With a combination of new features and the transition to objective-style gameplay, Vanguard’s Zombies mode was having trouble establishing itself prior to Call of Duty Season 4. Zombies was reduced to its bare essentials when Der Anfang was released, and the later addition of the Terra Maledicta map was only marginally better, leaving the mode feeling like a hollow snoozefest.

Not only were typical survival waves no longer present, but all the extra features that made zombies unique were also gone. However, the map for Season 4 demonstrates the potential of Vanguard Zombies when some of the game’s characteristics are combined with a conventional round-based map.

Call of Duty: World at War, the game that first featured the mode, released Shi No Numa as DLC in 2008. Before complex Easter egg missions, Artifact powers, or even custom weapon loadouts, the map was introduced when zombies were considerably less complicated.

In addition to restoring round-based gameplay, this improved version of Shi No Numa also brings back the map’s recognizable Wunderwaffe DG-2 Wonder Weapon. Treyarch introduced quest stages to allow us construct our own Wunderwaffe DG-2, and these steps are also linked into the map’s primary plot Easter egg quest, so we are no longer at the mercy of the mode’s randomized Mystery Box for a chance to obtain the Wonder Weapon as it was in Shi No Numa’s past.

The primary objective of Shi No Numa is almost as fulfilling as turning on the Wunderwaffe DG-2 for the first time. The fact that Der Anfang map didn’t have a primary mission when the game first released last year, and Terra Maledicta map’s simplistic and uninteresting tale quest on the next map, contributed to Vanguard Zombies’ prior failures. Zombies players enjoy going on Easter egg hunts, and while Terra Maledicta took a positive step by adding a few extra side Easter eggs, the quests still lacked enough complexity or spice to make the area worth returning to.

Shi No Numa’s main mission needs a lot more work than Terra Maledicta’s did, which oversimplified the methods and held your hand too much. Even so, most casual players shouldn’t find it to be unduly complicated. Players should be able to enjoy this one because it isn’t tedious or boring. Shi No Numa’s mission basically gives the impression that Treyarch made an effort to balance the experience to appeal to both the hardcore and casual player groups.

Call of Duty Vanguards Zombies lacked classic music Easter eggs and other secret details that Shi No Numa offers, among other things. Although Shi No Numa’s map appears to have many elements, they are all largely optional. However, it’s wonderful to have some of the more recent Zombies modes features, such as the armour bench for forging equipment, the Tome of Rituals, and the Altar of Covenant.

Traditional gamers can ignore all of Vanguard’s add-ons and stick with conventional survival. Shi No Numa gains from the return of the extraction option from more recent maps because it allows players the choice to conclude the game on their terms without feeling compelled to do so.