The newest map on Overwatch was released to consoles this week, and I’ve been getting to grips with it.
It’s amazing how gametype and map really change the way I approach a round, using different heroes to feel comfortable.
This map is no different, and it’s seen me using a hero I never use, and using them almost exclusively!
How is the map?
Well, it looks like an Overwatch map, which is to be expected. The wonderful cartoon-ish feel continues, and I love that.
It looks and feels like a fresh, clean moon base. I don’t know how I could describe it, other than it looks like you would imagine such a place to look. Neutral colors, clean lines and big windows looking out to the moon. Very deep space nine in it’s aesthetic.
The audio in the background really brings it to life, with automated messages popping up in the background, with the right amount of echo and reverb to make it sound like ongoing announcements being used for the original inhabitants. It’s really nicely done.
It’s a attack/defend map, with two capture points. One in the central area of the station, which has some great lines of sight for a turret to defend, and for decent snipers to attack from a balcony. The other is right at the back, where the defending team spawns. This is a really great room for an objective. Different ways in at different heights, keep you guessing when on the defensive team, but these are also choke-points for the attacking team, which works really nicely. I’ve found the balcony in the back-right corner (if you’re coming out of the defensive spawn), is perfect for sniper kills, and jumping down to help out on-point when it gets a little crazy.
The thing I like about this map is that it’s an interior space with multiple floors and it’s a decent size, end-to-end, without feeling like objectives are miles away, which is something I feel some of the other maps suffer from.
It’s very well proportioned and whilst it’s inside, it never feels claustrophobic.
How does it impact hero selection?
Choosing your hero is important to any team, any gametype and on any map. That’s how a team wins or loses.
As a rule I play mostly as a tank or defensive hero, and I will always fill the healer role if nobody else is.
I love trying out DPS heroes and try them all out in quickplay, all the time, and I’m learning different heroes one at a time slowly.
But I’ve found myself drawn, almost exclusively to sniping, and using Widowmaker. I NEVER use Widowmaker, she’s never really worked for me, I’m impatient, and I like to be a tank, in the thick of it. Here though, I feel more useful from a distance. I’ve never racked-up so many kills with a sniper in this game. Different vantage points, nice lines of sight both defensively and offensively, it’s really opened her up as a usable hero for me, and I’ve really enjoyed just playing on the Horizon playlist almost exclusively, and just getting to grips with Widowmaker.
I don’t feel comfortable using my usual “mains”, which is really weird. It doesn’t seem to suit my regular approach, and it’s given me an opportunity to tackle the game from a different perspective.
I don’t know how I’d fare in comp, because I wouldn’t usually use Widowmaker, but she feels like my natural selection here, so I’ll have to tackle that scenario when it arises.
Onwards
I’ve really enjoyed getting to grips with just a single map and gametype, and seeing how it affects team composition and how new points begin to have “standard” approaches to defense and offence. It’s nice to be at the forefront of that, and see matches evolve over time.
This is a great addition to the game, and it’s really helped changed my perspective on hero selection.
Now, hopefully we’ll get a new hero soon, and I can start to give them a go. In the meantime, I want to get to grips with Sombra, and see if my Widowmaker infatuation will continue on other maps.