User:Kung Fu Man/Reaper (Overwatch): Difference between revisions

Fictional character in the 2016 video game Overwatch

Reaper was mostly well received since his debut. Polygon‘s Daniel Friedman described him as among “the least nuanced characters in all of gaming”, due to his design and voice lines often focusing on death. While he further described him as an “extra-emo version of Skeletor“, Reaper was also his favorite character in Overwatch “by a huge margin”.^[2] Patricia Hernandez in an article for Kotaku stated that while Reaper’s personality came across as “tryhard edgelording“, she enjoyed how the community added some humor to him, through elements such as a Twitter account that documented the names of players using Reaper. She stated more ironic usernames juxtaposed against the character’s design were often ridiculous, and helped change how she perceived the character in-game.^[3]

Amanda Wallace of Killscreen described him as “the ultimate edgelord symbol”, describing how much of his character design seemed to call out to a part of herself that “lusts after Tripp pants, Evanescence, and black nail polish”, reflecting the “traditional symbols to which pubescent angst-queens attach themselves”. Further stating that Reaper had a tendency to almost seem effortless in how he moved, she felt he represented an archetype of characters “meant to be dark and moody” often found in ensemble-cast games. However, compared to similar character he was elevated by both the voice acting and backstory, as well as how elements such as his design reflected his cultural heritage, that being the symbolism of a barn owl and how Meso-American often associated it with death and destruction.^[4]

As noted by Cass Marshall of Polygon, Reaper’s portrayal in the Code of Violence novella drew negative reception from fans, ranging from lore inconsistences to his characterization. While Marshall acknowledged the lore inconsistences, they argued that while the dialogue in the novella was thick, it felt appropriate for Reaper’s personality. They further expressed that while the novella focuses on him reminiscing about his wife, the fact that prior media had not developed their relationship diminished its impact. Some fans responded to the novella by suggesting Reaper may be an unreliable narrator in the story, something Marshall felt would actually be in-character. However, in response author Brandon Easton denied this theory, stating there was much fans didn’t know about the character and it was part of a long-term narrative.^[5]

References