Overwatch 2 has been one of the most controversial high-profile games in recent memory. First announced back in November 2019, Blizzard promised a lot for its long-awaited hero-shooter sequel, including a full PvE mode with expansive skill trees and unique abilities for each Hero. Before Overwatch 2's launch last year, Blizzard confirmed that the game's PvE mode wouldn't be available on launch, but it would still be coming to the game. Flash-forward to just a few weeks ago, when Blizzard announced that Overwatch 2's PvE mode wasn't going to look quite how it was promised.
Allegedly done because development was just taking too long, Overwatch 2's fully-fledged PvE mode was officially canceled, sort of. While Overwatch 2 will still get PvE content every few Seasons, these missions will no longer include skill trees for each Hero, and the mode has apparently been pared back quite a bit. Blizzard has tried to get on top of this disappointing news by releasing a trailer for Overwatch 2's next Season during the recent Xbox Games Showcase, including a brief glimpse at the game's upcoming PvE missions, and while there's still disappointment in the air, there's a clear strength to the mode that's already present.
The Biggest Strength of Overwatch 2's PvE Mode is Its Canon Cutscenes and Dialogue
Titled Overwatch 2: Invasion, this new Season is set to launch on August 10, and it's set to bring a number of new features to the game, from a new Support Hero to a new PvP game mode, to some new training mode challenges. But, of course, the biggest addition in this new Season is the first set of Overwatch 2 PvE missions. According to a recent preview from Game Informer, Overwatch 2's first set of story missions will take players to Rio de Janeiro, Gothenburg, and Toronto, tasking various Heroes with pushing back Omnic forces in a series of objective-based missions across huge maps.
But while the gameplay is sure to be good, Overwatch 2's story missions' biggest strength is likely their canon cinematic cutscenes and in-game character dialogue. If there's one thing Blizzard has always gotten right, it's cinematic trailers, and for the last seven years, they've been the only real form of story content for Overwatch, filling in character backstories and fleshing out the game's lore and setting. From the little fans have seen so far, it seems as though Overwatch 2's story missions are really leaning into this great strength, with full cinematic cutscenes seemingly setting the stage before a story mission.
It also seems as though Overwatch 2's story missions are going to double down on in-game character interactions. One of the biggest highlights of Overwatch has always been the unique personalities of its characters, and seeing them interact with one another during the game's pre-match. Overwatch 2's story missions finally have the opportunity to bring even more of these character interactions to the game and continue fleshing out its lore with subtle references and witty back-and-forths.
Overwatch 2's story missions also have the perfect opportunity to give some more underrated characters the spotlight via the game's story. While characters like Tracer, Reinhardt, and Cassidy are all fan favorites for a reason, they've already had plenty of time to shine over the last seven years, whether it's been through in-game interactions, cinematics, or character-focused comics and novels. Overwatch 2 currently has 37 playable Heroes, and that number is only increasing with almost every Season. These story missions are finally an opportunity to highlight a few Heroes with lesser-known origins and motivations.
Overwatch 2 is out now in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
