The Overwatch collection has fumbled the bag just a few instances since its 2016 debut, however probably the most confounding issues developer Blizzard has accomplished isn’t lean into its storytelling prowess. Overwatch’s animated shorts have constantly offered heartwarming, usually poignant tales that weave collectively its large forged of heroes, however we’ve by no means gotten a full-blown present out of it. Certain, we bought the animated mini-series Overwatch: Genesis earlier this yr, however what these characters deserve is a full collection that tells a prolonged story on this world. Blizzard launched a brand new animated brief to commemorate new tank hero Mauga’s launch at the start of season 8, and all I may take into consideration was how Blizzard and Netflix ought to have been cooking one thing up like this years in the past.
The brief is named A Good Day and stars villains Reaper, Doomfist, Sombra, and Mauga as they infiltrate an enemy ship in what was purported to be a quiet heist. Sombra and Reaper function in stealth and shadow, in order that they have been definitely the correct individuals for this job, however Mauga is a huge, usually bombastic tank. So when he begins going loud, the complete mission is put in jeopardy. Regardless of the difficulty he causes for the group, he manages to come back via for them ultimately. I suppose that’s why Doomfist retains him round.
I actually loved seeing this facet of not solely Mauga, however Sombra and Reaper, as effectively. We don’t get a ton of lore following Talon, the antagonistic group within the Overwatch universe, so we hardly ever see their workforce dynamics—one thing that we get a ton of in relation to the titular crew. Mauga has been an particularly enigmatic a part of Talon, as his boisterous nature is so totally different from the broodier members of the group. After watching A Good Day, it appears he’s not a character match for everybody, however now we all know he’s succesful, regardless of showing like a little bit of an oddball.
Try the complete brief beneath:
In contrast to different animated shorts, A Good Day makes use of a 2D artwork model evocative of a extra trendy model of G.I. Joe as an alternative of the Pixar-style 3D animation seen in Sojourn’s Calling brief. For those who’d requested me just a few years in the past, I’d’ve mentioned I needed a full-blown collection that’s animated like Blizzard’s 3D cinematics, however A Good Day and Genesis have greater than satisfied me an Overwatch collection may thrive in 2D animation. It’s clear the fabric and expertise are there, so I ponder what has stored Blizzard from capitalizing on it.
Overwatch leans on its animated shorts to inform unbelievable tales that merely can’t be informed all through the course of its PvP gameplay. They’ve turn out to be a vital a part of the franchise, a lot in order that their reveals are sometimes hyped-up and debuted at large occasions like BlizzCon. . Overwatch is probably not the cultural juggernaut it as soon as was, however the League of Legends collection Arcane is proof that an important animated collection can deliver new followers into the fold. A TV present can encourage fervor with a a lot shorter barrier to entry than the novels, comics, and brief tales Overwatch has used as its major automobile for storytelling. There have been rumors circulating about an Overwatch animated collection in improvement for years, but it surely’s unclear if that is nonetheless occurring, has been scrapped, or was referring to Overwatch: Genesis.
Possibly I’m simply nonetheless bummed in regards to the state of Overwatch 2’s story missions so I’m searching for one other automobile to observe this story unfold. Blizzard has gutted its initially promised PvE mode, and whereas the primary set of story missions have their moments, the studio hasn’t mentioned a phrase about when (or if) the following set of missions will come. From the sound of it, Blizzard goes to roll out story missions at a glacial tempo, in order an Overwatch lore sicko, I’m greedy at any straws I see for proof that the narrative nonetheless issues to the workforce behind the sport..
I don’t wish to be too dismissive, as shorts like A Good Day and the comics, novels, and so on. are all high-quality, and have given me quite a lot of backstory to chew on. However Overwatch 2’s story missions have clearly taken a backseat (regardless of being a promoting level of the sequel when it was first revealed in 2019) so it’d be nice to get extra content material that strikes Overwatch’s story ahead, reasonably than it current in perpetual limbo because it has for seven years.
Anyway, I’m gonna go rewatch A Good Day and shout at my laptop display about how Sombra’s unique plan to flee the ship after the mission goes dangerous not is smart after her rework.
