Year: 2022
Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)
Composer(s): Adam Burgess; Mark Petrie; Neal Acree; Sam Cardon; Justin Welgraven; Edouard Brenneisen; Derek Duke; Jon Everist; Richard Jacques; David Arkenstone; Adam Gubman
Number of tracks: 26

★★★★★

Old strengths, new weaknesses

It's been almost a year since Blizzard released Overwatch 2 , the evolution of the fantastic 2016 hero shooter. Evolution because it was basically Overwatch with a few gameplay adjustments such as the reduction to 5v5 matches or revised hero designs. What I euphorically described as a promising foundation in my accompanying review as a passionate fan at the time has now degenerated into a porous brickwork that has the player base falling out from under it - myself included.

I don't want to go into detail here and vent my displeasure, so let me just say that my rating from December 3, 2022 would look a little different today. Instead, I want to check whether it was possible to build on the old glory days, at least on an acoustic level. After all, most Blizzard games were able to impress in the musical sector despite their poor standing and Overwatch is considered an orchestral experience for me.

Overwatch (2016)

Overwatch 2 (2022)

Right from the start, Overwatch 2 makes it clear with A New Era that we are not in for a change of style. Once again, Neal Acree, Adam Burgess and various other composers produce a firework-like display of music, with the 26 tracks being inspired by big Hollywood blockbusters. Once again, we hear dominant brass, booming beats and a soundscape that you would normally expect from a superhero movie like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Once again, the tracks can be divided into different clusters, in this case map and event themes, short and long cinematic pieces and others. And again, it's just fun to listen to!

Basically, I can't tell you much that's new, even though many of the old themes unfortunately don't reappear. We Press on is a slightly more upbeat version of the old Rally the Heroes, which plays at the start of the game, but apart from that, the soundtrack is free from the legacy of its predecessor. Sometimes this works better, sometimes worse. It's a shame, but understandable. And as the tracks still appear in Overwatch 2 today's players can still enjoy these masterpieces.

Even though the music is fundamentally similar to that of its predecessor, it is clear that Overwatch 2 has deviated somewhat from the orchestral heroic epic. More tempo, more beats, more experimentation. The score thus also reflects the changes in the game without denying its origins. However, due to nostalgia, I liked the original a little better. Overall, the score falls a little short of my expectations, which is not surprising given the exclamation mark that the OST of the predecessor represented. A listen is definitely recommended. Actually playing it? That's another story ...

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	A New Era	Adam Burgess; Mark Petrie	4
02	Midtown	Adam Burgess	4
03	Zero Hour	Adam Burgess; Neal Acree; Sam Cardon	5
04	Kiriko Origin	Justin Welgraven; Adam Burgess	4
05	Answering the Call	Adam Burgess	5
06	Esperança	Edouard Brenneisen	4
07	Kiriko	Adam Burgess; Justin Welgraven	4
08	We Press on	Adam Burgess; Derek Duke; Neal Acree	5
09	Antarctic Penninsula	Jon Everist	4
10	Colosseo	Adam Burgess	5
11	Lifeweaver Origin	Richard Jacques	4
12	Circuit Royal	Adam Burgess	4
13	Null Sector	Jon Everist; David Arkenstone	4
14	Junker Queen Origin	Adam Burgess; Adam Gubman	3
15	Loverwatch	Adam Burgess	4
16	Shambali Monastery	Adam Burgess	4
17	New Blood	Adam Burgess	3
18	Cyber Demon Genji	Adam Burgess	4
19	Paraíso	Adam Burgess	3
20	New Queen Street	Adam Burgess	4
21	Starwatch	Adam Burgess	4
22	Ramattra Origin	Adam Burgess; David Arkenstone	3
23	Wrath of the Bride	Jon Everist	5
24	The Wastelander	Adam Burgess	4
25	Sojourn Origin	Adam Burgess	4
26	Flow [Bonus]	Adam Burgess	4