Treyarch reveals more of new Black Ops 7 Season 1 Zombies map, and I can already see the "extra scoops of ice cream" it promised

I've been in two minds about Black Ops 7's Zombies offering at launch. Ashes of the Damned is a solid, enjoyable map that calls back to one of my all-time favorites, Tranzit, but it doesn't exactly feel like an all-time great. Overall, there's a huge amount of content and modes, which is never a bad thing for any PvE shooter experience, but a lot of them are returning ideas from the past. However, when I spoke to Treyarch just before launch, it said that Black Ops 7 Season 1's new round-based map, Astra Malorum, would be something special and a real treat for Zombies fans. Following the reveal of its opening cinematic at the end of last week, some more concrete details about the new map have now been released, and I'm already beginning to see some of those "extra scoops of ice cream" Treyarch promised.

If you've already read my Black Ops 7 review, you'll have seen my thoughts on Zombies already, and the thing that's missing is a truly memorable, jaw-dropping round-based map. Ashes of the Damned is by no means terrible, and introduces a couple of neat ideas, but it didn't wow me like, say, the original Tranzit did back in the day. Astra Malorum needs to take bigger swings, and Treyarch already suggested that a heavier punch was coming in Season 1.

When I interviewed Black Ops 7's associate creative director, Miles Leslie, before the FPS game's launch, he told me this: "If you thought launch was crazy, it gets even crazier. That is the only thing I can tell you. But Zombies fans, I will say you are going to be eating. We have heard you, and you're getting extra scoops of ice cream - all the toppings. There's some cherries on there. You're actually going to be full, and we're going to tell you to finish your dessert. Yeah, you better finish your plate." High expectations, indeed.

With Black Ops 7 and Warzone Season 1 intel dropping yesterday, some of those Zombies sweet treats have now been revealed. As the name and the opening cinematic suggested, Astra Malorum takes place in space - Dark Aether space. New screenshots and footage show a stunning skybox filled with stars and the looming presence of the planet Saturn (this Destiny 2 skybox enjoyer is extremely pleased). The 20th-century observatory, bound to a drifting asteroid, is the main focus though. Inside, new laser traps and rocket barrages can be used to fend off zombies.

A new Wonder Weapon, the LGM-1, lets you fire UFO-like discs that will damage zombies before returning to you like a frisbee. Its half-alien, half-disco theme looks sensational, and I can't wait to get my hands on it.

However, a robot called Oscar might be the most interesting addition to Astra Malorum. An Elite-level enemy, Oscar (short for the Observation System and Carnifex Adjudicator Robot) is described as being "persistent in assessing and neutralizing threats, slowly hover-patrolling areas where a disturbance has occurred." He will essentially "stalk" the halls of the observatory, and will show up to areas of high activity, by the sounds of things.

So if you're trying to complete an objective in a certain room, for example, be on the lookout for Oscar. It doesn't sound like it's quite as smart and intimidating as the Xenomorph from Alien Isolation, but it's certainly got a whiff of that about it.

When you do have to face Oscar, be prepared for a proper battle. When it leaves its patrol mode and switches to full combat mode, it will deploy a smaller, tethered robots that will make Oscar immune to all damage - it sounds like shooting these minions are the only way to bring down the shield. Oscar can also emit a wave of electrical energy called a Tesla Field, which can deal damage to anyone in its range. It can also send out an Attack Drone Hologram, and if it attaches itself to a member of your squad, all zombies will become enraged and attracted to that player. The final tool in Oscar's arsenal is the ability to fire mechanical components at players to deal damage, giving him so lethality at range as well.

That all sounds tremendous, but the real treat will of course be how the main storyline and all the side secrets and easter eggs play out. Naturally, there are no details on that just yet, so time will tell whether Treyarch's "extra scoops of ice cream" have resulted in a delicious, deluxe sundae with all the toppings you could ever want, or an underwhelming, off-brand vanilla cone.

The new Zombies map, Astra Malorum, goes live when Black Ops 7 Season 1 begins on Thursday, December 4. Also coming in the new season are two new Survival maps based on areas from Ashes of the Damned, the return of the Mule Kick Perk-A-Cola, plus loads of new weapons, including the Maddox assault rifle from Black Ops 4.