Highlights
- Prop hunt has become a popular game mode in FPS franchises like Call of Duty and Fortnite, and now Overwatch 2 is joining in with its Mischief and Magic limited-time game mode.
- The Mischief and Magic prop hunt in Overwatch 2 lacks map variety, which is essential for optimal engagement and preventing players from memorizing hiding spots.
- With only one map, hunters can memorize all the props and potential hiding spots after just a few matches, putting the hiders at a severe disadvantage.
Hide and Seek might be a folk children's game, but it never gets old, as more developers in flagship FPS franchises incorporate the element into their games. Since the first appearance of prop hunts in Counter-Strike: Source in 2012, it has become a classic mode, with games like Call of Duty and Fortnite introducing the mechanism into their gameplay to add a captivating element. Overwatch 2 is the latest FPS to hop on the bandwagon with its Mischief and Magic limited-time game mode, allowing players to mimic objects in the environment to hide from hunters. As prop hunts increase in popularity in the gaming world, Blizzard is playing catch up to the trend, and Overwatch 2's rendition needs one thing to reach its potential and truly pop off the charts.
The allure of prop hunts is easy to see, as more people - gamers and spectators alike - are flocking to experience the thrill of hunting a team of hiding players before the clock expires, and on the flip side, finding the best hiding spots to elude other players. Overwatch 2's adoption of this mechanism comes at the perfect time, but the Mischief and Magic prop hunt lacks much-needed map variety, and Blizzard needs to create more maps to ensure optimal fan engagement.
Blizzard Needs to Give Mischief and Magic More Maps
Overwatch 2's Mischief and Magic groups players into teams of 5 in a match of two groups, the Royal Guard Genji and the Kiriko. Genji players will hunt for Kiriko, who will transform into random objects to blend into the Blizzard World map. A round of Mischief and Magic lasts for two minutes, and this version of prop hunt seems a little easier than others, as there is no punishment for Genji slashing random suspicious objects in the map in their quest to find Kiriko members.
In Overwatch 2, Kiriko players have microphone audio that taunts Genji hunters at intervals, much like Call of Duty's whistles, but this time with clear agitating sentences. These sounds alert Genji to the locations of hiding players, and picking an unassuming concealed spot is essential for survival in the Mischief and Magic mode. Unlike other prop hunts that allow their props a health bar, Kiriko players can be killed with a single hit, raising the stakes even higher. To mitigate Genji's numerous advantages, Blizzard doesn't allow shurikens in its prop hunt mode.
However, the Kirikos have a few defense mechanisms in their arsenal to give them better chances of survival. They can double jump, climb walls, and swap into a different object if players feel their prop is in danger of being found. Asides from these, Kiriko's defense comes in the form of stun flashbangs, delaying the audio taunts and giving players time to relocate their props. Additionally, Kiriko players can ambush Genji with melee attacks, and a team of Kirikos can take down their hunters if they band together.
With all these said, having just one map for prop hunts is counterproductive for Mischief and Magic's wow factor. There are only so many places a Kiriko can place their props, and after a few playthroughs, Genji can intuitively guess the player's hiding places. Map variety is essential for prop hunt enjoyment, and this dynamic is exemplified in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered, with the title offering a whopping 15 maps. A good number of maps reduces the chances of players memorizing hiding places, and in Overwatch 2, this dynamic change will give the Kiriko a better fighting chance.
Overwatch 2 is available now for the Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
