Does Overwatch, the Blizzard game, count as cyberpunk, or does cyberpunk require a darker aesthetic?

I only know cyberpunk through CDPR’s Cyberpunk 2077 game, and I guess also through the Blade Runner movies. So, I don’t really know much about it from literature or tabletop games.

That said, Overwatch has a lot of the same themes, but with a brighter “Sunday morning cartoon/anime” aesthetic.

So yeah, thoughts?

  • Nakoichi [they/them]@hexbear.netEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    I would say… sort of? It’s much more comic book superhero shit with some very loose nods to cyberpunk (a la the robot stuff). What I think it lacks is anything more than a surface level social commentary or any real analysis of how technological advancement intersects with capital accumulation to create a dystopia. It’s more about capeshit with a thin premise of “DAE robot rights?” without really even exploring that subject on a meaningful or philosophical level.

    Contrast that with, for example, the recently revitalized Armored Core franchise. That is Cyberpunk.