Since Overwatch’s big relaunch, it’s been dropping memorable heroes at an impressive rate. The five heroes that came alongside Overwatch dropping the 2 from its name are all winners; fans love Emre’s Halo vibes, the long-requested Jetpack Cat’s lifeline allows for some wild teamwork, Anran’s quick, fiery style feels fresh, Domina’s Emma Frost attitude took the internet by storm, and Mizuki can be a beast in the right Support player’s hands. Sure, Anran’s face model needed a rework and Season 2 hero Sierra suffered from questionable balancing and a debatably “boring” design, but the hype around Season 3’s Shion suggests Blizzard has hit another home run. However, for Apex Legends fans, she may actually look a bit familiar.
Visually, Shion is quite unique. Unlike the Overwatch universe’s other Omnics, she has a humanoid appearance, boasting long white hair, a metallic face mask resembling a high-tech geisha look, normal-looking hands, and a body that could easily pass as that of a real person. She looks like something out of the Cyberpunk or Blade Runner franchises as opposed to an Apex Legends character, so on first glance, the comparison may not seem all that apt. However, mechanically, there are some clear parallels to Respawn’s latest Legend, Axle, even if Shion’s standout character design allows the abilities to be packaged in a far cooler way.
Shion releases alongside Overwatch Season 3 on June 16, with a brand-new core map and battle pass dropping alongside her.
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What Overwatch’s Shion and Apex Legends’ Axle Have in Common
The most obvious similarity between the latest Overwatch and Apex Legends characters is actually the Shion feature fans have been talking about the most: her bike. Shion can hop on a futuristic motorcycle during a match, either riding it out of conflicts and into safety, or using it to propel herself into the middle of a fight. Axle, on the other hand, is essentially a living bike in her own right, as she’s able to deploy a wheel from her knee via her passive ability. Said passive speeds up her slides and allows players full significant directional control of the movement ability. Just like Axle players will spend their time sliding around the map as opposed to running, it’s safe to assume Shion users will be on their bikes very often.
What’s That Weapon?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
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The similarities don’t stop there, however, as Apex Legends’ Axle also has an Ultimate ability that resembles Shion’s Execution. While Shion’s ability is a regular cooldown, lacks the launching element of Axle’s Kickstart, and looks like an X-pattern instead of a drone, it essentially has the same purpose. Axle uses Kickstart to finish off low health targets or set them up for the kill, and Shion uses Execution to clean up enemies she’s weakened with her Kira pistols. Additionally, both characters seem to crave action and violence, boasting edgy personalities (even if Axle seems slightly more sane than her Overwatch counterpart). These similarities are hard not to notice, but Shion is more than just an Axle clone, as she has a few things that make her more appealing as a character.
Why Shion is a More Interesting Character Than Axle
While Axle was particularly exciting purely because she was the first Legend in nearly a year, character-wise, she doesn’t have as much going for her as Shion. She’s fairly bland visually outside the wheel at the back of her foot, not standing out nearly as much as an all-white robot that speaks through her throat. Lore-wise, Shion has already recieved a story trailer and is likely to appear in multiple Overwatch comics and lore drops throughout Season 3, whereas no Stories from the Outlands for the most recent Apex Legends season means Axle feels underdeveloped in comparison. And, when it comes to mechanics, Shion has more to offer. Her Ultimate allows her to charge enemies like a Beyblade, and because Overwatch is a hero shooter instead of a battle royale, she has a signature weapon that isn’t used by any other character in the game, giving her even more personality.
Drag weapons to fill the grid
Drag weapons to fill the grid
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The other big advantage Shion has over Axle is that she’s unlikely to feel as overpowered out the gate. Sure, her gameplay trailer makes her abilities look devastating, but the Overwatch heroes opposing Shion aren’t firing back or being healed. And after Sierra was criticized for feeling overpowered throughout Season 2, Blizzard is likely going to be extra careful to not release another DPS character that feels busted. Axle, on the other hand, has been deemed overpowered by many Apex Legends fans due to constant slide spam, with console players in particular feeling like there’s nothing they can do to compete with a skilled Axle user. So, while there are a few ability similarities, Shion looks to be a more interesting hero from a visual, mechanical, and lore standpoint. Plus, she (hopefully) won’t be as overpowered at launch as Apex’s 28th Legend proved to be.
- Released
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August 10, 2023
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
