Hanamura — overwatch

Hanamura is an Assault map in Overwatch and Overwatch 2. One of the 12 maps included in the game's release on 24 May 2016. In Overwatch 2, the map is only accessible in Custom games and Arcade, due to the removal of the Assault mode from standard modes.

Background

Hanamura is a well-preserved village of unassuming shops and quiet streets, known mostly for its idyllic cherry blossom festival every spring. But to those who know its history, Hanamura is the ancestral home of the Shimada ninja clan, which had grown over the centuries to become a powerful criminal organization. As its neighboring cities expanded, Hanamura was encircled, and eventually it was incorporated as a district within a larger city. For now, the imposing compound of the Shimada family lies empty, but that peace may soon be broken.^[2]

Hanamura is a suburban area located in Japan^[3] that features temple grounds and Shimada Castle, which is quite large.^[4] With its restaurants, shops, and prime cherry blossom viewing, Hanamura is a popular tourist destination — but the sleepy town hides a dark secret known only to a select few.

For generations the town was the home of the Shimada clan.^[5] Their rule ended thanks to Overwatch, who dismantled the clan's rule.^[6] Currently, Hanamura is under the control of the Hashimoto clan.^[7]

Gameplay

Hanamura is an Assault Map which takes place in two main locations: a City Area with the Courtyard entrance, and the Castle Grounds.

City Area

The Attackers spawn in an Arcade inside the city area of Hanamura. In the city there are several staircases leading up to higher ground, and there are two main routes to get to the gate to the courtyard. Defenders are rarely in this part of the map, as doing so is dangerously far from the capture point. The gate of the Courtyard has a gap along the left side which can be reached with good mobility heroes and has a viewpoint of the Courtyard.

Courtyard

The Defenders defend a capture point situated just behind the Courtyard. The Courtyard has two major high grounds along both sides, and the capture point itself has a thin rampart along the front which attacks can stand upon if they are able to reach such heights. The capture point itself is a rectangle with a circular bell in the centre. There are four entrances to the point, one of which has an environmental hazard at the back. The attackers after capturing the point now spawn in the Courtyard.

Castle Grounds

The Castle Grounds consist of a rampart along the right side of the map with high ground. Players can also attack through the centre of the castle where a gazebo is present in the centre. The right side of the map also has a large open gap for heroes with extensive movement abilities to move across.

The Castle

The Castle itself has three high grounds, two of which are roughly twice the height of the lowest one. The right high ground is accessible via a staircase, but the left is only accessible to heroes with extensive movement abilities. The lowest high ground extends the length of the castle but is accessible from the left side. The left side after the jump contains another entrance to the point. Along the bottom of the point, close to the chokepoint is a lower area with access to the right side, or a staircase on the left that leads to the center entrance. Defenders spawn at the back of the large square capture point. The point has two rectangular boxes on each side of the entrance for cover, but is otherwise open. Finally, a roof covers the back of the point which can be accessed by heroes who can reach it, as it is very high up. It does not provide a good sightline to the point.

Winter Version

There is a version of Hanamura exclusive to the Winter Wonderland event, although the map is playable at all times of year in Custom Game. The differences between it and the normal version are that the map is covered in snow, with a more bluish-white color palette. There are also lights strung around the memorial shrine on the second point. The map plays identically.

Strategy

Heroes

Hanzo, Genji or other characters who can easily scale walls or heights can make use of the gap in the gate at the Courtyard. This provides an excellent view of the entire area.
- To counter this, Junkrat can place a trap which leaves the enemy stranded at the area and vulnerable to attacks.
Widowmaker can be especially powerful on attack or defense, as there are many high areas to get a good vantage point, as well as cover to hide in.
Torbjorn is powerful on the first point defense as his turret can be placed in any of the four corners of the point with cover from multiple angles.
Pharah is useful on the second point defense as she can easily knock down heroes off the high ground and onto the point before they are ready.
- However, Soldier: 76 is very powerful on this defence due to the abundance of high ground and open areas.
Cassidy can be powerful due to the lack of cover on the second point defence allowing his deadeye to target many enemies at once.

Trivia

As of Overwatch 2, Assault maps have been relegated to Custom Game and Arcade only, as the mode was not seen fit for competitive or unranked play. Both it and its Winter version are still accessible in game.
The Playlist Super Shimada Bros used to take place on this map. It was the standard Assault Map format, but only Genji and Hanzo were playable.
- The title is a reference to Super Mario Bros. as the game is Japanese produced.
A Deathmatch version of this map is present in game, and restricts the map to just the first and second capture points, removing the city area. It makes it one of the largest deathmatch maps, and is likely why it was never included in any playlist.
- It also has a Winter version.
Shooting at the murloc in the City area, (easily seen on attack) will cause it to make sounds.
Several arcade games can be found here: Vivi's Adventure, Fighters of the Storm, 16-bit Hero, The Lost Vikings VI and Siege Mode 3. Most pay tribute to a previous Blizzard game, and feature characters from other franchises.
The name "Hanamura" or "花村" translates to "flower village" in Japanese.
D.Va is shown in posters here. These are reference to her professional gaming career^[8]
- She was shown here prior to her reveal, as Hanamura was included as one of the first maps in the Overwatch Beta.
On the second capture point you can find the damage caused in the initial fight between Hanzo and Genji in the Dragons short. This includes Hanzo's arrow in the wall outside the door, Hanzo's arrow in the floor, damage to the right standing lantern, and Genji's shuriken in the wall below the walkway beside the hanging scroll.
- Strangely, the damage done to the wooden railings outside the castle where the final fight happened by Genji pinning Hanzo to the railings and the arrow stuck on the wall as the result of Hanzo's initial assumption of Genji's position upon entering the area are missing.
The mural above the final point originally depicted an archer clad in blue and a swordsman clad in green during the Dragons short. In game it depicts a Blue Dragon and a Green Dragon circling each other.
The map seems to be influenced partially by the Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyoto, which has a balcony very similar to the one at the second capture point.
Hanamura is a playable Payload map in Heroes of the Storm, added alongside Genji.^[9]
- In Heroes of the Storm update, Hanamura is reworked from having 2 Payloads turned into 1 Payload.
- In Game, when Heroes managed to destroy a specific camp, they receive a Torbjörn turret.
Kyoto Temple was pitched as a map for Overwatch during development. This may have been a prelude to Hanamura.
The Hanzo vs. Genji LEGO Overwatch set takes place here, featuring a segment of the dojo where the two fought in Dragons. It was revealed by Target in 2016.^[10]
The area in which Kanezaka takes place can be viewed from Hanamura, but since Hanamura was made years prior, it cannot be viewed from this map.
- Kanezaka has a clear view of Hanamura however.
Yamamura was originally going to be an Escort map.
The map is planned to be redesigned into Hanaoka.^[11]

Gallery

An angle of the map showing the Castle in full. This angle is used for the Winter version of the map.
The loading screen for the map showing the gazebo in the Castle Courtyard.
The second capture point, showing the inside of the Castle.
The stairs leading to the first capture point from the defender's spawn.
The Defender's spawn room.
The large jump from the left side of the map, leading to the second point.
A view from the high ground of the Castle from the Courtyard section of the map.
The first capture point.
The left route for attacking the second point.
The Murloc in the City part of the map.