Highlights
- Strinova, an anime-style shooter, is drawing attention with unique third-person gameplay and character transformations.
- Some argue that Strinova's maps are suspiciously similar to Overwatch 2 locations, sparking controversy.
- Seemingly by Valorant and Counter-Strike, Strinova may find success by blending popular shooter mechanics.
With 2024 shaping up to be the year of hero shooters, the latest title making waves in the community is Strinova, an upcoming anime-style shooter by iDreamSky Technology. Not yet out of its testing phase, Strinova is being marketed as a unique third-person tactical shooter that emphasizes competitive play. Notably, while the game boasts characters that can switch freely between three-dimensional and two-dimensional forms, its maps are being called into question for being incredibly similar to locations in Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2, released in 2022, is Blizzard's sequel and successor to the original 2016 Overwatch. Though the game has had a rocky lifespan, mostly due to the battle pass system and PvE pitfalls, the title has managed to maintain its status as the face of the hero shooter genre. As similar games begin to emerge, it has become evident that some developers may be drawing creative inspiration from Blizzard's designs.
Concord has One Crucial Advantage over Marvel Rivals
Despite concerns over Concord's originality, it does have one advantage over Marvel Rivals that can set it apart.
Strinova May Be Following in Marvel Rivals' Footsteps
Marvel Rivals' Tokyo 2099 Controversy Is Still Fresh
NetEase Games' Marvel Rivals faced criticism in early May after unveiling Tokyo 2099. This map was revealed to be a hybrid, blending elements of Domination, a familiar capture-and-hold mode, with Convoy, a version of the classic Payload mode seen in other games. Some Overwatch 2 enthusiasts criticized Tokyo 2099 as a copy of Hanamura, putting the futuristic Shin-Shibuya setting under scrutiny for its similar themes and architecture.
These allegations arose after theories that characters like Bruce Banner and Peni Parker were meant to be NetEase Games' answer to D.Va. Similarly, it seems that several other characters from Marvel Rivals have counterparts in Overwatch 2. As Strinova expands to Western markets, it appears to be following a path previously taken by Marvel Rivals, with a success rate that remains to be seen.
Some of Strinova's Maps Seem Eerily Familiar
Any pixelation or blurriness in Strinova 's images may be the result of screenshots from the game being of poor quality. They should not be used as an indication of the playtest rendering inadequately.
In what may feel like history repeating itself, one of Strinova's Escort maps, Albazino Industries (directly translated from Chinese as Yaxa Factory), has sparked comparisons to Overwatch's Watchpoint: Gibraltar following a viral Twitter post by ixLyuna. The post claims the maps are near-identical and with parallels in all three points, Overwatch players have been quick to voice their opinions. However, it's important to note that Overwatch was not the first hero shooter to find mainstream success, and it likely took inspiration from games like Team Fortress 2.
Since Watchpoint: Gibraltar debuted as an Escort map eight years ago in the first Overwatch, it's hard to ignore the similarities between the two. A YouTube channel named Falling5tar even uploaded a short video to highlight each segment of Albazino Industries' payload route. If one searches through Strinova's official Discord server, they'll also find the same user has included a blueprint of both maps in a top-down format for further analysis.
Furthermore, although it didn't garner enough attention to become a viral sensation, some Strinova players have also observed that the Departure map may have been inspired by King's Row. Despite forgoing the first capture point of Kings Row, the first and second stretches of Departure share various similarities to Overwatch's London-based map. One specific similarity is a bookstore located in the same spot as Moriarty's Fine Books Bookshop, a store tucked into the left corner of King's Row's second point.
Strinova Has Taken Clear Inspiration From Valorant and Counter-Strike
While Strinova employs a third-person perspective, its featured game modes closely resemble those typically found in tactical shooters. This currently includes, but isn't necessarily limited to:
- Demolition
- Scrimmage
- Escort
At present, Escort does not seem to be a core game mode for Strinova , and the developers have not confirmed whether it will be included as one in the future.
Additionally, due to its overlapping communities, some have noted that Area 88 bears striking similarities to Counter-Strike's Dust 2, a popular map that was first released in 2001. Known by Strinova's characters as the "Wall Street of Paradise," the hub has analogous choke points, most recognizably in Long A and Pit. However, despite featuring models and textures reminiscent of Valorant, Strinova has the potential to carve out a name for itself by blending mechanics inspired by various popular shooters.
Overwatch 2
Overwatch 2 is Blizzard's free-to-play team-based first-person shooter. The title features some new heroes like Junker Queen and Sojourn, as well as returning favorites.
