Overwatch has returned with it’s anticipated return of “Uprising” and the addition of “Retribution”. What does this mean for Overwatch players? We get to experience more of the storyline lore. We are full of questions like: “how did our beloved Gabriel Reyes become Reaper” and “will Reaper and Soldier 76 come to terms with each other?” There’s always hope that Overwatch will answer these questions in-game somehow. Instead, Jeff Kaplan, the lead designer at Overwatch, will lead us on, leaving questions unanswered. However, it will always manage to make us come back for more.
For clarification, the game mode is entirely player-versus-environment (PVE), meaning it’s you and three other online players fighting AI-controlled bots. The concept of this is much like Fortnite’s “Save the world” game mode, where you and your team fight AI-zombies.
When “Retribution” was announced, I completely lost it. I knew that this meant I could invest my time into getting new voicelines, emotes, and new skins for all my favorite characters to wear, especially Moira. However, when I got a chance to play through “Retribution”, the excitement died off quickly for me. “Retribution” didn’t cut it for me like “Uprising” did and there are a couple of reasons why this might be.
For one, we learn about the end of Overwatch and the exciting forbidden mission of the team. Perhaps learning about Blackwatch in retribution can be mysterious and exciting, but there’s so much left to learn about Overwatch. In Uprising, we learn that the Omnic (robots) have revolted and Jack Morrison (who we know as Soldier 76), goes against order and sends a team consisting of Mercy, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, and a newly-recruited Tracer on a mission to destroy these Null-Sector omnics.
Anyone who plays with me knows that I genuinely think that Kings Row is the best playable map in the game. So when “Uprising” introduced their PVE mode on Kings Row, I was quaking in excitement. Players get to experience Kings Row in the day time, which is an entirely different than what we are used to
Speaking of the gameplay, “Uprising” definitely takes the cake when it comes to the playable characters. You can play as healer Mercy, tanky Reinhardt, damage-dealing Tracer, and a defensive Torbjörn. This setup has an even balance of support and damage, and I didn’t think having three DPS (damage dealing) characters plus a healer would be fun in “Retribution”. If you play healer in “Retribution”, you are playing with three other attack characters that cannot shield themselves in any way. In “Uprising”, you don’t have to worry about that whatsoever because your Mercy will heal you and your Reinhardt will use his shield to protect you.
The cherry on top has to be the terrifying Null-Sector omnics. As I said before, the omnics are robots that have been causing havoc and Overwatch is stopping at nothing to defeat them and liberate Kings Row. This shouldn’t startle you because you’re supposed to be the hero, but when you hear the sound of the gigantic detonator as it appears, your hair will stand on its ends. I remember feeling my blood pumping when I heard the cry of the B73-NS, or as I like to call him “Backward Bastion”. These two make your gameplay absolute hell, but bring waves of satisfaction everytime you burn them to the ground.
I feel as though “Retribution” fell short and had plenty potential. I hope that we are provided with more to mess with when the next Archives event comes around.
Now it’s my turn to step in. I’m the Deputy Editor in Chief, Caesar Torres and I’m here to argue why “Retribution” is better than “Uprising.”
I have been wanting a solid story mode for Overwatch ever since it first came out, and I’m not the only one who would like to see this. Unfortunately for us lore fans, we have to rely on comics, animated shorts, and events like this one to keep our attention since it seems we aren’t getting a story mode.
However I felt as if the story in “Retribution” was better than that of “Uprising.” I find the idea of a Blackwatch mission gone wrong is more compelling and interesting than the omnic takeover of King’s Row. “Retribution” also provided players with a cool, short cutscene before the mission started, something that was lacking in last year’s event.
The playable team in “Retribution” is also better than “Uprising’s.” Even though my favorite character, Tracer was a playable character in “Uprising,” the combination of Reaper, Genji, McCree, and Moira worked better for me than Tracer, Torbjorn, Reinhardt, and Mercy.
“Retribution” also offers a new map in Venice, Italy, whereas “Uprising” took place in an original Overwatch map. “Retribution” also isn’t an escort mission like “Uprising.” Instead, this gamemode offered a little diversity in a two-year-old game that needs it.
The Overwatch team also addressed an issue that players faced in last year’s event. Resurrecting fallen players no longer takes a tedious amount of time like it did in “Uprising.”
“Retribution” even had better skins than last year’s event. The only notable skin, in my opinion, from last year was Tracer’s Cadet Oxton skin. Some highlights include Moira’s Blackwatch skin, Mei’s Pajamei skin, Doomfist’s Talon skin, Sombra’s Talon skin, and Reaper’s Soldier 24 skin.
This year’s event felt like a brand new extension to the overall game in terms of story and gameplay. Both of events had their highlights, but I would argue that “Uprising” was the weaker event of the two.
Alma Tovar & Caesar Torres
Features Reporter & Deputy Editor in Chief