There are only a few days left until BlizzCon in February 2021 is finally held, which will be completely online. It is an event long awaited by the community, especially because information will arrive in the basket (we hope) of the new Blizzard games. And among those games is Overwatch 2, which was announced more than a year ago, during BlizzCon 2019.
Now is the time to take stock of all the announcements made by Blizzard about this second Overwatch installment, as we share our expectations and our hopes for the future of the license. Just a few days ago we talked about Overwatch 2 in a more general way, but today we have to analyze Blizzard’s risky bet to turn this license into a game ‘with history’ and PvE gameplay.
Overwatch, a rich and complex license
Blizzard’s strength, regardless of the game, lies in its ability to create rich universes, populated by deep characters with complex and strong personalities. This is primarily why Overwatch has become so popular. We are facing a futuristic universe, full of stories and atypical heroes that are fun to play.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for Blizzar to shift the game’s story, told through cutscenes, out of the spotlight while slowing down the release rate for new characters. In fact, lhe history of the game has not progressed from the scene “The Call” , in which Winston summons his former Overwatch comrades to reform the organization. Since 2016, therefore, the history of the game has not changed one iota. So yes, the various seasonal events, especially the “Archives”, have allowed us to learn more about this universe, but only about the game’s past. When Overwatch 2 was announced with the video “Zero Hour” (which you can see at the bottom of this content), it is as if time had run again. Our heroes are on the edge again, the story moves on, and we can finally see the Overwatch agents reunited after Winston’s withdrawal.
PvE as the main axis?
Until now, Overwatch had been focused solely on the PvP side, but Overwatch 2 wants to break Blizzard’s FPS codes when introducing a lot of PvE content. Focusing the game on lore turns out to be a tempting idea, after so much time playing with heroes whose personalities have been built and honed over the years. Overwatch 2 is intriguing, even more so in recent times, when the community has asked very loudly for more events focused on the history of the game. Overwatch has been frozen for far too long: offering a boring and unsurprising routine that to this day has almost completely taken over the game. Right now Overwatch experiences periods of predictable battles between well-known heroes, separated by events like Halloween that break the monotony and delight players.
With OW2, the goal is to go much further. Although a good part of the game modes can be played in cooperative mode, others, of which we know almost nothing at the moment, will be reserved for a single player and should allow players to experience this futuristic universe like never before.
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During Blizzcon 2019, the Story Mission was available as a demo of the game. The first mission of this campaign takes place in Rio de Janeiro. There, Mei, Reinhardt, and Tracer help Lucio restore order to the city. Less informed people may tell you that this mode boils down to a simple collection of missions from Records, Except for the fact that you have the additional ability to customize your hero, choosing talents that modify his basic skill kit. It is difficult to go further when it comes to drawing conclusions without having more information, but on February 19 and 20 we should start to know where this monster called Overwatch 2 is moving (and if it is going in the right direction).
In addition to these mysterious solo and cooperative game modes, Overwatch 2 will offer three different features that allow you to customize the hero you embody. If the talents, only available in PvE, were revealed to us in November 2019, two other completely unknown modes are supposed to emerge. There should also be a progression system that rewards the most diligent and consistent players..
New heroes will also appear when the game launches. If only Echo and SojournIt would be more than doubtful that they will be the only playable characters when OW2 launches.
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Taking enough risks?
By making an announcement that was as short as it was spectacular, it goes without saying that the imagination of the entire community suddenly began to bubble. Hopes are rising by the day and we can’t wait to hear all about this long-awaited game.
What we are probably looking forward to the most issee Blizzard rise to the challenge and make risky decisions and that the developer finally frees herself from ties, both in the gameplay and in the narrative aspect of the game. By dint of playing the same events year after year, the game has become very fluid and even everyday, leaving an impression of déjà vu with each connection and each game, even if there were small tweaks and novelties.
We especially hope For Overwatch 2 to keep gamers spellbound and make them want to connect every day. We want to progress in the narrative universe and learn more about the future of heroes, participate in challenges with friends, but also face real difficulties and stop being at the mercy of questionable AI.
If the realm of PvE prevails in Overwatch 2, what will happen to its PvP? The competitive aspect has always been the foundation of the war fought in Overwatch. How will two such different experiences be balanced in terms of content without either player feeling “abandoned”?
We will talk to you about this very soon. Stay tuned on our Overwatch portal.
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A few days before BlizzConline, one name stands out above the rest: Overwatch 2. To prepare for the weekend of intensive announcements that the Blizzard studio has in store for us, we take stock of our expectations regarding the sequel to the famous FPS.
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