Bastion might look like a killing machine, but the latest 'Overwatch' short shows he's a sweetie

By Gabe Gurwin August 19, 2016

Bastion can be the bane of many Overwatch players’ existence. His ridiculously powerful turret, tank ability, and self-healing can make him seem like a murderous, crazed killing machine, but the robot does have a softer side, and Blizzard’s latest animated short proves it.

Titled, appropriately enough, “The Last Bastion,” the fifth Overwatch shows shows everyone’s favorite robot hibernating deep within the forest until a friendly bird — who you’ve likely spotted on Bastion’s shoulder in the game — wakes it from its long slumber.

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After years of fighting in the Omnic Crisis, which took the lives of all of its fellow Bastion units, this Bastion just needs a friend. The contrast between the calm, inviting wilderness, filled with still ponds and flowers, and the walking death machine that is Bastion, is truly remarkable, and it helps to reinforce that you can’t judge someone on their outside appearance alone.

Though a false alarm does cause Bastion to recall its time in the war, as it unloads several hundred bullets into the treeline, its bird companion doesn’t lose hope in it, and convinces it to abandon its plan for revenge on those that destroyed its friends and instead return home.

It’s certainly an uplifting and heartwarming tale, but it’s one that Blizzard hasn’t really attempted to insert into Overwatch itself. Bastion is portrayed as a lighthearted and friendly robot in the game, but it kills just as many enemies as anyone else, and doesn’t seem to show any remorse for doing so. Perhaps future animated shorts will touch on this disparity, or even write the game’s competitive battle off as a training simulation to keep heroes in fighting shape.

If you haven’t played Overwatch in a while, now is the perfect time to jump back in. New character Ana and her healing sniper rifle add a new layer of strategy to the game, and the upcoming map “Eichenwalde” was recently announced at Gamescom.

Overwatch is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

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