Call of Duty made a name for itself with tales of sprawling war that feels all too real and multiplayer that’s fast, brutal, and heavy on firepower. And yet, one of the series’ biggest selling points has been its increasingly campy battles with the undead. After playing Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies mode, entitled “Zombies in Spaceland,” I can say things have only gotten sillier in this tribute to the neon horror of the 1980s, right down to the soundtrack and cast members.
The four-player minigame works like previous zombie installments but is much campier this time around. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies drops a squad of ’80s movie stereotypes — jock, nerd, valley girl — into a bright and family friendly arcade named Spaceland. Only the neon and skeeball are barely working, as Spaceland’s only attendees are the living dead.
Frankie Says Relax
Your team of four needs to work together to take down wave after wave of the zombie horde in Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies mode, all while a mysterious voice taunts you over the park’s intercom. Someone has trapped the four of you in there and is challenging you to survive with your brains intact. And the creep is played well by Pee-wee himself, Paul Reubens.
Killing zombies builds up cash you can spend on better weapons or to open up new areas as you push yourself to see how far your team can get in 15 minutes. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare‘s zombies are as ’80s-fied as the rest of Spaceland, with bright mohawks and retro fashion — though some are just straight up creepy like exploding clowns. And the ’80s vibes are further reinforced by a killer soundtrack of ’80s hits blaring all over Spaceland. Who’d have thought Frankie Goes To Hollywood would sound so good while blasting the undead in the face?
It was a great first taste of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare zombies, and I was ready to dive back in a few more times to see if I could do any better on my third or fourth try. It feels like some silly fun to cleanse the pallet after the serious story of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. “Zombies in Spaceland” comes packaged with Infinite Warfare on Nov. 4.