Blizzard’s upcoming survival title
World of Warcraft (WoW) revolutionized online gaming, creating a virtual world that served as a second reality for millions of players, where they could interact with real people inside a digital world adorned with mythical creatures and warrior factions.
WoW has maintained its status as the most popular MMO game since its launch in 2004. Now, Blizzard is poised to test its strengths in the survival genre with their latest upcoming creation, codenamed Odyssey, an MMO where survival is at the very heart of the gaming experience.
A risky undertaking for Blizzard
Odyssey promises to usher in a new era for Blizzard, venturing beyond its familiar territory of expansive MMORPGs. This time, the focus is on survival—a genre that has captured players’ imagination for its intense challenges and unforgiving environments.
Odyssey sets out to create a world that is not just dangerous but truly ruthless, making it a bold leap into uncharted waters for Blizzard. This is a calculated move, shaped to cater to the cravings of the most dedicated and hardcore gamers.
Familiar fantasy, fresh perspective
While Odyssey boldly pushes boundaries, it retains some familiar traits. Like WoW, the game unfolds within a medieval fantasy realm, where swords, bows, axes, and magical spells remain essential tools. Yet, Odyssey introduces a pivotal innovation—a first-person perspective.
This shift aims to enhance immersion, creating a more intimate connection between players and the game world. An intriguing decision, considering Blizzard’s historical reluctance towards first-person gameplay. However, their experiment with Overwatch proved their capacity to innovate within the FPS space.
Entangling Blizzard’s storytelling legacy with survival
Unlike many survival games, which shy away from central narratives, Odyssey embraces this challenge with many narrative positions listed for the game, including a narrative director. The game’s central narrative would defy convention, making it a rarity within the survival genre.
Central to Blizzard’s allure is its masterful storytelling. WoW thrives on its vast lore, captivating players with narratives that could fill entire libraries. Odyssey seeks to replicate this success by weaving Blizzard’s trademark storytelling into the survival format.
This infusion of lore elevates the game beyond the mundane survival game, offering players a profound connection to their characters and the world they inhabit. This emotional investment could drive players to new lengths to keep their characters alive and thriving with the rumored economic system in Odyssey.
A familiar echo: visually stunning immersion
Jez Corden, the Managing Editor of Microsoft, drew a compelling parallel when he likened Odyssey to Fable Legends. The latter gained fame for its visually striking gameplay that enveloped players in a world of wonder. If Odyssey indeed captures this essence, players can expect an experience that transcends the ordinary.
Resource gathering takes on a dynamic dimension, with animated actions adding a layer of realism. From chopping trees to other activities, these details enrich the immersion. The game world spans diverse biomes—mountains, forests, and bodies of water—crafted through procedural generation tools, promising endless exploration possibilities.
Peering into Odyssey’s gameplay landscape
Blizzard’s design decisions for Odyssey are expected to resonate with survival enthusiasts. Players can anticipate core survival gameplay, necessitating activities like hunting, foraging, shelter-building, and fending off predators in PVE.
Forming alliances with fellow survivors is pivotal, a strategy miming the collaborative spirit Blizzard games are renowned for. Including PVE battles, reminiscent of WoW and Diablo, ensures that Odyssey is well-poised to engage fans of these former Blizzard titles.
Crafting, an essential element of survival games, is not overlooked. Players can forge weapons, tools, and bases. Based on job listing descriptions for Odyssey, Blizzard has revealed that base building is a key point of interest, allowing for free-building worldwide using various designs and materials—similar to base building in games such as The Forest, Fallout 4, and V Rising.
The extensive development journey
Odyssey’s evolution traces back to 2017, a fact uncovered from the game director’s LinkedIn profile—indicating the extent of time and thought invested into its development already. The involvement of hands-on testing from the various individuals in the industry, including Blizzard’s president, adds further credibility, as his personal engagement underscores the game’s promise of being released in the near future.
Odyssey’s developments aim to establish a sense of shared creation among players. Job postings hint at a collaborative approach to world-building within social spaces. This speaks to Blizzard’s dedication to community-driven experiences and shared worlds.
Anticipating the unseen
The question of whether Odyssey will achieve the iconic status of WoW remains unanswered. Blizzard’s history of crafting immersive worlds and engaging gameplay offers a promising foundation. Players and fans of the survival genre eagerly await the chance to step into this unforgiving, mythic universe.
Odyssey is Blizzard’s ambitious endeavor to establish a groundbreaking MMO experience again, and the gaming community watches and waits with anticipation.
