Hero shooters like Overwatch 2 live and die by their characters’ designs. They need a kit with unique yet balanced abilities while also having a distinct look that makes them stand out from the rest of the cast. Blizzard achieved this balance with many new heroes released this year, like Juno. She has a retro-futuristic design that harkens back to the aesthetics of 1950s sci-fi, paired with great support utilities that cover everything from healing and mobility with her regular abilities to massive damage boosts from her ultimate. While the latest tank hero, Hazard, has some cool brawl and dive potential with his kit, some Overwatch 2 players are quite disappointed with his overall look for two major reasons.
It seems like Hazard has been in the works since the development of the first Overwatch. His background sees him going through tough times growing up, but he found a family and a cause in the Phreaks, an anti-establishment group that also dabbles in body modding. His overall design is inspired by punk rock and cyberpunk esthetics to fit his backstory as an augmented rebel fighter. However, some fans feel that Hazard’s appearance doesn’t look as unique or as fitting to his story.
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Overwatch 2’s Hazard Doesn’t Seem to Meet Some Fans’ Design Expectations
Hazard and his fellow Phreaks have been in the works since the first Overwatch game’s conceptualization. The designers created “Phreak” for the pitch meeting of Prometheus, the game that eventually became OW. Their design was also likely inspired by existing designs for a character in Blizzard’s canceled massively multiplayer online game Titan. Phreak has a prominent mohawk with green highlights, which compliments his overall look. Their mask and armor have shades of black, gray, and green, giving them an edgy, punk rock aesthetic.
Some fans have grown attached to Phreak’s look, which is vastly different from Hazard’s actual design, leaving them disappointed. Others argue that Hazard doesn’t look like the prototypical punk with a mohawk and more disheveled and worn-out armor. Hazard’s hair and suit don’t fit this idea. However, players have also accepted the fact that his lack of such esthetics makes him look distinct from another cutthroat and rowdy tank hero with a mohawk: Overwatch 2's Junker Queen.
Some Prefer Hazard’s Early Concept Designs Better Than the Current One
Blizzard’s designers often create different concept art for each hero, each with vastly varying silhouettes and color schemes. Hazard’s concept art by artist Kai Chang was recently shown to the public, giving fans a look at what could have been for the hero. Some prefer his later concept, which showed the tank clad in black and neon green armor. This makes the hero look like a character straight out of the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners series.
Earlier Concepts Show a More Unique Take on Hazard’s Silhouette
Earlier concepts showed Hazard as a scorpion-like creature with multiple spiny legs and a stinger tail. There are also multiple designs of him with a spiky cloak or shield, which have made him stand out more in Overwatch 2's current tank roster. His final design, with a wide torso and relatively shorter legs, makes his outline look similar to Reinhardt or Mauga. While it does make him look more like a frontline bruiser, it would be nice to see a more distinctive silhouette, like Blizzard did with Roadhog and Wrecking Ball.
The feedback for Hazard’s design isn’t all negative, as some fans love that he looks conventionally attractive. Meanwhile, others have pointed out that his look fits his Scottish roots. His spikes and the purple highlights in his armor make him look like a thistle, Scotland’s national flower. Some believe that the flower represents resilience and courage, which also describes the hero’s personality. Overall, the opinions on Hazard’s design are mixed. Perhaps the community just needs more time for the new tank to grow on them, just like other heroes who have received flak for their designs before.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
