Shion arrives at the start of season 3 on June 16.
After revealing the latest addition to the lineup of colorful characters in its team-based shooter earlier this week, Blizzard has released the gameplay trailer for another new damage hero. Shion will join Monitoring when its next season, the third since the Reign of Talon reboot, premieres on June 16. This character will do nothing to change the impression that Blizz is striving to create sexy heroes or that it’s starting to suffer from same-face syndrome with its female programming. But at the very least, Shion is one of the team’s most dramatic creations in a long time, looking very stylish in an all-white costume paired with little red horns and cybernetic red eyes.
In terms of appearance, she might be reminiscent of Reaper’s brooding character, but Shion’s kit is actually more reminiscent of Tracer. She uses dual-wielding semi-automatic pistols as her base weapon, but can concentrate fire into a more powerful burst to finish off a low-health opponent. Mobility also seems key for this hero, as she has both a running move and can ride a real motorcycle in the game. The motorcycle seems particularly satisfying, as it appears Shion has the ability to jump and launch the vehicle towards a rival. Her ultimate ability turns Shion into a damage-dealing vortex that can rush towards enemies.
Given that the big Overwatch reboot aims to emphasize a larger narrative connecting the characters, it seems likely that future versions of the story will highlight story threads surrounding the Hashimoto clan where Shion is a boss. So expect more information on supporting heroes Kiriko and Mizuki as part of the larger drama about Vendetta’s efforts to take over the world as the new villain in charge of Talon.
