The Hero of Numbani is a Young Adult novel written by Nicky Drayden set in the world of Overwatch. It's the first novel for the franchise and the format allows for a deeper dive into the lore that makes Overwatch so accessible. Although there's some minor missteps along the way, The Hero of Numbani is an important addition to Overwatch lore, carving out a timely story highlighting unexpected heroes along the way.
The story revolves around Efi Oladele, an 11-year-old girl who lives in Numbani, a technologically advanced African city and a shining beacon of the Overwatch universe. Numbani is a city where humans and omnics (robots) live together in harmony and Efi is a genius who spends her time working on her own inventions. When the infamous villain Doomfist attacks the city, disrupting the balance between humans and omnics, tensions rise in Numbani. Efi witnesses the attack and sets out to make the ulimate hero of Numbani, a robot guardian named Orisa, to defend the city from Doomfist's inevitable return.
Characters Take Center Stage
One of the biggest draws of Overwatch is the rich, diverse cast of characters at its core. It's an inclusive game accessible to players from all walks of life and the lore highlights all the different things heroes can possess and be. The Hero of Numbani takes this idea and runs with it. A young African girl is the focus of this book and although Orisa is the hero in the game, it's the one behind her creation - Efi - that shines bright.
The Hero of Numbani gets a lot right and one of the best parts is its insistence on putting characterization above all else. In doing this, the story itself is a fairly straight forward origin story that places the characters into the forefront. Nicky Drayden allows us to live in the Overwatch universe through Efi. It feels like an actual world and is pulled off so well because of the characters that inhabit it.
Doomfist himself is a well thought out villain. He believes what he is doing is right which is always a good trait for the villain to have. Couple that with the way the citizens of Numbani are terrified of him, and his inspired awe as a character, he becomes a notable antagonist for Efi and Orisa to try to take down.
Efi, Orisa and Doomfist shine as characters, but for all of it's emphasis on characterization, a majority of the secondary characters tend to fall flat. They aren't bad characters by any means. They just tend to fulfill a certain role for Efi without really diving into them as their own separate beings. Sometimes, that's out of the question in service of driving the story forward and it's the only blemish on an otherwise wonderfully told tale.
The Heroes We Need
The Hero of Numbani has heroes that feel immediate and important given the current climate we are in. One of the signature lines of Overwatch is Tracer saying, "The world could always use more heroes." This novel does just that as Efi becomes the hero of her own story alongside her lovable creation Orisa.
A young, dark-skinned girl consistently told she is just a kid chooses to go against everything telling her know to embrace her destiny to become a hero. I won't ever be able to personally feel the true weight of that but for many out there, it's a chance to feel seen and heard; to be the hero of their own stories.
Add on to the fact Orisa's voice comes from a variety of powerful, compassionate women in Efi's life is another testament to the novel's strength in raising voices that need to be raised. It's something special.
Watching Efi and Orisa fail time and time again with a determination to make a difference is admirable. Their personalities shine through and add another layer to Orisa who before was just a playable character in Overwatch. There is now meaning behind who she is, elevating the character even higher.
Culture Felt Throughout
The story isn't just set in a fictional, futuristic African city. Culture is felt throughout. Everything from Efi's choice of outfits to how she designs Orisa is draped in African culture. It highlights where Efi comes from and who she strives to be. Culture plays an important aspect of Efi's life even to the food her mom makes and why. It's uncommon to see African life portrayed throughout the mainstream United States which makes it's prevalence in the story all that more important.
Alongside Efi embracing her African culture while simultaneously living in a futuristic world where humans and sentient robots live together, Doomfist is also recognized with his inspired African clothing. Mild spoilers, even Lucio's Brazilian heritage is touched upon and used as a way for him to connect with Efi and for both of them to remember what (and who) they are fighting for.
A variety of cultures are generally represented well in Overwatch, but The Hero of Numbani doubled down on its importance.
A New Era For Overwatch
The Hero of Numbani is a brisk, quirky and important look into the deeper world of Overwatch. It's also the first foray into the novel format for the franchise and it succeeds largely due to the emphasis on the wonderful characters and heroes in Overwatch. With an upcoming story mode in Overwatch 2 as well as a rumored animated series in the works, Activision Blizzard looks to continue to capitalize on a deep world rich with amazing lore. Journeying into the world of Young Adult fiction worked out well for The Hero of Numbani and sets the stage for a continued deep dive into the beloved universe.
Watching Efi's rise to become the hero Numbani desperately needed is immensely satisfying and poignant, and is a journey that's more important than ever.
A copy of The Hero of Numbani was provided to TheGamer for this review. The Hero of Numbani is available now.