What do you usually think about a character that comes from a small detail in a video game? You usually think of characters like ERMAC from Mortal Kombat who wasn’t really a character. Much more of a function that consisted on counting how many Error Macros you’d get in the arcade game. How about Walter Sullivan? Who was briefly mentioned in a pointless newspaper article in Silent Hill 2 before being turned into the main villain of Silent Hill 4: The Room? Doomfist is Overwatch’s version of these characters.
Doomfist: The Social Darwinist that Came from a Line
Born from a gauntlet Talon wanted to get, something a kid briefly mentioned in a cinematic trailer about how he could destroy skyscrapers. One of the most dangerous heroes in Overwatch was born from a single line and evolved into the character brimming with the power he’s now known for. Now, players know that he is Akande Ogundimu from Nigeria and is the personification of a Social Darwnist that would make Senator Armstrong blush.
Indeed, that sort of power goes to his design, which the Overwatch creators admitted was heavily inspired from Arcade fighting games. Considering that Doomfist is a close quarters combat character, he centers a lot around closing in opponents in direct one-on-one confrontations. It certainly is admirable to see Blizzard try to implement something as different as a fighting game mechanic into a First person team shooter.
Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at Overwatch's newest hero!
Doomfist arrives: 7.27.2017
Learn more ↪️ https://t.co/SgzOdU0Nlb pic.twitter.com/ZVUg9al3St
— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) July 18, 2017
Creativity with this character is one of the things I recognized when I tested him during the Public Test Region. I didn’t feel like this powerful badass who can punch through things. I wanted to be meticulous, show that every battle truly forges a man and that they learn from their mistakes. And truly, this is one character you can’t be totally reckless with. Because just like in arcades, Recklessness is harshly punished. But again, it’s one of the most admirable qualities of Overwatch.
Teamwork and Fighting games in a shooter
What I like about the heroes themselves is that they are amazing doing their own thing, but can’t truly live without their teammates. And while Doomfist is a character that can power through hordes of characters with his moveset. He can do it on a one-by-one basis. And if players try to attack others from up front. They will realize that Doomfist is meant to be a flank character that doesn’t benefit from direct confrontations. He’s not a one-man army, nobody is.
I can certainly say that Overwatch has done a magnificent job at doing with just a line in an early video presentation what many fail to do with entirely written scripts. Doomfist is certainly a character that will brim with power and show confidence for those players who want to be meticulous but show those amazing combos you’ll see in fighting games. Certainly, it is a character that was forged with battles. And hopefully, so will his users after July 27
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