Overwatch 2‘s first-ever paid PVE was interesting. While it was an admirable attempt at longer cooperative content, it was held back by a confused creative direction and struggles to mesh with the game’s traditional modes. However, Invasion does finally present players with new lore for those invested in the game’s story.
Pros
- A satisfying extension of existing lore
- Liberation serves as a high point for the PVE content
Cons
- Cost
- Inconsistent experience with bots
Gameplay
Each mission lasts roughly 25 minutes. Once players select a mission and difficulty, they are treated to a cutscene before being placed in a queue. In my experience, the wait never surpassed three minutes. The new mode features an option for bot teammates, replacing live players who leave or disconnect from the game. These bot teammates are serviceable, but they fail to live up to the standard of your average human player.
Sound Design
The game’s new orchestrated music hits, with thoughtfully crafted tracks based on the quest objective and environment. Though the cast of Overwatch 2 received plenty of new voice lines, the banter could be a bit much at times..
Resistance
Blizzard Entertainment first teased “Resistance” nearly three years ago, with the mission serving as Lucio’s canonical debut to the game’s narrative. Set in Rio de Janeiero, Brazil, players find the city under siege by Omnics.
Map & Objectives
The four-player team fights its way to the beach through a reimagined version of the standard PVP map Paraíso. The repurposed map was well executed, bringing more life to the stage and convincingly simulating a warzone. Players proceed through the map in the reverse order compared to its PVP counterpart, leading players to a climactic battle with an enemy airship. To take down the ship, you destroy it from the inside out, from you guessed it, breaking the ship’s energy core.
The mission offers a nice variety of enemies and simple objectives, allowing teammates to move at their own pace.
Verdict
Resistance faces two key issues very early into the level. The ultimate economy and hero abilities just don’t mesh with the level’s intended gameplay. This is especially noticeable when the player is playing alongside three other live players. Ultimate abilities felt purely cosmetic without any real benefit. The mission feels surmountable even if ultimate abilities were turned off.
Despite being the star of the mission, playing support as Lucio was the least interesting role. The mission design doesn’t take advantage of Lucio’s speed-up and push abilities. Knocking enemies off the airship during a few key moments was underwhelming at best. The mission feels balanced such that any hero would fit in.
Resistance feels safe, taking few chances but failing to be exceptional. This mission feels like an appetizer and may leave the player wanting more.
Liberation
Liberation tells the story of Sojourn’s first mission after retiring from the Overwatch organization. The mission tasks players with driving Omnics out of Toronto, Canada, while providing a new spin on the game’s traditional escort mission.
Map & Objectives
Liberation is the star of Overwatch 2: Invasion. The story takes some dark twists and its final, timed objective is a thrilling experience. It features a new map with elements from New Queen Street.
Players will escort civilians through the map while protecting them from Omnic attackers, requiring cooperation to make progress. The level is fair with its checkpoint system, but Liberation offers a healthy challenge.
Verdict
Liberation serves as a challenging yet rewarding mission. Properly timed ultimate abilities helped with the experience, but players will be tested throughout the level.
The level’s only downside was a lack of human players. Bot players aren’t sufficient for tackling the level’s challenges and building a four-person team is all but necessary.
This mission was the main course without a doubt and made me hopeful for more missions like this one.
Ironclad
Ironclad serves as a sequel to the story in Liberation, taking players to Torbjörn’s workshop in Gottenburg, Sweden. The weakest of the three missions, Ironclad sees players take on an army of giant robots.
Map & Objectives
In a very Torbjörn fashion, players fight their way through the city setting up anti-air defenses and turrets. The level features a brand-new map, with elements from several standard European PVP maps, as well as some of the largest enemy types in the game. Objectives include a payload escort and defending a capture point similar to a standard PVP. The setting was the standout of this particular mission.
The gameplay flow felt lacking, with the payload escort feeling like a punishment and human players often ignoring the objective. This is nothing new, with Overwatch 2 continuing to struggle with the same issues its had since the original game’s launch in 2016. The game fails to communicate this need even as players choose to abandon these objectives.
Furthermore, the turret placement gameplay felt clunky at best, failing to mesh with the traditional FPS gameplay.
Verdict
It’s unlikely players will see this mission to the end without at least two experienced teammates in the game. While bots may be better for standing on the payload, the game’s AI often leaves them vulnerable in ways human players would never experience. Available support characters Brigitte and Lucio don’t have the healing output necessary for the mission’s constant airstrikes.
However, the story moments shined, with great synergy from heroes like Reinhardt, Bastion, Torbjörn, and Brigitte.The character interactions were nice, and Bastion is finally getting more story. The narrative meets the level of summer blockbusters and Marvel flicks – cheesy, but fun.
