Why do Overwatch 2 female heroes look alike? The case of Anran

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It’s understandable why fans sometimes notice similar looks among the female characters in Overwatch, but there are a few explanations for why this happens.

So, Blizzard just dropped some news about new Overwatch heroes, and honestly, I was a little surprised by how different Anran looked compared to the first glimpses we got. It got me thinking, a lot of the heroes lately feel kinda similar – like they change up the hair or add some face paint, but beyond that, it’s hard to really tell them apart. It’s a bit disappointing, you know? I’d love to see more unique designs.

Anran’s features in Overwatch

People online have noticed a change in how the character Anran looks. In the promotional video shown at Gamescom 2025, her Chinese features were very noticeable. However, in the actual game, she looks quite similar to other female characters like Tracer, Juno, and D.Va.

Fans are noticing the characters look quite similar, and many Overwatch players are sharing their disappointment online. Some are treating it as a joke, but others are criticizing the new character designs. One player explained, “The art style feels repetitive and outdated. What worked in 2016 now feels simple and uninspired – the faces, expressions, and even the eyebrows look a bit like Play-Doh.”

Honestly, it’s kinda wild to me. Blizzard can dream up all these awesome new weapons and skins, but making each female hero look truly unique? Apparently that’s a huge challenge. People have been pointing out for ages that a lot of the women in the game look way too similar, and it feels like Blizzard is still dealing with that ‘same face syndrome’ criticism. It’s frustrating, you know? I want to be able to tell them apart easily!

Overwatch heroes visual identity

Okay, so I think the reason it’s sometimes hard to tell who’s who in Overwatch comes down to how the game looks. Everything’s super stylized – the characters have really smooth designs, clean faces, and are meant to be easily readable. While that’s great for quickly identifying heroes in the heat of battle, and even for people who don’t play, it can actually make things harder for us players. Especially with some of the skins, it can be tough to quickly figure out which hero you’re looking at, even if you’ve played a ton!

The recent Overwatch and Hello Kitty collaboration featured some character designs that were hard to tell apart. While Lucio, Widowmaker, and Juno were easily recognizable, the other three characters looked very similar, making it difficult to identify who was who.

The characters in Overwatch all share a consistent visual style, ensuring they feel like they belong to the same world and maintaining the game’s unique aesthetic.

Is this an Overwatch-only problem? No!

Overwatch isn’t alone in facing this kind of criticism – many games have dealt with similar issues over time. League of Legends is a good example; players have often pointed out that many characters look too similar, despite Riot Games regularly updating and adding new champions. This problem continues to exist even with those changes.

Games that want to stay popular for a long time usually have a consistent look for their characters. This means characters might resemble each other, but they clearly represent the game’s distinct style. Ultimately, game companies do this to build a strong, lasting brand and remain well-known in the gaming world.

Using a consistent visual style streamlines the creative process and speeds up development of things like new characters, skins, videos, and special events. This approach also saves time and money by eliminating the need to constantly redo foundational work with each new release.

Despite significant improvements in game engine technology, developers often prioritize maintaining a consistent look for their games and updating models carefully. This helps them avoid visual glitches and keeps players interested over the long term, rather than chasing fleeting trends. Although some players might not appreciate this strategy, game companies will likely continue to focus on preserving their games’ unique visual style.

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2026-02-06 19:11