Might as well burst the abscess from the start and immediately shoot the elephant in the hallway: yes, Overwatch 2 is more of a simple update than a real second episode. The numbers don't lie: 32 of the 35 characters available are from the first installment, and the same goes for 16 of the 22 cards present at launch. We are therefore indeed dealing with a typical evolution of a service game rather than two parts of the same franchise. Moreover, the closure of the Overwatch 1 servers also goes in this direction. This editorial, marketing and commercial choice is all the more astonishing as it leads to the definitive disappearance of 6 versus 6 games. Indeed, some important changes are still needed to justify the existence of Overwatch 2, and the composition of the teams is one of them, since they now only welcome 5 players at a time. One less tank and everything is depopulated? For some hardcore first-timers accustomed to the old “meta,” the change might actually be hard to swallow. But in absolute terms, it seems rather healthy to us. The games gain in dynamism and readability, and the rebalancing of certain heroes according to this new standard brings a little breath of fresh air.
Might as well burst the abscess from the start and immediately shoot the elephant in the hallway: yes, Overwatch 2 is more of a simple update than a real second episode. The numbers don't lie: 32 of the 35 characters available are from the first installment, and the same goes for 16 of the 22 cards present at launch.
In terms of welcome innovations, we can also mention the contextual ping system, which makes it easy to give directions to our partners, or the graphic overhaul, which is a facelift but prevents maps from getting stuck in 2016. The system lighting is a bit more modern and, combined with overall warmer colors, it offers a certain feeling of novelty. As for the modes, it is Advanced which takes care of surprising the players. The two teams try to take control of a robot located in the center of the map and capable of pushing two barricades towards one or the other of the two bases. The winners are then the players who have reached the base of the other team or, failing that, those who have pushed back the opposing barricade the furthest. Sympathetic, these rules are however not revolutionary. Fortunately, the total number of modes and variations remains high enough in absolute terms.
THREE HEROES FOR THE PRICE OF ZERO
Overwatch 2 is also very generous in terms of heroes, since there are now 35. Among them, the three new recruits (all female) are Sojourn, the Queen of Junkers, and Kiriko. The first, equipped with an electric gun that can store and then release energy, is certainly the most classic. The second has not only a shotgun, but also a serrated blade that she can throw and call back to her. Its ultimate attack damages opponents, inflicting damage over time and preventing them from healing. But our preference goes without a doubt to Kiriko, who is particularly interesting to play. If she has a kunai that can occasionally inflict high critical damage, she is especially marvelous in the support role. His special movement ability is to teleport to a targeted ally (including from very far away and through scenery), his basic "fire" is made up of homing healing talismans, a protection charm allows him to suppress the negative effects suffered by his teammates and make them briefly invulnerable, and his ultimate ability summons the spirit of a fox which increases the movement speed, attack speed and cooldowns of allies present all at once in the wake of the beast. Just that ! 
Obviously aware of the attractiveness of this character, Blizzard has also placed it very far in the Battle Pass (at rank 55 precisely). Because, yes, the transition to free-to-play is necessarily synonymous with the store, virtual currency, seasons, daily and weekly challenges, and Battle Pass. Kiriko is still offered to owners of the first Overwatch, and immediately accessible for those who invest in the Premium Battle Pass (which also provides access to many additional cosmetic elements). But players who don't want to open their wallets at all will have to play many games before they can get their hands on it. Even if we would have preferred a purely cosmetic pass, it's still fair game for a free game. On the other hand, we will be more severe with regard to the Player versus Environment mode initially promised by Blizzard, and totally absent from Overwatch 2 for the moment. This campaign is postponed to 2023, without further details. Its presence would have allowed the game to justify its second episode status, and to better conceal what it really is: a very nice update to the first Overwatch, but nothing more.
