Overwatch is finally out and is the hot new class-based shooter on the block. Bringing 21 Heroes to the fight, a charming visual style, and incredibly compelling gameplay, there are plenty of reasons to find yourself saying ‘just one more game.’ However, there is one area that Overwatch has just nailed above and beyond some of its other aspects, and that’s the game’s mechanics.
We’re not talking about features here, although there are plenty of great ones in Overwatch too, but more the stuff that makes the game tick and play well. We’re talking about the fundamental parts of the game that make it stand out from all other games in the market. So without further ado, let’s take a look at the five mechanics that Overwatch has managed to nail perfectly.
Mobility
Whether you’re speeding around as Tracer, or slowly stomping as Reinhardt, each character in Overwatch feels distinct as you navigate them around the map. This not only helps to make each character feel unique but also helps to make your choice of Hero that you’ll take into battle that much more tactical. Do you want a heavier character who packs a bit of a harder punch but is more difficult to move out of the way of damage, or would you rather have a quicker character with less firepower but greater agility on their side?
Blizzard has nailed mobility in Overwatch to the point that it’s a pretty significant factor when deciding whether you should change your Hero mid-way through a match to adjust to the play of the game. Future class-based shooters, take note.
Abilities
The abilities of each Hero in Overwatch play a pivotal role in who you’ll choose and end up maining. These will no doubt become an integral role in not only who you choose at the start of the game but how you’ll choose your characters as the game progresses. Each Hero’s Ultimate ability in Overwatch can be game-changing. Therefore, it’s important that you learn how and when to use each of your character’s different abilities effectively. Pulling off an Ultimate at the wrong time can have an equally negative effect as a perfectly-timed one can be positive.
Abilities can always be a bit of a risky move to have in these kinds of games. Make one character’s particularly useful and one not so much and suddenly the player-base will largely neglect part of the roster. Blizzard has managed to give each of the Heroes in Overwatch abilities that can be incredibly impactful during a match, it’s just down to you to work out how to get the most out of them.
Team Balancing
One of the most rewarding parts of Overwatch is winning an incredibly close match because you’re part of a balanced team. We’re not talking about the characters being unbalanced here, but more about that perfect team dynamic you get when each Hero brings something unique to the table that helps cover all eventualities.
This can be difficult, especially when playing with strangers who may have the same mains or prefer to play a particular class when, say a Support is needed. However, Blizzard even thought of a way to combat this in Overwatch. While two players may opt to use Defense Heroes, each class is incredibly diverse. For example, all of the Defense Heroes will definitely help to bolster your defensive attempts, but each of their abilities, rates of mobility, and weapons means that they provide a level of character diversity within classes unparalleled in class-based shooters to date.
Objectives
The objectives in Overwatch may very well be an aspect of the game you overlook, but when you truly sit there and think about them, they’ve been pretty expertly designed. Let’s take the Control game mode as an example. Rather than the control point being free to be captured from the very moment the game begins, which would result in huge amounts of players opting for a Hero with fast mobility, it instead has a 30-second countdown. This gives players ample time to make their way to the objective regardless of player type.
It’s these kinds of elements of the objectives that make Overwatch such a more balanced and enjoyable experience regardless of your playstyle. No game mode forces you to play as a character class you don’t want to, helping to prevent the game from getting stale.
Metagame
Being a class-based multiplayer game, it was imperative that Overwatch got its metagame right. For those not in the know, metagaming is where you choose your character depending on the characters that your opposition has chosen. This allows you to avoid their strengths and exploit their weaknesses.
With Overwatch, the different classes that Heroes are split into, as well as their own individual abilities all play into the metagame. Think of it as a rock, paper, scissors situation. While your team can continue to play as your preferred characters in each match, you’d be much more effective by countering the choices made by your opposition. Blizzard has managed to nail the meta in Overwatch to the extent that you’ll want to learn how to play with a number of different Heroes just so you can counter and be more effective in battle. I guess we’ll just spend another couple hundred hours playing it, then!
If you want to read more on Overwatch, be sure to check out our wiki.
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