Just likeOverwatchbefore it,Overwatch 2seeks to continue the trend of celebrating certain holidays with themed events. It all starts with this October’s Halloween Terror, which eventually leads to other special events that take place during Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Summer.Overwatchdidn’t do much when it came to adding new twists to its themed events, which is somethingOverwatch 2looks like it wants to rectify.
Expensive skins and the reusedJunkenstein’s Revengemode aside, the newWrath of The Bridegame mode is an excellent addition toOverwatch’s roster of Halloween-themed games. It moves away from the horde-mode gameplay of the originalJunkenstein’s Revengein favor of a more narrative-driven experience. Those who found the idea of defeating waves of enemies boring or want something scarier might find something to enjoy inWrath of The Bride.
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A Tale Of Four New Heroes
Wrath of The Bridetakes place in Adlersbrunn - a modified version of the Eichenwalde map that also played host toJunkenstein’s Revenge. But whileJunkenstein’s Revengetook place solely on the bridge area outside the castle,Wrath of The Bridemakes use of the entire map and a whole new cast of characters. Whereas the originalJunkenstein’s Revengeroster consisted of Soldier: 76, Ana, Hanzo, and Cassidy (formerly known as McCree), this new game mode sees playerschoosing from Ashe, Sojourn, Junker Queen, and Kiriko.
Regardless of which character they choose,players beginWrath of The Bridein the town below the castle. They must then regroup with each other at the town tavern before making their way up toward the castle where the titular Bride of Junkenstin resides. Along the way, the four heroes must deal with the Bride’s many minions as well as a host of familiar faces turned enemies.
A Story With Structure
Instead of having players defend an area from an onslaught of foes,Wrath of The Bridefeels more organicby letting players explore the entirety of Adlersbrunn. It feels like a story is being told this time around, thanks to the narration from Reinhardt and the various lines spoken by the characters as they come across new discoveries. It gives players something else to focus on apart from all the shooting. While the player versus environment (PVE) gameplay is still present inWrath of The Bride, clever enemy placements and boss variety keep things fresh and exciting.
The narrative is best experienced firsthand, but in total, there are 6 unique bosses inWrath of The Bride- the last of which is the Bride herself. Players must defeat waves of enemies while simultaneously preventing the Bride from hitting switches. This culminates in a full-on fight against the Bride (played by Sombra) who routinely hacks and EMPs players. This may not sound like fun consideringhow annoying it is to fight a SombrainOverwatch 2’s PVP modes, but it’s much more engaging when 4 players are all focusing on her.
Aside from the gameplay and the narrative, those that love Easter eggs should keep a look-out for hidden challenges that award players with Battle Pass experience, a weapons charm, and unique voice lines. Crouching by a lantern for 6 seconds whilean Unstoppable Ghost is presentand witnessing all 7 Banshee moments are just a few of the tasks players can complete to get the fullWrath of the Brideexperience.Wrath of The Bridereuses a ton of assets from the originalOverwatchsuch as the character models and map layout, but Blizzard has sprinkled a good helping of Halloween magic to make them feel scarier and new again.
Overwatch 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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