Shortly after the launch of Overwatch 2, Blizzard released a new animated short film. Here, Kiriko is introduced, the new healer of the hero shooter. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus experienced a rollercoaster of emotions while watching.
Blizzard has always been great at storytelling. The quality may have declined somewhat recently (I’m looking at you, Shadowlands), but the latest cinematic shows that Blizzard still has it.
When a friend showed me the video about the new hero Kiriko last night, I initially didn’t want to watch it. And oh boy! That would have been a mistake!
Early on, the scene where Kiriko communicates in sign language with an apparently deaf girl warms my heart. The girl’s laughter as she receives a big gift is just adorable.
Soon after, Kiriko explains to her concerned mother, who is first vacuuming in her “student apartment,” that she is having donuts for dinner. It reminds me a bit of anecdotes from the past and makes me laugh.
I don’t want to spoil too much, but those who have played Kiriko in Overwatch 2 know her abilities. Her ultimate makes team members faster and wilder. And… let’s just say, when a grandpa, who was just shot, and a possibly 6-year-old girl storm at gangsters like berserkers with fire axes and brooms, you can only laugh:
“They need to make an Overwatch movie”
Just a few hours after release, the English version of the video alone has garnered over 140,000 likes on YouTube and dozens of comments about the quality. Users praise: “These animated shorts are always a pleasure.”
Many fans are calling for more of this. The quality of Blizzard’s cinematics has been renowned for over 15 years and there are constant demands for a Netflix series in this style. The LoL series Arcane was indeed a tremendous success.
There are also calls for an Overwatch movie. Blizzard has had plans to adapt Overwatch into a film since 2017, but somehow nothing is happening. Unfortunately.
However, not every fan is satisfied with the video. Some criticize that everything in Overwatch could be explained scientifically – only the Japanese heroes have magic from somewhere. Others are irritated that while the film is great, it can’t distract from the current issues.
Overwatch 2 has had major server issues since its release, which have not subsided even towards the weekend. Many players worldwide cannot play, some can’t even log in.
The fact that a video now brings more joy to the game is probably not helpful. It’s a shame because Overwatch 2 is really worth it. I realized this already in the beta and was able to confirm it during the preview:
2 hours in Overwatch 2 are enough to show me what I love about this game for the past 6 years
