The Overwatch community is extremely passionate about the game’s characters, and they are always quick to call out issues they have with how the heroes are represented. One example of this is currently being seen with Echo, as some Overwatch fans feel the original look for the 33nd hero addition was superior.
While Echo received changes to her kit in Overwatch’s recent experimental update, players seem more focused on her appearance at the moment. Twitter user @microrockets showcased a piece of concept art for Echo that showcases one distinct change: her lack of a face. Depicted more as a proper robotic figure, Echo instead gets a small blue circle in the center of her head as opposed to a humanoid face. This sparked a debate in the comments section, with some supporting the new design and others agreeing that it is a step down.
The debate is similar to the one started by McCree’s Overwatch 2 redesign a few months back, with some feeling that the Echo change shows a larger problem with the way Overwatch characters are portrayed. Twitter user @RedTruePotato points out that there seems to be a difference between how male and female robots are portrayed in Overwatch and other media. Using Zenyatta, Bob, and Bastion as examples of the male robots while spotlighting Echo and Orisa for the females, the argument is an interesting one.
However, Twitter user @TekinJ2000 makes some fine points about why Echo looks the way she does. First, the original image is not actually depicting Echo. While many of the design elements carried over to the character, the original concept was for Athena, the AI that Winston talked to in the Recall animated short. Further, Echo’s human-like facial features were not added for no reason, as they are there to represent her creator, Dr. Liao. With Liao being the woman behind Echo’s creation, the face is deeply rooted in Echo’s backstory.
Still, Overwatch fans have seen alternate concepts specifically for Echo, and they do seem to be supportive of the idea. Twitter user @Faalund1, for example, spotlights several different helmet concepts for the character. While the final face design is seen alongside the others, there are several other possibilities shown via Echo’s original Overwatch concept art. Design 2 removes Liao’s face entirely, while Design 1 and 3 make it look a bit more sinister. All are interesting, though only one ultimately made it into the game.
While Blizzard is unlikely to ever change Echo’s default look, as it has become integral to her story and established itself as her most iconic outfit, a cosmetic addition would be nice. Providing an alternate Echo skin that allows fans to get rid of the current face seems like a solid solution, though gamers will need to wait and see if such a costume ever comes to the game.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
