Over the past few weeks, I have been dipping my toes back into the world of Overwatch 2. With the release of Flashpoint and the new Invasion season, I was able to check out the new story missions and the new playable support character, Illari. And while I haven’t paid too much attention to the storyline of Overwatch or Overwatch 2 so far, I’ve only played when some friends wanted to, as first-person shooters aren’t really my thing. So my experience with the newer additions will probably be very different from the average Overwatch 2 player.
The story missions in Overwatch 2: Invasion are something I’ve been looking for in the hero shooter genre for years. It is a chance for the more single-player-oriented players like myself to dive into the game without having to worry about how well we are keeping our team together while at the same time giving these unique heroes some real weight in the world.
Without spoiling anything from the three PvE story missions that are part of Overwatch 2: Invasion, I can say that they do a good job of not only cementing the Overwatch heroes into the world by having us deal with threats in Rio de Janeiro, Gothenburg, and Toronto. Toronto was particularly hard hit because, hey, it’s Canada. But they also succeed in telling an exciting story with just enough mystery behind it to make me want to come back quickly, and if they add more, as Blizzard has confirmed, there will be several seasons before the next batch comes out.
“The story missions in Overwatch 2: Invasion are something I’ve been looking for in the hero shooter genre for years.”
There are clearly some excellent writers on the Overwatch 2 side of Blizzard. I think they could have gone a little further with the actual storytelling aspect of the PvE mission. While the cutscenes are amazing and stunning and do a good job of conveying the story. It just feels like there’s a bit too much going on for newer players like myself. Perhaps giving each character their own moment to shine during the missions would help a player get to know some heroes better and stick with them instead.
You can also fill the empty team slots with A.I. as these are team-based missions, my biggest issue is that even as a newer player, I felt like I had to carry the A.I. when it was part of my team. That feels pretty bad, especially for someone who dislikes getting involved in a multiplayer-centric lobby. Unless you have other people in your lobby or you are really good, the odds are not in your favour. But I am hopeful that with some tweaking, this will not be an issue for long as I have enjoyed it.
The new hero introduced in Overwatch 2: Invasion, Illari, is a supporting character who comes from Peru, and clearly, they took that background very seriously. Illari is steeped in Peruvian culture in her appearance alone. She derives her powers from the sun, bringing new healing mechanics and variety to the support role. Illari was a pretty good time to play as. As I said, I’m an amateur in Overwatch 2, but a support role is perfect for someone like me, and the way her abilities work seemed pretty easy to understand but challenging to master.
She wields a solar rifle, which is primarily used as a ranged weapon, but its secondary use is a healing beam that uses up your solar charge. This came in handy when I was trying to get into the paint with my team and was getting overpowered. Some of her other abilities made my job as a supporter quite easy. A healing pylon that you could deploy quickly to heal your teammates. Her ultimate was fantastic, and I only used it a couple of times, but this giant sunburst slowed enemy movement and blew up some enemies if they took enough damage. It’s a sight to behold.
Flashpoint itself is pretty simple. It is a team-based control point game type. Teams of players will fight tooth and nail to capture three flashpoints before the other team does. Alongside Flashpoint, Overwatch 2 will release two new maps, Suravasa and New Junk City.
Finally, the Hero Mastery Missions. These single-player-only replayable missions will help new and returning players to Overwatch 2 hone their skills with specific Heroes. A select group of heroes will be at launch, with more to be added over time. This seems like a very welcome addition to the growing number of playstyles being added, as it also seems like a good and interesting way to bring new players on board and try to level the playing field with long-time players.
The Overwatch 2: Invasion season launches on August 10th for 15$ and includes 1,000 Overwatch Coins.
