On August 10th, Overwatch 2 finally released the long-awaited Story Mode Missions. In an update bringing the largest content drop since the game’s launch, Overwatch 2: Invasion included brand new canon PvE missions set in the universe’s present. With all the hype from this update dying down, and after having played all three missions multiple times, it’s about time to discuss the extent of the success of the content. What did it get right, and what did it get wrong?
Story: A Needed Expansion
The universe of Overwatch 2 has always been a strong point of love for the community. It’s diverse, expansive, rich, and inspiring. The heroes of this game are the absolute pillars behind the story. To see them interact with one another in canon scenarios is always a treat. We get to see Sojourn reunite with Winston and learn about her differing views on the recall. We learn more about the omnic crisis as well as how each hero views it.
Overwatch 2 Story Missions build on the foundations of a brilliant narrative
I did feel as though there were some inconsistencies between the new interactions and the pre-established lore. For example, we know that Mercy and Genji were close during Overwatch’s time together, and in their time apart. Their relationship almost felt like it was heading towards something more than a friendship. They have but one possible in-game interaction in the story’s second mission. Sadly, even this comes across quite harshly, despite the light-hearted nature of the conversation. It is, however, amazing to see the story come back to life again regardless of the finer details such as this.
Gameplay: Archives, But Better
Older fans of the game will remember the beloved Archives Event. These events saw brand new canon story mode missions come to the game and gave us our first flavour of PvE in Overwatch. Invasion, however, expanded upon Archives in all the right ways. Enemies react distinctly to each hero’s attacks, the objectives are unique and interesting. The sound design and dialogue make it immersive and interactive. This gives you a rush as you weather a snowstorm in Mission 2, escorting two defenceless civilian omnics while enemies relentlessly pile around you. The developers have clearly built upon the foundations of Archives and made it feel more polished and distinct from the original PvP game mode.
Mission two is titled Invasion and centres around Sojourn in Toronto
I do think that there is room for improvement. This is especially true given the hype and anticipation of the PvE side of the game. I almost felt like there wasn’t enough content, but this is likely due to the broken promise of the cancelled endlessly replayable Hero Missions. Elements of this should make their way into Story Missions in some form, such as smaller, less game-changing ability upgrades. I found myself playing the missions to search for lore drops, but losing interest after the fifth or sixth time. Don’t get me wrong, they’re fun, but they don’t have as much team interaction as one may hope. This is apparent when the dialogue seems to always be between the mandatory hero (e.g Sojourn in Mission Two) and the rest of the cast, rather than the selectable cast.
Monetisation Format: A Worrying Style
In order to play these Story Missions, one must purchase them via the Overwatch 2: Invasion Bundle. Purchasing them already felt like a slap to the face, but an unfortunately expected one. The three missions are a little pricey, but you do get permanent access to them. This means you can play them all year round, unlike the original Archives missions, which came around only twice a year (including the Anniversary Events later down the line).
Are the Overwatch 2 Story Mode Missions worth the price?
Is this a good thing, though? The inherent problem with this is actually a pretty big one. These game modes are PvE, but they are co-op. This means that you’ve got to queue and find three other players who are playing not only the same specific mission of the three that are available but also the same difficulty. This wasn’t hard during Archives, because the missions were linked to an event. This meant that when they came around, everyone wanted to play them during the limited time that they were available. Having permanent access to these Story Missions, which aren’t highly replayable means that finding other players to enjoy this with on any given day will become more difficult every single day. In fact, I haven’t tried to queue much since the first few weeks of Invasion because, during the second week after release, queues already became very lengthy.
I’m not sure how the developers are going to entice people to play old missions again, but it feels as though the older missions will have no one playing them altogether in the coming months, and this doesn’t seem likely to change in the future.
Overall Thoughts
With beautifully animated cutscenes, well-written dialogue, enjoyable mission stories and interactive gameplay, Overwatch 2: Invasion was a step in the right direction. Story Missions have a long way to go, though. Considering that we haven’t heard any news about future instalments of this content, it’s crucial to improve them to make the wait worth it. We need more of this content, and we need to see improvements with each new mission bundle release. Older missions need some sort of incentive to replay them as well.
The future of Overwatch 2’s narrative direction is looking brighter
I want to be excited about the future of PvE in Overwatch 2. The story mode was hopefully but a glimpse of what’s to come. With broken promises becoming frequent, and the feeling of being let down after immense excitement getting worse each time, the developers need to find a way to instil trust and excitement within the community once again. Story Missions feels like a solid way to do this, as long as we get what we’re promised, and more.
Did you purchase and play the Overwatch 2 Story Mode Missions? Let me know your thoughts on them, and what you want to see in the future of PvE.
