Overwatch players recreate classic arcade games with the Workshop

Overwatch players have been using the new Workshop features to recreate classic arcade games in the modern shooter.

The Workshop is Overwatch’s newest major feature, a scripting tool that gives players more power than ever before the alter the game to their preferences, creating unique game modes and even prototyping concept heroes.

While Overwatch players have used the Workshop to approximate other premium games like Smash and DotA, or come up with their own Overwatch modes inspired by other entertainment franchises like Star Wars and Marvel’s Avengers, some have preferred to recreate some classics from the very earliest days of the gaming industry.

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Thanks to the powers that the Workshop opens up, new game modes are no longer limited to the following even the most fundamental rules of Overwatch – the first-person perspective and the use of heroes, for instance – and therefore players are able to create modes that would never previously have been possible with the usual options for custom games.

Here’s a look at some of the classic games that can now be played in Overwatch thanks to the workshop. Where possible, share codes have been included so you can try them out yourself.

Space Invaders

Dating all the way back to 1978, Space Invaders is a classic of arcade gaming. The 2D fixed shooter requires players to dodge incoming lasers as they fire back at waves of invading aliens.

In u/Opaquer’s Overwatch edition, the “aliens” might just be spheres, but other than that the gameplay operates in much the same way as the original arcade version. While the backdrop isn’t particularly relevant as the action takes place above any barriers, u/Opaquer has chosen Volskaya’s first point as the arena of battle.

Share code: unfortunately, the creator hasn’t yet given a share code for this mode.

via Gfycat

Snake

Long before it was possible to get full-blown games from major development studios like PUBG, Hearthstone, and Fortnite on mobile, before the era of the smartphone, mobile gaming existed in a much simpler form.

Though it finds its origins in even earlier arcade games, Snake is perhaps best known as one of the most popular titles of the early mobile gaming era, particularly on the then-predominant Nokia phones.

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Snake is a 2D game that involves controlling a “snake” to “eat” the object on the screen, with each pick-up lengthening the snake by one unit. The snake itself is the primary object, with players having to avoid hitting the ever-lengthening body.

Share code: D75S8

via Gfycat

Pong

One of the very earliest arcade games, Pong is a 2D table-tennis game in which players bounce a ball between them, with the object being to simply get the ball past the opponent, with the first player to reach eight points the winner.

Overwatch player u/ochotonida – the same player responsible for the creation of Snake, in fact –  has created a perfect replica of Pong in the Overwatch workshop, even managing to get the sides of the screen to accurately deflect the ball.

Share code: HF9MX

via Gfycat

Pacman

Unlike the others on this list, this isn’t just a reproduction of the classic Pacman game – although it likely won’t be long before someone does manage to recreate that – but instead gives it an Overwatch spin.

Instead, u/UberObliterator’s Pac-Man mode offers a top-down view as players run around Lijiang Tower. One player acts as Pac-Man, who can use health packs to briefly enable themself to kill the ghosts – other players who must try to catch Pac-Man while he’s vulnerable.

Share code:

The Workshop isn’t yet available on the live servers, but already players have used it to create a huge number of unique new modes.

Having been added to the Public Test Realm on April 24, the Workshop is therefore currently only available to PC players, and Blizzard have made several additions and adjustments in response to feedback already.

There isn’t yet an official date for when the Workshop can be expected to move to the live game, but when it does it will be available for players on all platforms.