The latest update for Blizzard’s Overwatch has gone live, and with it comes the introduction of the game’s latest Assault map, Horizon Lunar Colony. The base, which was gorilla scientist Winston’s home during his childhood, looks like it will deliver something not seen in the maps confined to Earth.
For those who saw the Recall short film that released prior to Overwatch‘s launch in 2016, you’ll spot a few familiar elements in Horizon Lunar Colony. Winston’s dormitory, where he was first given his signature glasses and was introduced to his namesake, Dr. Winston, is included. On the bed, there’s a jar of peanut butter, and several of Winston’s toys are visible on a shelf off to the side. The telescope room is also included, so you can look down on Earth from afar if you get a few free seconds.
Details on Winston’s reason for departing the colony are scarce, but Blizzard is hoping to shed more light on it with information included in the new map.
“Somewhere along the line, something started to go wrong,” director Jeff Kaplan said. We can see evidence of a gorilla uprising in the lunar base’s rooms. While some are pristine and orderly, others have tables flipped over as the enhanced gorillas attempted to gain control of the facility.
Other rooms give more insight into the lifestyle of the gorillas stationed on the lunar base. A green hydroponics room is filled with plants, and there’s even a recreation area that has climbing walls and tires hanging from the ceiling. If Winston ever wanted to play Donkey Kong Country in real life, he would have been well-equipped for it.
Though most of the map is indoors, when heading to the moon’s surface, players will be able to experiment with low gravity. In the teaser trailer, we see Bastion using this to jump high into the air and rain down chaos with its turret from above.
Messages sent by Dr. Winston prior to the uprising could also hint at a future ape character being added to Overwatch. The scientist remarks that all gorillas administered genetic therapy had experienced behavioral changes. We’d love to see Winston’s friends get in on the action, too.
