It’s just a few days until the spookiest time of the year, and the live-service games have pulled out all the stops to celebrate the eerie day. WhileFortnitehas added some new horror-themed cosmetics and the ability to transform into a wolf, andApex Legendshas brought back its ‘Fight or Fight’ event,Overwatch 2has gone all out, bringing back its ‘Junkenstein’s Revenge’ mode, as well as introducing a new PvE mission called ‘Wrath of the Bride,’ which may not be quite as replayable as its predecessor, but it also doesn’t need to be.
First introduced all the way back in 2017, just a few months afterOverwatch’s original release, Junkestein’s Revenge acted asthe game’s first Halloween mode. Offering a completely different type of gameplay from the rest ofOverwatch, Junkenstein’s Revenge was an instant hit with fans, and it continued to be a staple ofOverwatch’s Halloween offerings for years after its initial release. But this year, with the release ofOverwatch 2, Blizzard has introduced a new mode that once again offers a unique type of gameplay not seen in the rest ofOverwatch 2.
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Overwatch 2’s Wrath of the Bride Isn’t as Replayable as Junkenstein’s Revenge, But it Doesn’t Need to Be
The original 2017 Junkenstein’s Revenge was a fairly simplistic wave-based survival mode that saw players hold off against waves of Zomnics. Much like any other survival mode, Junkenstein’s Revenge grew increasingly harder with each wave, eventually throwing bosses at the player, each of which was aHalloween-themed version ofOverwatch’s heroes. Players would end the mode by defeating Dr. Junkenstein and his various creations, and completing another additional 15 bonus waves.
WithJunkenstein’s Revenge being a survival mode, there was already tons of replayability inherently baked into the mode. This high level of replayability only increased with Blizzard’s introduction of difficulty levels. Junkenstein’s Revenge featured three difficulty levels on launch, “Normal,” “Hard,” and “Expert.” to earn the maximum rewards, players would need to play on “Expert” difficulty, which required players to get very good at the mode. This, naturally, lead to some players spending hours upon hours on the mode, trying to achieve the top score. Over the years, Blizzard has kept Junkenstein’s Revenge pretty much the same, only adding more playable characters to the roster alongside challenging modifiers. There are minor changes, but they were enough to keep Junkenstein’s Revenge feeling fresh every year.
This year,Overwatch 2changes things up a little. While players can still jump into the fan-favorite Junkenstein’s Revenge, it’s not the main feature of this year’sOverwatchHalloween event. Blizzard has developed a new Halloween mode forOverwatch 2, titled Junkenstein’s Revenge: Wrath of the Bride. Like its predecessor, Wrath of the Bride is a PvE co-op mode that sees four players team up to defeat a series of Halloween-themed bosses, most of which are reworks of Junkenstein’s creations from the previous mode. However, unlike its predecessor, Wrath of the Bride has a more linear structure.
Wrath of the Bride sees players travel through Adlersbrunn in an attempt to rescue the Lord from his own castle, where he is currently being held by the ominousDr. Junkenstein’s Bride, a Halloween-themed Sombra. Rather than face off against continuous waves, players are pushed through the map to complete different objectives, facing off against Zomnics and bosses along the way. With Wrath of the Bride being a lot more linear than Junkenstein’s Revenge, it seems to have a lot less replayability, as there’s little incentive to experience the same objectives over and over again - though that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, Wrath of the Bride feels a lot more hand-crafted than Junkenstein’s Revenge, with its level and boss design offering a type of gameplay that fans haven’t often seen inOverwatch. This PvE mode actually feels like more ofa tailor-made campaign experience, and it’s clear that a lot of effort went into developing the limited-time mode. Wrath of the Bride’s high quality and uniqueness easily makes up for the mode’s lack of replayability.
Overwatch 2is out now in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
