Hit or miss? Community reacts to new Paris Overwatch map

It’s been one week since the first new Overwatch map of 2019 has been released on Overwatch PTR Servers. The new assault map, taking root in the illustrious city of Paris, has been met with mixed reviews in the relatively small sample size it been tested with as of late.

Fans of Widowmaker and other playmaking DPS characters have seen shades of potential for this incredibly expansive map. Others have complained that the large map is a negative considering the map is two control point (2CP). In just one week, Paris will make its way to console on the live servers by February 14.

The City of Light

After a few weeks of delays, Paris finally makes its way to the Overwatch servers in rather surprising fashion. Initial reports allegedly set the release for this assault map in late December. Even through the delays, Blizzard once again delivered visually with another stunning map layout.

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© Blizzard Entertainment

From an arts perspective there’s little to complain about from this map. Its unique flairs and accents that give a French aesthetic to the entirety of the field makes players feel immersed to the location in a similar vein to Rialto, another map that caters to its geographic location in a rather charming fashion.

From empty cabaret clubs, to charming French bakeries with menus still on display, Overwatch’s latest map offers plenty of eye candy to keep its players interested. Of course, no rendition of Paris can be complete without a mesmerizing Eiffel Tower on display and Overwatch delivered on that expectation as well.

This shift is a welcome change from previous maps that often haven’t included enough cultural flair from each location being represented. It seems like 2019 may be marking a difference in approach from Blizzard in the future as fans are still desperately pleading for a new Escort Map at the nearest convenience.

Gameplay viability

Gameplay wise some fans argue that there’s still more to be desired as the routes to take from first spawn to Point A have been one dimensional. The many instances of height differential is also important to note, which may end up giving mobile heroes like Hanzo and Genji some added flexibility and priority in these roles.

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© Blizzard Entertainment

Luckily, the Blizzard devs circumvented some of those obnoxious early choke points with plenty of back door possibilities that leave the enemy open to flanks. While the transition from Point A to Point B offers little transitionary cover, there’s plenty of trees, statues and cars to make your movements on the map more incognito with enemy snipers taking aim.

The statue conveniently located smack in the middle of Point B will likely make Hammond a priority pick for that object of contention. There’s several points of high ground that are easily accessible to Wrecking Ball that will allow his knockup CC to become deadly if not dealt with in a swift manner.

All in all, the sheer amount of angles to snipe from and flank will offer much more variance in play that may have been designed to disrupt the ‘death ball’ strategy that made GOATS so prevalent. While GOATS is still in the meta, maps like Paris with easy lanes of damage dealing and open spaces will make it harder for these tanks to make it from one place to another without taking significant damage.

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