D.Va, one of the more popular Overwatch heroes, may have won over more fans after starring in a new animated short titled Shooting Star.
The Overwatch animated short also set the stage for the reveal of a new Overwatch map, which is set in the place that D.Va is trying to defend from robot attackers.
D.Va Shines In 'Shooting Star'
D.Va, the mech pilot with a self-destruct ultimate, has always been one of the more popular Overwatch characters. However, knowledge on her backstory was mostly limited to her being a former professional gamer before South Korea tapped her to defend her home country from omnics using a bright pink mech suit.
Blizzard has now given a deeper glimpse into D.Va's lore, unveiling the new Overwatch animated short at Gamescom 2018 in Germany.
D.Va is introduced in Shooting Star as the leader of South Korea's MEKA Squad, which was formed to fight back against the omnic crisis. The animated short showed D.Va barely beating the last wave of omnics, but forced to go into battle alone after another unexpected attack.
The animated short contained several Easter eggs, including D.Va's love for chips and soda and the self-destruct ultimate skill that she uses in the game. The surprisingly emotional video, however, also apparently won over the internet, with D.Va becoming even more popular than before.
With animated shorts ranging from tragic such as Mei's Rise and Shine to comedic such as Junkrat and Roadhog's The Plan, fans are already waiting for the Overwatch animated shorts team to release a full-fledged movie.
New 'Overwatch Map' Now Available On PTR
The new Overwatch animated short also served as the perfect introduction for the new Overwatch map, which is a control map set in the South Korean city of Busan. In the Summer Games 2018 event, the return of Lucioball also brought with it a Busan arena.
The Busan map will have three distinct locations as control points, namely Sanctuary, Downtown, and the MEKA Base. Sanctuary features an ancient temple, Downtown is in a modern metropolis, and the MEKA Base is the home of D.Va that was seen in Shooting Star.
There is an interesting Easter egg in the Sanctuary part of the Busan map, as there is a floating stone with an inscription that translates to "The fallen shall be remembered forever." It is notable because in the introduction of Overwatch villain Doomfist, he said a line that has a reversed meaning.
"Those who fall will be forgotten, those who rise up, their names will be remembered forever," Doomfist said.
The similar pattern between the two statements is likely not just a coincidence. However, it remains to be seen whether Doomfist will be attacking Busan in a future story update or if the attack has already happened.
The Busan map is already available on the Overwatch PTR, which is accessible only to PC users.
