A few months ago, Blizzard announced that Deathmatch mode would never be part of “Overwatch.” The studio explained that the mode’s existence was an oxymoron to the game. Simply put, the developers thought it was not needed.
Fast forward to today and now the video game company has unleashed Deathmatch in “Overwatch.” For some reason, Blizzard decided to move forward with it anyway. Now that it's live, it is interesting to see just how relevant the mode is in the game.
What do players think about the mode?
Players say that when the game is an FPS, a Deathmatch mode should exist.
This is perhaps the reason Blizzard decided to develop and introduce it. After all, the community asked for it. The studio is simply doing a fan service. However, after a few hours in the game, it seems the decision to do so is a mistake.
First and foremost, Deathmatch in “Overwatch” is twofold, as reported by Tech Crunch. The maps prove to be fantastic, and they lived up to the expectations of many. Second, the characters are crafted in a way that their usability is limited outside of a certain team. This should not be an issue, though, considering it worked in the core game. But it is because the game is designed around objectives and capturing points. Hence some characters are just good for defending, healing, or holding.
Apply them to Deathmatch, and they will fall flat on the ground. Why? Because they are not designed for a free-for-all fiasco.
Certain characters excel
This is where the mode defeats the sole purpose of “Overwatch.” In one way or another, only a small chunk of characters from the rosters are effective. Players noticed that the likes of Roadhog, Hanzo, and McCree, among others, are the most used characters.
Although some can work by themselves, like Mei, most of them are really nothing special without the support of utility characters. Sombra, for instance, can be menacing at the start thanks to her hacking ability. However, midway through the game, she becomes insignificant once her abilities aren't needed as much.
Out of the overall characters in the game, only a handful of them can work best in “Overwatch” Deathmatch.
This is exactly the reason why Blizzard thinks the mode is an oxymoron to the game. Remember that the title is team based, with characters relying on one another. In an environment where anything can go wrong, some heroes just fail miserably. It seems that the notion of Deathmatch being a staple in all FPS games is not true after all. This mode can only work in an FPS game designed to have such gameplay. Still, the game is great with or without the mode.
