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Blizzard just released a new animated short for its online, multiplayer shooting game “Overwatch” that featured the mech character, “Bastion.” Dubbed “The Last Bastion,” the short showed how the transformer that could turn into a turret woke up and chose a path of its own. “Overwatch” assistant game director Aaron Keller also sat down for an interview to discuss the future of the game.
Animated shorts for characters of the “Overwatch” usually exist to give players some backstory and plot points to connect with the universe. After all, the game is only multiplayer and there is no campaign to draw a more intimate source of information from as to why everyone was shooting each other. On that note, the most recent short was more about constructing an emotional tether to the character than simply informing viewers, as The Verge points out.
In the short, a deactivated “Bastion” is rebooted by a little bird that curiously pecked on its metal head. The scenes then proceeded to showcase the character slowly awakening to its surroundings, even building a relationship with nature and animals.
Near the end, it came across a grassy field full of the corpses of its robotic comrades during a war long past. “Bastion” then goes into kill mode, but the little bird that woke it up touched its gentler side and “Bastion” decides to return to the forest.
There was no dialogue in the short. It was simply a series of scenes intended to tug on the heartstrings of viewers.
In related news, Gamespot interviewed Aaron Keller to ask about the future of the game and what fans can expect. A major item in the conversation has to do with a certain choke point in the new map, “Eichenwalde,” where players will either come together as a team or face a frustrating time at moving a payload.
Keller also talked about more animated shorts coming, comics, as well as graphic novels. Finally, Keller hinted at more free content on the way, which should make “Overwatch” players very happy.
