It sounds weird, but we are not questioning Blizzard’s methods, especially if it will get us a hero like Orisa.
Overwatch developers recently released a video giving us a behind-the-scenes look at how upcoming hero Orisa came into being.
The idea behind Orisa was to give players another “anchor tank” option when it comes to anchoring a team. Just as Reinhardt is indispensable for most team compositions, so Orisa should also serve in that same capacity.
In the hero preview video, developers reveal that Orisa really started from a very strange mashup of Zarya and Bastion.
“We see a gothic Zarya, adds to it Bastion’s cannon,” Jeff Kaplan said, “It was just a combination of cobbled together parts, but it was instantly fun and that’s how we knew we were on to a good hero.”
Instantly fun, sure, Jeff. But also maybe the stuff of nightmares. Just maybe.
The developers touch on Orisa’s African-inspired coloring, which drew heavily on the lines and hues found on the Numbani map. They also point out that Orisa is the game’s first four-legged character, making her unique and adding to the variety of Omnics within the game’s lore.
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While Orisa may soon become a staple part of teams at all levels, Orisa is technically the “youngest” hero in the lineup, as the in-game story has her being built by young genius Efi Oladele only quite recently. Orisa is considered the guardian of Numbani, meant to keep citizens safe, and could be a true foil to Doomfist, a character that many players think is still on the way.
“I think she’s a core character to the Overwatch lineup in terms of gameplay mechanics and functionality,” Kaplan said. “She’s going to serve a very unique role in Overwatch.”
Orisa will hit consoles and PCs on March 21.