Just like Overwatch before it, Overwatch 2 seeks to continue the trend of celebrating certain holidays with themed events. It all starts with this October’s Halloween Terror, which eventually leads to other special events that take place during Christmas, Chinese New Year, and Summer. Overwatch didn’t do much when it came to adding new twists to its themed events, which is something Overwatch 2 looks like it wants to rectify.
Expensive skins and the reused Junkenstein’s Revenge mode aside, the new Wrath of The Bride game mode is an excellent addition to Overwatch’s roster of Halloween-themed games. It moves away from the horde-mode gameplay of the original Junkenstein’s Revenge in favor of a more narrative-driven experience. Those who found the idea of defeating waves of enemies boring or want something scarier might find something to enjoy in Wrath of The Bride.
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A Tale Of Four New Heroes
Wrath of The Bride takes place in Adlersbrunn – a modified version of the Eichenwalde map that also played host to Junkenstein’s Revenge. But while Junkenstein’s Revenge took place solely on the bridge area outside the castle, Wrath of The Bride makes use of the entire map and a whole new cast of characters. Whereas the original Junkenstein’s Revenge roster consisted of Soldier: 76, Ana, Hanzo, and Cassidy (formerly known as McCree), this new game mode sees players choosing from Ashe, Sojourn, Junker Queen, and Kiriko.
Regardless of which character they choose, players begin Wrath of The Bride in the town below the castle. They must then regroup with each other at the town tavern before making their way up toward the castle where the titular Bride of Junkenstin resides. Along the way, the four heroes must deal with the Bride’s many minions as well as a host of familiar faces turned enemies.
A Story With Structure
Instead of having players defend an area from an onslaught of foes, Wrath of The Bride feels more organic by letting players explore the entirety of Adlersbrunn. It feels like a story is being told this time around, thanks to the narration from Reinhardt and the various lines spoken by the characters as they come across new discoveries. It gives players something else to focus on apart from all the shooting. While the player versus environment (PVE) gameplay is still present in Wrath of The Bride, clever enemy placements and boss variety keep things fresh and exciting.
The narrative is best experienced firsthand, but in total, there are 6 unique bosses in Wrath of The Bride – the last of which is the Bride herself. Players must defeat waves of enemies while simultaneously preventing the Bride from hitting switches. This culminates in a full-on fight against the Bride (played by Sombra) who routinely hacks and EMPs players. This may not sound like fun considering how annoying it is to fight a Sombra in Overwatch 2’s PVP modes, but it’s much more engaging when 4 players are all focusing on her.
Aside from the gameplay and the narrative, those that love Easter eggs should keep a look-out for hidden challenges that award players with Battle Pass experience, a weapons charm, and unique voice lines. Crouching by a lantern for 6 seconds while an Unstoppable Ghost is present and witnessing all 7 Banshee moments are just a few of the tasks players can complete to get the full Wrath of the Bride experience. Wrath of The Bride reuses a ton of assets from the original Overwatch such as the character models and map layout, but Blizzard has sprinkled a good helping of Halloween magic to make them feel scarier and new again.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
