Overwatch: World Guide

by Terra Winters

Cheers, love—the cavalry's here!

Scientists, soldiers, adventurers, oddities—these are the heroes of Overwatch. Some are the saviors of humanity who put an end to the Omnic Crisis and restored peace to the world; others have far darker ambitions. In this official guidebook to the critically acclaimed video game, you'll discover each hero's backstory as well as the unique weapons and abilities they bring to bear. Take a deep dive into the Omnic Crisis, the rise and fall of Overwatch, and the ever-changing landscapes that make up the game's battlefields. Packed with beautiful full-color artwork on every page, this deluxe guidebook is a must-have for all Overwatch fans.

Genres: Video Games, Art, Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 31, 2017

Reviews

[Sabrina Grafenberger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little companion to the Overwatch game. It doesn’t provide much new insight to the story or characters if you follow the game lore online but the art is nice.

Some of the book’s content is outdated by now because Jeff Kaplan always tries to improve the heroes and therefore keeps changing the abilities. Mercy’s Ultimate for example was called Resurrect and she was able to bring multiple downed allies back to life with full health. But that’s not accurate anymore. Now her Ultimate is called Valkyrie and when she activates it she can fly and her abilities are enhanced.

New characters like Sombra, Orisa, Doomfist and Moira are missing as well as the new maps Eichenwalde, Horizon Lunar Colony and Junkertown. The Arena maps are completely absent. But I guess they’ll add all of that in a second volume of this book.

In the meantime and for further background information I’d recommend watching the Animated Shorts on the official Overwatch YouTube channel and reading the comics.

[MyOwnBookAdventures · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little book with some insights in the Overwatch universe. I liked that they put this together for the fans!

For more info I also recommend reading the comics and watching the animated shorts. They're awesome!

Also there is a newer version of this book, that also covers some of the newer maps and characters.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great book for kids or beginning Overwatch players! I play a lot of Overwatch, so most of this information is secondhand knowledge to me, but I enjoyed reading through this short book. It was definitely kid centric (which obviously makes sense when you look at the publisher) but it reminded me how this game is for everyone.

The only downside to the book was that they didn't have any of the newer characters that were released before publication and creation of the book! But I suppose the free poster makes up for it haha.

[Justin (Bubbas_Bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute companion I borrowed from a student but some of the content is now null and void because of changes to the game. Still a nice guide to some backstory though.

[Zach Askins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this guide has already reached obsoletion thanks to several new additions to the Overwatch character roster since its publication—and even if this guide was complete, it's way too concise to be of interest to anyone who already has a basic knowledge of the game's story, characters, and game mechanics.

[Rebecca Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I read to my boys, the things I resist most are guides like this. I want a good story as an adventure to share together. With this book, although there are profiles and maps, it began with the back story and hooked us all into the world. I found myself imagining the stories weaving together into a world. Kudos to Ms. Winters for making a game guide an experience.

[cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little book to quickly showcase the characters of Overwatch. It's nothing fancy, but has a little background on each character such as their original name, location, special abilities, etc.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art, but I wish there was more background included. There's a lot more to be delved from the comics and videos that have been released.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard of the game. Some of the character designs were good. Game looks interesting.

[Tristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how this helps to newcomers to overwatch as it helps introduce them to the characters and maaps of the game

[Olivier R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and quick read to learn a little more about the game Overwatch. Perfect for younger kids and equally as fun for adults.

[velma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not know the voice of the director in Hollywood is HAL-fred Glitchbot. 10/10 for this fact.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for what it is, but I'm biased!

[Kristyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a relic of the past than anything actually useful in 2023's Overwatch. The entertainment factor was certainly there; I was reminded of the old speed boost applied with a nano boost. Ah, Beyblade meta, I miss you. Also I totally forgot Bastion had to stand still to self-heal. Looking back on the ancient days of Overwatch was certainly bittersweet.

[Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really goooooood! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It reveals so much lore and new facts. It also gives a lot of drawings to see all the armor and stuff. I would highly recommend this to anyone who plays Overwatch.

[Luce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected it to be, but still a good quick guide to all the heroes (except Sombra and Orisa). I didn't know much about the ones I don't play so I learnt a bunch of stuff.