Overwatch is a team based, stylized, multiplayer first-person shooting game in which you and five other players on your team try to attack or defend an objective. There are a variety of maps, each with their own objective. There are 23 characters (some pictured below) currently, each unique in their performance and personality.

There are four categories of characters: Attack, Support, Defense, and Tank. Attack characters excel at flanking the enemy team and capturing an objective. They also tend to deal the most damage but have the least amount of health. The Defense category is where characters excel at defending an objective and stopping the enemy team from advancing. The Tanks have the most health and are used to defend the rest of the team. The Support category is full of healers and other types of characters.

Let’s compare two characters from the Attack roster. First off we have Soldier 76 who has some of the best damage in the game (20 damage), a self heal, and a high damage projectile; he also can sprint if he needs to get someplace quickly. He is good for short and medium range and is very good at taking down some of the tanks and the flying characters like Phara. Next in the Attack category is Reaper, the close range monster with 8 rounds in a clip. He can warp to a far away point with his Shadow Step ability and can become briefly invulnerable with his Wraith ability. As you can see, they both are very mobile and deal a lot of damage which is the point of the attack category of characters.

Moving on to the Defense category, we have Bastion. One of the most controversial characters in the game, Bastion has a max DPS of 525, but unfortunately, he is extremely easy to counter, he is immobile while in his turret configuration. There is also Torbjorn who can make turrets that deal a modest amount of damage when fully upgraded. He can also buff up his team with temporary armor which reduces damage and gives 75 health. These two are similar and, unfortunately, completely situational if you play in the competitive game mode. Roadhog has one main weakness: he’s also slow. But he can pull people into close range with his hook which guarantees a kill. To round off the Tanks, there is the one and only Reinhardt. He is a pure melee character so all he needs is a huge hammer to use that offers 75 damage per swing. He also has a shield which is his main draw that can absorb only 2000 damage before it breaks and makes him unable to attack. He can also charge forward to stun and pin an opponent against a wall, guaranteeing a kill if it hits. Roadhog is a more offensive tank in comparison to Reinhardt.

Last, but most certainly not least, is the Support category, arguably the least appreciated type of character in the game. Without the Support characters, an attack would be meaningless with the enemy picking you off as you move to the objective. Ana is one of the most played healers in competitive play at the moment due to the sheer effectiveness of her healing. She has a rifle that shoots darts to heal teammates and damage opponents. Her Biotic Grenade does the same, but is used as a burst heal: it also boosts or stops healing on a target, depending on what team they’re on. And one of her many other useful abilities is her tranquilizer pistol which puts enemies to sleep if you can land the shot for about 15 seconds. If used correctly, this pistol can save a few lives at the same time. To use Ana, one must have a very precise aim, as she is a sniper. On the other side of the spectrum is Mercy who is also a remarkable healer. She has a staff that allows her to heal or boost damage as long as it benefits a teammate. She also can fly to a faraway teammate to save herself.

The Overwatch cast is colorful and diverse both in character and gameplay. The game is fun to play and stands out in the sea of realistic shooters by adding a splash of color and life into a predictable genre, and so I have to give this game a 10/10.