Overwatch today launched its first seasonal event, and with it comes the new gameplay mode Lúcioball. As an introduction to Overwatch’s Summer Games, Lúcioball will have players battling it out on a “futuristic soccer field” in a Rocket League-esque seasonal soccer brawl set in Rio de Janeiro.
Overwatch’s Assistant Game Director Aaron Keller elaborates on the PlayStation blog:
Overwatch’s spin on soccer places you in a fast-paced, 3v3 match featuring Lúcio. Players will hit the field in Rio de Janeiro, punching, bouncing, booping, and wall-riding their way to the goal. Understanding how Lúcio’s abilities affect the ball is the key to mastering Lúcioball. For this brawl, his primary fire has been replaced with a melee attack, allowing Lúcio to punch the ball — perfect for dribbling, passing, and shooting from short range. When you need to launch the ball across the map, Lúcio’s secondary attack emits a blast of sound that gets the job done nicely.
Unlike other game modes, the speed boost from Lúcio’s song only affects himself (Amp It Up will still increase that boost for Lucio, as it does normally), and Lúcio’s ultimate ability, Sound Barrier, now pulls the ball toward him.
Fans are already going crazy over the new gameplay mode, comparing it to Rocket League, wall-riding and all.
Lúcioball comes as a part of Overwatch’s Summer Games, in which players can earn limited edition Loot Boxes between today and August 22nd. New emotes, sprays, player icons, highlight intros and skins (even legendary ones!) will accompany the event. Keller explains that, when players earn or purchase Loot Boxes for the next few weeks, they will receive at least one Summer Games limited edition item.
Check out a stream of Lúcioball here. It’s live now on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Blizzard says that more limited-edition items, maps and modes are in store for the future.