The beta is over, for good this time. Overwatch is already a huge success for Blizzard, and it’s the first new IP (I don’t count Hearthstone) for a very, very long time. We already know it has an amazing art style, superbly designed and diverse characters, and a great cinematic team creating lore for the game. Why is everyone hooked though?

The thing is, Blizzard designed the game as well as it’s characters. Overwatch is a multiplayer shooter, where each hero fits a specific playstyle and role. You fight over objectives such as points to capture, payloads to escort of a big fight over specific sections of the map. If your team is struggling against specific heroes, you’re encouraged to change at whim. It results in games with a huge amount of variety, and encounters are always interesting.

Those encounters are spectacles as well. All the abilities and weapons are so unique that every massive fight results in rockets, lazers, bullets, ice, shuriken or anything in between flying between players franticly trying to win and defeat the other team. Even with all the hectic stuff going on, it’s easy to tell who’s who, with each character having a unique silhouette meaning that even at a glance, you’ll know who you’re up against.

Overwatch does a lot of things right. All the characters are fun, the gameplay is solid, and there’s already a good variety of maps and modes for the time being. All this can only be improved with the free maps and characters that will be implemented in the future. Even unlocking customizations such as skins is fulfilling, as you keep striving to play more to see what you unlock next.

All my time spent in Overwatch, whether it was playing on my own or with friends, was a great time, win or lose. It was exciting playing in tough matches, trying to figure out the best possible characters for each situation. It challenges you in new ways, and makes you learn more than one character, without forcing it down your throat. You’re eager to try out someone new after you get killed by them, rather than just get frustrated by one popular, seemingly overpowered hero.

Blizzard’s new IP has a bright future, and I’m excited to see how it does on it’s official release in a couple of weeks. It’ll be really interested to follow and see how they update the game going forward, adding to their diverse roster and coming up with new ways for us to play. It’s the most refreshing game I’ve played for a long time.