Exploring Paris, Overwatch’s latest PTR map

The first new Overwatch map of 2019 has arrived, and it’s time for a European city break. Paris, a new Assault map, has arrived a little later than Blizzard World last year and Oasis in 2016, out of a desire from Blizzard for map announcements not to be swallowed up as part of BlizzCon.

If Blizzard did take this opportunity to take a little extra time on Paris, it’s been time well spent. Visually, atmospherically and in terms of attention to detail, there’s been a real effort to capture the feeling of Paris, and it shows. From the small Seine-side Kiosques to the attacking spawn featuring a very unique Omnic chanteuse named Luna, you can now listen to some soothing singing in French while waiting for a game to start.

Elsewhere on the map, there are even references to Junkrat and Roadhog’s Parisian Crime Spree from their “A Moment in Crime” animated trailer from back in 2015. Outside of the Parisian patisseries and cafés, the fully playable pianos in some buildings have been a gold mine for creatives and meme artists alike.

For Overwatch Lore fans, the most interesting thing about Paris will be the obvious Omnic-Human tension riddled throughout the map. Numerous pieces of Omnic graffiti and Equal Rights signs adorn the walls of the narrow streets in the Quartier Omnic; and the Police Station’s wanted posters bear the rather striking visages of several Omnics that we’ve never seen before.

Whether these Omnics will have any part to play in Overwatch’s ever-evolving story or not, Paris is rich with references from football (soccer, to you Americans!) to famous art and more. If you fancy a slow stroll around Paris, I take a good look around it in the video below.-