As a man in his early forties, I can still say without any shame that I enjoy K-pop music. I’ve been listening to the genre for over a decade now, with my enjoyment starting around the time of the popularity of groups like SNSD (Girls’ Generation) and 2NE1 (especially CL, who I had a massive crush on). So when video games collaborate with artists or celebrities (excluding athletes), I will try to check out the involvement. I spent a month playing PUBG Mobile last year for their Blackpink partnership, I got into Fortnite because of the Ariana Grande in-game concert. Now, Le Sserafim has me playing Overwatch 2 again, and I’m having a lot of fun.
This partnership is more than just a music video
Yes, Le Sserafim released their first English-only track featuring Overwatch characters en route to an event. Sure, the five-person group performed at last weekend’s Blitzcon. Thankfully though, there is some in-game content and it’s been a blast to play.
The Le Sserafim mode in Overwatch 2 is running from now until Nov 21 and it features an arcade mode called “Concert Clash”. This is a 3v3 mode where you’re trying to collect and deposit tickets to win the match. The team who gets 25 tickets first or who has the most after 10 minutes wins. I like it for a few reasons, mostly thanks in large part to how much fun it is.
You’re limited to using any of the five characters that feature in the music video: D.Va, Sombra, Tracer, Brigette, or Kiriko. For me, this has been a great opportunity to play Sombra and Tracer for the first time, two characters I have never been interested in (or thought about) playing. I could see myself using both in regular modes, now that I understand how to play them correctly.
Some decent rewards and the temptation to spend money on exclusive skins
The rewards for completing challenges in the event aren’t disappointing. There are six rewards, including a legendary skin and a victory pose for Junkrat. But best of all, a lot of Battle Pass XP. Sure, I don’t have this season’s Battle Pass, but if this gets me far enough (I’m currently at level 27), then I could be swayed to pick it up for all the other content.
At the same time, I am considering getting the Battle Pass for this season, I’m also tempted to get some Overwatch Coins because I like the Le Sserafim-inspired skins that are available for the five characters. There are five bundles, one for each character and each features a Legendary skin, an emote, a victory pose, and a name card. As someone who started to enjoy playing all five characters, I could see myself equipping them for a while.
But, it’s not cheap. Each character is 2500 Overwatch coins, but the complete bundle is 6800. I don’t have enough coins at the moment, so I’d have to drop 64.99 CDN to get the necessary amount of coins (7500). The remaining 800 coins aren’t enough to buy the Battle Pass, so I’m left with a tough decision. I think I’ll get the bundle but it’s a purchase I didn’t think I would make originally.
Back for not sure for how long
So, this got me back into Overwatch 2. While I should be playing more recent releases, especially as I have two upcoming games I’m working on having reviews for (embargoed, so I can’t share the names). Thankfully, the quick matches of Concert Clash allow me to play for 20-30 minutes and then I can move on to something else. If this translates to me sticking around and playing as much as I was last year, then props to Blizzard for capitalizing on my weaknesses.