I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I just can’t seem to stay away from Call of Duty’s Warzone. With the optimism for the new Black Ops 7 game being almost non-existent, and after my video last week discussing the state of Multiplayer gaming, I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve decided to return to the competitive kill joy of Verdansk. Well, I’ll tell you. I had some of my favourite gaming experiences growing up on classic Zombie maps like Kino der Toten and Mob of the Dead. When I heard that the Haunting of Verdansk was returning, I just couldn’t resist the temptation to enter the Warzone I once loved so dearly.
So, how does the Haunting of Verdansk work? And is it worth returning to Warzone for?
Where it All Began, in Zombie Heaven
One thing you should know about me is that I’m a Zombies veteran. My friends and I used to survive until the ridiculously high rounds on the earliest zombie maps. When we first entered the chilling scene of Nacht der Untoten on World at War (2008), our young, developing brains couldn’t comprehend what we were witnessing.
The idea of surviving in a building while the undead surrounded us made me feel alive, and I was obsessed with the game mode from my very first zombie kill.
A few years passed before we were blessed with arguably the best Zombies map: Kino der Toten on the first Black Ops (2010). We probably spent more time in that abandoned cinema than we did at school. Endless hours were spent climbing to insanely high rounds, swiping zombies and infected dogs out of our path with the infamous Thundergun. The Ray Gun/Thundergun combination has gone down in folklore as the most iconic weapon duo in Zombies history.
It’s some of the bonus DLC maps that really stand out in my memory, though. Call of the Dead was an electrifying experience. Trying to survive in that icy wilderness felt impossible within itself, without the maniac of the zombified George A Romero chasing you. Then there is my personal favourite: Mob of the Dead. You play as an inmate of the infamous Alcatraz Prison as a swarm of zombies invades the premises. To escape, you must find the parts to build a plane, but you soon realise that everything isn’t as it seems. I’ll be making videos on my favourite zombie maps soon, so I won’t spoil them by revealing too many details here.
The Nightmare of my Dreams
Ever since I watched the first Conjuring film in 2013, I’ve been obsessed with scary movies. Well, certain scary movies. I’m definitely not into the agonising experience of watching gory films like Saw or Final Destination, where people are murdered in the most brutal of ways. No. Instead, I’ve always really enjoyed ghost stories.
Not all movies in the world of The Conjuring are amazing, but the first one spoke to my soul. I just loved the way details of the history of the house were slowly revealed. It was up to the viewer to solve the puzzle, as much as the Warrens, who came to help the poor Perron family.
Another honourable mention that has fuelled my enthusiasm for ghost stories is The Haunting of Hill House. The book is remarkable, and the Netflix series actually did it justice. Then there is Steven King, who blew the minds of his readers by creating the idea that horror can be inflicted simply by a man losing his mind. In The Shining, King proved that it doesn’t always need to take zombies or aggressive ghosts to chill us to our bones.
Sometimes all it takes is the all too familiar feeling of a person who is slowly being driven insane.
The Haunting of Verdansk
I’m not ashamed to admit that in Call of Duty’s first iteration of the Haunting of Verdansk, I bought the Ghostface skin from the Scream movies. I was running around like a lunatic, scaring the life out of any poor souls I managed to creep up on with my knife. Some of the screams I caused were delightful.
This year’s version of the Haunting of Verdansk is a similar concept. In the Zombie Royale mode, the map is engulfed with darkness, but at least you can see compared to previous years. You turn into a zombie if you die, and you need to acquire three stims to revive yourself. If you’re shot as a zombie, then you’re out of the game, and your teammates have to buy you back.
In all honesty, the novelty of zombies running around Verdansk ends after a couple of minutes. It’s an interesting experience being a zombie, but it becomes frustrating pretty quickly.
The game descends into a bit of a merry-go-round after a while, where you’re constantly switching from being alive to the undead and then to actually dead within moments of each other. The game becomes a free-for-all, and the objective of winning instantly feels impossible, or even irrelevant.
The Rebirth of a Good Haunting
Thankfully, Zombie Royale isn’t the only mode you can play in this year’s haunting event. Resurgence mode has often been a safe haven for players who are fed up with the slow-moving Battle Royale experience, and it seems to save Warzone again here.
In this mode, players don’t turn into zombies. Instead, teams are tasked with fighting off the undead while still aiming to beat each other for the win. It’s the same concept of Warzone, but with zombies wandering around Rebirth Island. Who can complain about that? Certainly not me, because I had one of the games of my life!
Zombies surrounded me on all sides, but because of the nature of Resurgence mode, ammunition was constantly available. I shot everything I saw move. I don’t know if it was because my senses were on edge due to the fear of witnessing Rebirth Island in the dark, but my shooting abilities were massively enhanced.
So much so that my team actually won the game!
So, is The Haunting of Verdansk Worth Returning for?
The Zombie Royale mode isn’t. Stay well clear! Or, you could give it a go to enjoy the peculiarity of the experience for a few minutes. Just don’t waste too much of your time. Instead, invest your time in the fun-packed adventure of Resurgence Casual Z.
The combination of two of my favourite gaming experiences is a match made in heaven.
The traditional Zombies idea and Warzone’s Resurgence mode leave the younger version of myself feeling very satisfied indeed. Even if you don’t stay on Call of Duty for very long, it’s well worth giving it a try.
Verdict
My overall rating for The Haunting of Verdansk is 6/10.
You can watch the video for this blog post on YouTube here. Link: https://youtu.be/IZDI-vtEUMs
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