Overwatch 2’s new hero Ramattra was a long time coming for Blizzard

Overwatch’s newest hero has taken a long journey overwatch 2Like many heroes in Blizzard’s shooters, our new tank hero Ramattra is a collection of ideas that have been perfected for a long time.

The protagonist’s long gestation period is also a result of the Overwatch team wanting to sow Easter eggs and hint at what’s to come, even if it’s years away.

“It takes a long time to actually create heroes in Overwatch,” art director Dion Saunders told Polygon in a recent interview. “It takes time, especially as we have more heroes.” But Ramatra was “very important to the ongoing narrative of the game,” Sanders said, adding, “When the time comes, we’ll have to release some. ‘ said.

Ramattra dates back to 2017, when Blizzard artists were designing the Null Sector unit. One person in the group who looked like a monk with a cane stood out. According to lead concept artist Qiu Fang,Inspired by Egypt, the sand-based powers of these robots eventually evolved into the Nano Knights, giving Ramatra his powers.

Complicating Ramattra’s long development was his complex character, both in terms of gameplay mechanics and narrative design. Ramatra plays in his two different forms, Omnic and Nemesis, as well as his two-in-one heroes like D.Va and Ash (and his BOB), bringing technical complexity and Overwatch his art doubles the work of his team.

Ramatra’s Duality in Match overwatch 2 Lead hero designer Alec Dawson says it reflects his personality.

“When we look at him mechanically, we want to capture this hero. [two] “I stand by him in terms of what he’s going to do to protect the public,” Dawson said.[Ramattra] It could be a little more subdued or reserved. [and] Poking from afar. And when he transforms, when he takes on Nemesis form, you see a different side of him. “

On paper, Ramattra’s abilities sound scary and potentially meta-breaking. He can switch between his two forms, offering his two feature sets of attack and defense, can penetrate barriers, and his Ravenous Vortex ability allows him to use Pharah, Echo, Mercy, etc. Confuses flying enemies. He pairs well with Lucio or Kiriko who can give him a speed burst, but he’s also very likely to flank with Ana’s Sleep his dart-like counters and Nemesis form. increase. Skill is required to use him effectively.

“Ramattra’s gameplay focuses on several skill elements. [like] When should we use it to turn the tide of the battle,” Dawson said. “A lot of focus is on transforming into Nemesis, advancing into the enemy backline, and making sure it all happens. [happening at] the right moment. There is a lot of freedom, but the focus remains on when to change, when to engage with the whole team, and to lead it. “

Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie, Overwatch’s lead narrative designer and writer, said Ramattra’s backstory and ongoing narrative writing was “a kind of immersion in my career for the interplay between machine and human intelligence.” It comes from the fascination ofof Wasteland 3, Torment: Tides of NumeneraWhen Horizon Zero Dawn.

“We have this character that was created to hunt and ultimately kill humans in the Omnic Crisis, and that was his sole purpose,” Jurgens-Fyhrie said. When I woke up, I realized it and had no choice but to face it. […] What he did during the Omnic Crisis — basically, he caused the deaths of countless Omnics. That’s what bothers him. “

as mentioned in Ramattra’s recently released short story “Reflections”an Omnic Ravager goes to Shambari to study under Mondatta, but experiences something like a Second Awakening. what is my purposeJurgens-Fyhrie said: How can he make the world a better place for the Omnic, a limited race? We’ve seen him try, and we’ve seen the world betray him. Not only is humanity not making the same effort from his point of view, but many Ravagers, his omnic model types, are dead. That is, there are those who are no longer trying to reconcile with humanity. He believes it is impossible. In fact, he believes it is dangerous to seek peace with humanity. “

Image: Sylvain Decaux/Blizzard Entertainment

Sanders said players should think of Ramatra as an “antagonist” rather than a villain. Jurgens-Fyhrie added that players may find themselves philosophically agreeing with the Omnic responsible for all its death and destruction.

Players will slowly learn more about Ramatra’s story and personality during his interactions with fellow Omnic Zenyatta and fellow engineer Wrecking Ball. overwatch 2and players can absorb parts of Ramatra’s narrative journey to Shambari by climbing the map of the same name. We’re not done with the big hole,” he said.

for what next overwatch 2 Jurgens-Fyhrie said: [Esperança, the Portugal-set map]’ and hinted at the game’s New York map voiceline, which contains some clues. overwatch 2 Players hungry for more heroes to play won’t take as long as Ramattra.