“Nuketown,” the perennial Black Ops fan favorite, has made its triumphant return in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. First introduced in the original Black Ops game, “Nuketown” appeared in BO2 and BO3 with increasingly futuristic coats of paint. The map also has a permanent place in this game’s “Blackout” mode. Originally, “Nuketown” set players in an idyllic suburban neighborhood that’s actually a nuclear test site. And, this time around, the setting is largely the same, but with Soviet flourishes.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4: How Has “Nuketown” Changed?
First, you’ll notice the onion domes, curving like soft serve ice cream at the top of one of the houses. Then, take a look inside the homes and you’ll spot Soviet propaganda posters splashed on the walls. Finally, the red star—a symbol frequently associated with communism—adorns various surfaces throughout the map.
Mostly, though, longtime players should feel right at home in this new version of “Nuketown.” While, on the surface, some things have changed—one of the buildings is now a log cabin—the structure is the same. And, there are still mannequins biding their time before the big boom.
How is “Nuketown” Structured?
“Nuketown” maintains the “three lanes” structure that Call of Duty maps are known for. But, otherwise, it feels pretty different than your average Black Ops 4 map. While most COD maps combine tight corridors and wide-open spaces, “Nuketown’s” diminutive size means that it all feels like corridor. The map constantly compresses players into tight spaces, smashing them together like atoms in a nuclear reactor.
Most significantly, this design choice means that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s typically brisk time-to-kill becomes even speedier. In “Nuketown,” unseasoned players can expect to spawn-in and die within a matter of seconds. “Nuketown” is Call of Duty, but heightened. It plays like Black Ops 4 with a couple Red Bulls in its system.
Tread carefully.