Fourth And Final ‘Overwatch’ Short Follows Soldier 76, Sets Stage For Launch On Tuesday

The fourth and final Overwatch animated short, named “Hero,” was revealed today and it follows the mysterious Soldier 76. The animated short, like the previous Overwatch clips, shows an isolated snapshot into the make-up of one of the major characters in the upcoming first person shooter, which is slated to launch on May 24.

The video, which takes place in Dorado, Spain, follows Soldier 76’s personal mission to look into the activities of the Los Muertos gang. The short is told from the perspective of a local girl names Alejandra, who, while on her way to the store, gets accosted by the Los Muertos. The video shows off some of the great action that these stylized shorts have become known for over the past few weeks, as well as dives into some of the backstory of the heroes themselves.

Overwatch shorts also covered the stories of the scientist and gorilla Winston, the Talon sniper named Widowmaker, and the two dragons: Genji and Hanzo. The stories showcase the state of the world in the Overwatch game, and sets the stage for some of the conflicts between playable heroes moving forward to launch. One thing Blizzard has been known for is their ability to create lasting characters with their franchises, and through Overwatch, a whole set of new characters are being thrust into the limelight.

In fact, as Inverse’s Matt Kim speculates, Overwatch’s animated shorts show the potential for Overwatch to be a mainstream success, bringing more than just video games to the scene. If Overwatch is successful, the animated shorts show the potential for longer animated features, toys, and more starring Overwatch characters.

“With the final cinematic trailer, Blizzard might as well be teasing an entire cinematic universe based around their universally appealing characters. These stories are crafted with immense attention to detail and design that rival some of the best animated films currently released in full. This is only one avenue that is available to Blizzard if they’re looking to expand their Overwatch brand beyond their video game.”

Overwatch has already crossed over into other Blizzard games, with the hero Tracer being a playable character in Heroes of the Storm, a hero-brawler which features a combination of some of the iconic character’s in Blizzard’s library all fighting it out in the Nexus. Additionally, Widowmaker will make her way into Heroes of the Storm via a character skin for the Starcraft character, Nova. So we could see the two characters featured in the animated short “Alive” showcased in a battle in Heroes of the Storm when you get down to it.

Overwatch is to some a rise from the ashes of Titan, the MMO that Blizzard cancelled a few years back. Overwatch is seen as a redemption story for many at Blizzard who worked on the cancelled game, as Overwatch is part of the same “continuity” of Titan. In a Gamespot video series, the developers open up about the fall of Titan and how it turned into Overwatch that gamers will experience this week.

Overwatch is set to launch on May 24, and much of the world is standing by while the countdown ticks away. You can see when Overwatch will unlock in your area of the world on Blizzard’s Overwatch website here. Blizzard recently detailed some of the statistics of the most recent Overwatch beta and the numbers are pretty staggering. Overwatch drew over 9 million players and playing over 81 million hours of matches over the course of seven days, as reported previously by the Inquisitr.

Looking forward to playing Overwatch? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

[Image via Blizzard]