Overwatch 2 Review – A Heroic Return

Overwatch took the gaming world by storm when it launched in 2016, thanks to its well-balanced roster of unique heroes and terrific objective-based, first-person-shooting gameplay. The game’s popularity endured through the years thanks to a wealth of new content like characters, maps, cosmetics, and game modes, adding to the terrific foundation. Overwatch’s content was eventually removed, and the public became interested in the games. Overwatch 2 is the return of Overwatch, one of the most popular multiplayer games. It features a 5v5 game mode, free play, and tons of new content. This is a thrilling and fun progression of the iconic hero-shooter game, although it’s less innovative and more iterative than one might expect.

It feels both familiar and new in its core gameplay. It’s still thrilling to capture an objective by coordinating an assault, or activate your Ultimate in a last-second rush to win the victory. The ways the heroes interact with each other – both in gameplay and personality – create watercooler moments I imagine I’ll bring up with my fellow players for years to come. While the mechanics and match flow are still intact, Blizzard has made some changes to the core formula that will change how battles unfold.

Perhaps the biggest change to Overwatch is its new format of 5v5. Traditional team comps now only have one tank. This makes its function as both a utility and damage sponge more important than ever. Doomfist is now a tank, and Orisa has been reworked in an offensive-minded way to give you a wider selection of options. This 5v5 format allows for fast-paced blitzes, and gives each player more weight in every match. This shift is particularly evident in Push, the new game mode where players escort a robot to the other team’s spawn point. The mode can be fast and swing quickly. It is perfect for the 5v5 format.

Overwatch 2 offers a wealth of new content from the start. Overwatch 2 includes three heroes, six maps and more than 30 skins. New heroes and maps add a lot to the already impressive lineup, Junker Queen and Sojourn excel in combat, while Kiriko is one my all-time favorite support heroes, thanks to her incredible healing and buffing powers and deadly kunai damage. Combining these characters with the new faces of favorites like Orisa Doomfist Zarya, Bastion and Bastion creates a refreshing roster.

Due to the numerous predatory monetization methods that are prevalent in this category, players should be cautious when a premium title is made free-to play. While players should still approach Overwatch 2’s shift to free-to-play with caution, Blizzard keeps the paywall-locked content cosmetic. Best of all, players do not have to cross their fingers anymore for duplicate cosmetics from their loot box.

The loot box has been replaced by an ingame shop and Battle Pass. These allow you to complete in-game challenges. These objectives range from winning a game playing as a healer to using a specific character’s Ultimate three times; some challenges refresh daily, others weekly, and others on a seasonal basis, ensuring you always have new goals towards which to strive. Every time you finish a challenge you earn experience that will help you get to the next level.

You can make steady progress regardless of whether you spend $10 or the equivalent in-game coin for the premium Battle Pass. However, it’s disappointing that you need to reach level 55 of the free Battle Pass to unlock that season’s new hero; if you purchase premium, the hero joins your roster at level 1. Non-paying players might not be able to enjoy the other rewards. However, the Premium Pass has so many benefits that they are only available to premium members. With nine-week seasons, premium Battle Passes at $10 can easily surpass the $60 MSRP for Overwatch within a little over one year.

While I’m certainly wary of this new system going forward, for now, the structure seems like a reasonable alternative to the previous framework. Blizzard is showing off some of the new content, which I was able to see. The existing challenge system works well for me, too. However, I most appreciate the intentionality in unlocking rewards, which starkly contrasts Overwatch 1’s loot box system.

The first Overwatch game is not available to those without previous experience. They will have to complete a number of matches before unlocking the heroes. Blizzard bills this as a way to fend off cheaters since it’s now free to start a new account. It feels almost like punishment for failing to pay the initial game’s price. The good news is that players can be added to the roster using this drip-feed system without being overwhelmed with so many characters. It is a bit steep to require players to play 130 matches in order to unlock all the roster. However, winnings count twice towards this number and the original heroes can be used in custom games. Plus, if you enjoy Overwatch 2’s moment-to-moment gameplay as much as I do, those unlock requirements fly by. Still, I’m glad I didn’t have to complete them as a returning player.

Overwatch 2 doesn’t flip the formula the way you might expect a long-awaited, numbered sequel would. But through various clever tweaks, it’s a well-rounded evolution of the experience into which I’ve poured more than a thousand hours since 2016. I may never recreate the magic of those first few years in Overwatch, but Overwatch 2 is a big step towards restoring the faith in the franchise and has me thinking it’s time to pour a few more hundred hours into my favorite team-based shooter.