enemies, but beyond that, they will stay silent. As such, maps feel a lot quieter, with a lot of Zombies’ personality being lost as a result of the change.
Why Operators Are Being Used For Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies
While Call of Duty Zombies’ Operator problem is a legitimate issue, it is not entirely without benefits. The main reason that the switch was made ties directly to Call of Duty’s new approach to progression. Unifying progress across all modes means that all players need to have access to the same content regardless of what they are playing. As such, just like Operators can be used in both multiplayer and Call of Duty: Warzone, they need to be usable inside Zombies.
This approach means that Zombies fans can access all their unlocks from a Call of Duty battle pass inside the mode. After all, with so much focus being placed on skin cosmetics, not being able to wear the outfits unlocked for Operators would surely be a letdown for some. Further, players who only play Zombies could feel left out if they could not use all the flashy cosmetics available through the marketplace. With Operators being the player characters in Zombies, fans of the mode have a reason to engage with the game’s paid DLC.
While the system is deeply rooted to Call of Duty’s monetization, it makes sense from more than just a business standpoint. Outside of pushing Zombies fans towards microtransactions, some may genuinely prefer the added customization over original characters with set appearances. Not everyone cares about the deep, hidden narrative of Zombies, so for those that focus entirely on gameplay, Operators may be seen as a good thing. Still, it is hard to deny that the use of Operators had an impact on the storytelling of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, and it likely will again once Call of Duty: Vanguard releases.
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How Operators Will Impact The Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies Story
As seen in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the story will ultimately be happening around the playable characters, with their role in the actual narrative being incredibly minor. The real main characters will be talking over the radio or through pieces of Zombies intel, with the random Operators gamers control carrying out the wishes of prominent figures in the story. Essentially, Zombies fans will be controlling pawns in a much larger game, having no reason to care if the people they are playing as live or die.
Obviously, this is a problem for any story, as it limits the opportunities available to Treyarch. While the developer did a fine job working around these limitations with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, as characters like Sam still got a chance to shine, there was definitely something missing when compared to older experiences. With Call of Duty: Vanguard also not able to feature fan favorites like Sam, Weaver, and Eddie due to its setting, it could struggle even more, as the characters guiding the Operators will be entirely new. As such, players may struggle just as much to connect with the person talking them through each mission.
However, one smart thing about Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies’ story is how it will be using its demons. When players use a field upgrade like Ring of Fire (now called artifacts), they bond with its associated demon. The demon will then guide them through the map and talk directly to them, with each of these entities having its own personality and motivations. As such, while the Operators may be mostly silent, the demons that speak through the artifacts could talk often. While this does not fix the issues tied to Operators, they could feel a lot more minor, as figures like Saraxis and Bellekar could make in-game dialogue interesting once again. In turn, Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies could feel like it has more personality than Black Ops Cold War’s version of the mode – even if the Operators due limit the potential of its narrative.
Call of Duty: Vanguard launches November 5 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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