Since it’s announcement via a cinematic trailer that looked more like a Pixar movie than a game, Blizzard’s work-in-progress, Overwatch, has been steadily gaining hype. Recently, they revealed the newest character to hit the game’s roster, Soldier: 76.
To catch up anyone out of the loop, Overwatch is Blizzard’s six on six shooter currently in closed alpha stages of development. Here’s the announcement trailer I just mentioned, as well as the first official gameplay trailer.
Since November of 2014, when the game was first announced, Blizzard has been revealing more and more of the game. There’s a lot of related media to share, so to avoid loading this page with embedded YouTube videos, I’ll direct you to the official Overwatch YouTube channel as well as providing specific links.
The game features a growing list of characters to choose from, each featuring their own skills, techniques, and playstyles, as well as unique appearances, personalities, and backstories. Including Soldier: 76, there are currently 15 playable characters in all.
Soldier: 76 is a man named Jack Morrison who used to play a leading role in the Overwatch of the past before public opinion began to rapidly decline. The organization fell apart and their headquarters destroyed in an attack thought to have killed Morrison. To protect his identity and carry on the illusion of his death, he rejoins the new Overwatch as Solder: 76.
Origin story, gameplay, and ability overview videos are also available on the YouTube channel.
His arsenal begins with the pulse rifle, his standard attack featuring mid-range automatic laser shots with a quick reload. Secondary are the helix rockets, the blue trio of bombs featured in the intro video and work mainly as a burst of damage amid the steady rifle-pelting. Like any soldier, he can sprint and he packs a deployable short-range healing node called the Biotic Field. His last ability features his Tactical Visor, which is difficult to explain. For a short time, as 76 fires, the crosshair becomes much more forgiving and he takes over shooting enemies when the crosshair isn’t directly over one in a display some people are calling similar to aimbotting.
Soldier: 76 has an interesting backstory deeply intertwined with the mythos of the game world and provides a balanced and well rounded style of play. If you want to see the other characters in action, make sure to check out each of their official videos too! You can expect a closed beta by the end of this year.