Overwatch and Progression

Overwatch has a progression problem.

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Overwatch is a fantastic game in so many ways. It's got stellar characters, great maps, grade A game design, and some spectacular sound. But outside that, the actual game, it's got a glaring issue I want to discuss here today. You see, Overwatch has a terrible, terrible progression system.

Now, some of you may be shrugging your shoulders right now and saying “so what”? I'll get back to why this is so bad in a bit, but first I want to start by breaking down how Overwatch fails in this area.

I like to divide successful progression systems into 3 general categories. Gameplay based, unlockable based, and change based.

Gameplay based progression systems either let you unlock more gameplay elements (think Call of Duty), or they let you customize loadouts for many different playstyles (again, like Call of Duty). This lets the player play around with the mechanics the more they play, and the progression comes from a deeper understanding of the game mechanics. Note that this does not just mean getting better at the game. It comes from being able to unlock/use customization ways to change how your character can play.

Unlockable based is a catch-all term for anything you can unlock that doesn't affect gameplay. Cosmetics, emotes, that sort of stuff. It provides progression in the form of more fun stuff to show off, and the ability to customize yourself how you want.

Finally, change based progression is the type of change where the game is balanced and updated over the years. Adding new content and changing the current content, essentially. Look at any MOBA, with many characters and items to tweak, and how different the meta will be from month to month, and you get the idea. This can only really work if the developer constantly updates and supports the game.

So, how does this all relate to Overwatch? Quite simply, Overwatch lacks a good, solid foundation for any of these progression systems. It has nothing to unlock in the gameplay department, as all the characters are open from the start, and no way to change any of the character's playstyles or moves. It doesn't lend itself well to change based progression, as there are only 22 characters to change and update, so Blizzard can't update the meta very much. And finally, I think we can all agree a luck based system for unlockables is a horrible idea.

The loot box system is the only concrete progression Overwatch has, and it fails on nearly every level. It doesn't give the player a goal to work toward, because they can't control what items they buy. Even with the caveat that you can get gold from duplicates, it still means that how much you save is entirely dictated by RNG. And there are seasonal items, still dictated by RNG, but with a time limit, meaning players are locked out from some items as well.

We can quibble all day about why this was done in this manner, but that's unimportant. What is moreso is why Overwatch not having a satisfying progression system is important, and here we come back to what I mentioned at the start. A lot of people reading this are going to say, “So what?” To a lot of people, the raw gameplay should be what really matters, with cosmetics and progression not being all that important. And that's fine, because it's not what's really important to you.

Here's the issue. Raw gameplay isn't enough to keep a lot of people playing for a long time. A lot of people want change as they play, whether that be through gameplay or cosmetics. Having a bad progression system can really hamper how long a game lasts for, as a lot of people aren't going to keep playing if there's nothing satisfying to work towards.

Gameplay isn't enough to keep a lot of people engaged if they're not aiming to get truly good at the game. Overwatch is a special case because it's a lot more cheery and casual than other shooters in tone. A lot of people are going to be playing it because of the characters and world. How do you think they'll feel when the unlocks that let them have fun with the world are completely out of their control?

Overwatch having a bad progression system is not a gameplay issue, it's not a game world issue, and for the truly dedicated, this really isn't an issue in the first place. It's a reach issue. If Overwatch wants to engage more people and get them talking, it would do well to ensure as many people can be motivated as possible.

The best fighting game?

Rivals of Aether is the best damn fighting game you can spend money on right now.

I say this as someone who is absolutely terrible at fighting games. I know I'll never even remotely approach great levels of play, I routinely get stomped online, and advanced combos and techniques are a mere pipe dream for me. And despite all that, it's so good, you guys. It's never going to be the game I'll spend the most hours on. It's never going to be a scene I passionately follow. And yet, I see the genius in it, the passion of the creator and community, and my honest assessment is that if you're looking for a new fighter, this is the one you should be at the very least be paying attention to.

So, uh, what is it?

Good question! Rivals is a fighting game unquestionably inspired by Super Smash Brothers. If know anything about it, you'll know how this game works. Damage percentage goes up, and you try to knock your opponent off the stage. It's stuff that's been done before, but don't think it's just a clone. It's merely using the framework of Smash, nothing more.

The art style, as you can see, is pixel art, a hallmark of the indie scene. It as of now contains 8 characters, a kickass soundtrack, and a small but dedicated community. This is definitely an indie fighting game.

It's sooooo fun

I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Rivals is a ton of competitive, fluid, satisfying fun. Again, it plays very much like Smash Bros., but with some key differences. Rivals of Aether makes it much easier to pull combos off, so chaining attacks is much easier. There are no shields, but rather a parry move. Dodging isn't as effective, but recovery is made a bit easier since every character can wall cling. What I'm getting at here is that it's a much faster, more fluid, and very, very exciting. In an average match you'll be parrying, combing, and edge guarding at a frantic rate that I find fantastic. If you find Smash Bros. too slow, you'll be right at home here.

The stages are much appreciated as well. Most fighting games either have flat stages or wildly unbalanced stages. Rivals has the unbalanced stages for party fun, but you can also turn basic mode on and remove the crazy stage hazards, and leave only basic platforms for serious fighting. It's a great addition, and much better than nothing but flat stages coughforglorycough.

And as of right now, it's super easy to understand. Only 8 characters sounds limited, but honestly it's a great boon. You don't have to learn crazy amounts of matchups and learn 50 characters, just the 8. This makes the game click a lot faster, which lowers the barrier of at least understanding.

Finally, at least on the gameplay front, the game's got a lot of really unique ideas I haven't seen anywhere else. Zetterburn can get extra launching power by setting you on fire. Forsburn can gain a strong move by inhaling smokescreens. Orcane has puddles he can detonate or teleport to. Wrastor can't perform smash attacks on the ground. Every character has something unique about them, and that gives this game a very nice style and identity. It's quite impressive how balanced this game is as well. Even characters considered lower tier by the community can still be very competetive. I'm not even going to get into the advanced stuff, mainly because that's all really over my head. I'm not very good at the game. But I see all this, and absolutely love it.

Basically, it's really F-ing fun.

It's not all gameplay

Rivals of Aether isn't all great gameplay, however. I also want to draw attention to the visuals and music, because those are excellently done. The animations are very well done, fluid and appealing. They're also not flashy, fast, and don't hold your attention, the best kind for a fighting game. Sure, flashy visuals are nice to watch, but they also distract from actually, y'know, playing the game. Basic stuff, maybe, but I see so many fighting games stumble here, so it's a nice thing to have.

The backgrounds also follow this mantra. While they are nice to look at if you stand still, they don't really move and again, don't distract from the gameplay. (I AM LOOKING SQUARELY AT YOU, SMASH. WHY WOULD YOU HAVE CRAZY MOVING BACKROUNDS IN YOUR SERIOUS COMPETETIVE MODE ONLINE)

In all seriousness...

Ok, but for real, I don't want to compare this game to Smash Bros. much. I'm only doing so because it's a near universal example everyone will understand and it's a great jumping off point. But I want the comparisons to stop there, because it doesn't do this game justice. It is very much it's own thing, and if you play it for even a few minutes, it feels nothing like Smash.

I don't want this game to forever be “That indie smash title” because it's really not. It deserves to be so much more. And the community! How could I forget about the community! It's full of nice, passionate people who glady assist newcomers, pitch ideas, and turn this game into a real treat to discuss. It's a fun, fast, beautiful, competitive, community driven, amazing fighting game.

And it's not even officially out.

The game is still in early access, with so much more to come. I could literally go on for ages about the current game, how it came about, what it could become, and how you should all be running (er, clicking/button mashing) over to Steam/Xbox One and downloading it right now. But really, there's one big fact that excites me more than anything else.

I love the style of Smash Bros. I love the percentages and how you don't drain a life bar. But to me, the community and competitive aspects always felt like they managed in spite of how Nintendo handles it. Rivals of Aether feels like a game that will manage with the help of the developer. And that single fact is truly what makes me run out and shout about this game, more than anything else.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go work on my Orcane game. #OrcaneForBestRival