Here’s a closer look at the first Overwatch animated short – “Recall”

Just last week, Blizzard finally shared some details on all the media they have planned for their first ever shooter, Overwatch. They’ve now set the hype train in motion, two months before the game launches (SQUEEEEE!), with the release of the first animated short. It fleshes out the story of a certain peanut butter loving character…

“”Recall”” tells the story of Winston—a genetically engineered gorilla and brilliant scientist who longs for the days of heroism to return. In this episode, we explore Winston’s thoughts and memories as he wrestles with the decision to recall the agents of Overwatch, all while the forces of Talon stage an attack on his laboratory in the abandoned Watchpoint: Gibraltar.

How cool? Can we have the next one already please Blizzard? I need it, and I need it now!

Seriously, that was rad. Anyway, apart from a ton of peanut butter jars, Blizzard have left a lot of cool nods and references in “Recall”. These are just a few that caught my attention…

We see Winston working on a shield of sorts. This is more than likely a prototype of the much larger barrier protector, which is one of his abilities in the game itself.

Oh no, a crisis in Russia? Hang on a second… is Winston watching some Hearthstone on the side there?

One thing that sets Overwatch apart from other Blizzard titles, is that for a change, the story is set on Earth sometime in the future. Having Hearthstone present, while being a nice nod to another Blizzard franchise, merely reinforces the point that this game is set in our very world, and not some completely made up fantasy setting.

Oh hey, it’s the original Overwatch team! From left to right, we’ve got Gabriel Reyes (before he became Reaper), Jack Morrison (before he became Soldier: 76), Torbjörn, Mercy, Tracer, Winston, Reinhardt, Genji, McCree, and no, not Pharah (and not Widowmaker either), but her mother.

Tracer and Winston, as already seen in the Overwatch launch trailer, appear to be BFFs. And why wouldnt they be? Winston helped save Tracer from being lost in time.

OMG BABY WINSTON HOW CUTE? Blizzard need to make a plush ASAP!

More peanut butter! And also finally, an introduction to the scientist who looked after the baby gorilla – Dr. Harold Winston.

Hey, aren’t those the glasses Winston wears now?

Yes, yes they are.

What an epic shot! I’ll just leave this here, straight from Winston’s bio…

One gorilla displayed such rapid brain development from the gene therapy that he was taken under the wing of Dr. Harold Winston, who taught him science and inspired him with tales of human ingenuity. The young gorilla passed his days assisting with the scientists’ experiments, watching the distant blue world outside his habitat window, dreaming of the endless possibilities that awaited him there.

What’s a gorilla to do in the face of danger? Oh I don’t know, make use of a Tesla Cannon I suppose, which is Winston’s primary weapon in Overwatch.

Oh hey, all the locations of Overwatch members! Reaper is missing for obvious reasons, as is Jack Morrison, who’s off doing vigilante things as Soldier: 76.

This is what has me most excited though. Who are these three reflected in Winston’s glasses?

Nevermind, look at all of these new faces! There are a ton that flash by too quickly. I wonder which of them will be added to the Overwatch roster first?

And yeah, that’s it! It’s very unlikely I caught everything. Did you see any nice nods or potential easter eggs that I missed?

Last Updated: March 22, 2016