If you are a keen enjoyer of all things One Punch Man, you may get a kick out of the latest content patch within Overwatch 2.
Some radical new crossover skins have entered the Overwatch 2 store – but there is also a pretty hefty dose of cool, player-centric changes (and freebies) that have snuck in with this mid-season event patch.
It’s a collaboration of heroic proportions 👊
Grab the Legendary #Overwatch2 x #OnePunchMan skins when they hit the Shop today 💥 pic.twitter.com/p28488u7QE
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) March 7, 2023
First and foremost – the freebies! Sure the One Punch Man event may not have a specific game-mode associated with it (One-hit KO punch Doomfist might get old real quick) but we do still have a range of neat things to earn, simply by playing the game. These include:
- 4 games played – Saitama’s Fist Weapon Charm
- 8 games played – Mumen Rider Name Card
- 12 games played – Cyclist of Justice Victory Pose for Soldier: 76
- 16 games played – Justice Crash Highlight Intro for Soldier: 76
- 20 games played – Boros Weapon Charm
- 24 games played – Legendary Mumen Rider-Soldier: 76 skin
Now on the surface this seems like it could be a heck of a grind – but there is a very interesting quirk to the above in-game challenges, and it almost seems like a test by the Overwatch 2 team to see how it behaves before implementing it elsewhere. Each of the above challenges have some text on them that mentions that a victory will count as double progress. This means that while the Legendary skin asks you to play 24 games, you could end up winning just a paltry 12 and be done with it.
This is a big deal, because the standard in-game challenges have had a great deal of criticism leveraged towards the ones that ask you to specifically “win” a particular mode or challenge event. Take for example the original weekly Arcade Mode challenge, which asked you to win in the Arcade – easier said than done, and actually undermines the chaotic nature of the Arcade playlist. While that challenge has already been amended (It now asks you to play a range of game types), many would likely find it’s original incarnation a great deal more palatable if losing a game still offered progress. Not to mention that the concept of “Win X games OR Play Y games” as an in-game challenge exists in other titles.
Then, there is the implementation of the new One Punch Man cosmetics and bundles. Sure, they are still asking for real money to unlock them – but for a change, the bundles are not the exclusive way to purchase these items. I looked around at the individual Victory Poses and Emotes that I desired, away from the $40+ AUD bundle and noticed that they are available, separate, right from the start. Not only that, but the Victory Pose for Kiriko is actually cheap enough that I can purchase it with in-game Overwatch Bux that I have earned simply from playing. A welcome change, and a very player-friendly one.
Finally, and it may see inconsequential to many – but the in-game lore panels have returned to the hero gallery. These little snippets of text would provide additional tasty lore to particular skins – fleshing out both the story of the character it belonged to and the circumstances around the skins relevance. They were entirely absent upon the re-release of Overwatch into Overwatch 2, and many lamented and question why the heck they would vanish.
With their return, both new and returning players can indulge in the living story that defines Overwatch 2, understanding motivations and events that shape each of the games unique characters – all from the comfort of the hero gallery.
A surprisingly generous and helpful patch all round, with plenty of promise to players that the Overwatch 2 team are listening to feedback and absolutely improving the game.
How are you feeling about these Overwatch 2 changes? Are you excited by the One Punch Man event content? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
