‘I’m just here to FIGHT!’ quoth the Vixen. So maybe I’m a little late with this one. But when Respawn spoke directly to me saying we’re going to do a high fashion collection to feed the children, how could I rush the review?
To start with the heirloom, it’s ok for me. It really seems to have gone under the radar after the Bangalore heirloom controversy and Wattson heirloom rumours. I love how the orange shield tech is the first things that catches your eye here. It’s in the holes and the edge of the axe giving it a bit of menace while relating back to Gibraltar. The style of weapon seems very tribal which suits his character and a lot of the event skins he gets. It does seem a little disproportionate to his body. I think that Lifeline got a larger heirloom than this and she’s a low profile! Also, haven’t we already seen this in his original banner pose? The lack of surprise may be why the heirloom has gone so underappreciated. Notably, it doesn’t have a legendary skin to match which is strange as Respawn would surely have wanted to highlight this hero during their heirloom event. Overall, it’s a decent match but not overly impressive and it’s not had the knockout response I think Respawn were hoping for. Now onto the real contenders…
Bloodhound Dangerous Game 5/5
Purple, pristine and perfected. This is a super clean look with a rich colour scheme we haven’t really seen yet in the game. The coat is this angular aubergine jacket with this high sharp collar. The golden mask and striking blue eyes clash against this but in the best possible way. The hat matches the jacket in it’s flat yet angular way with gold spine in the middle to match the mask. Though fancy and futuristic, there actually aren’t that many pieces in this design, it’s really only the hat, mask and coat. This shows that you don’t have to go overboard with too many features and that a simple look can really outshine the rest. And if the category was to shine this is absolutely gleaming.
Revenant Sacred Divinity 5/5
The skins this event are psycho! This one is like a modern take on the ancient pharaoh. The dark under armour is still there. This creates a base for this rich white fabric that brings the palette to a lighter mood than we’ve ever seen from Revenant! The styling in it’s drapeyness and hood and bandages are similar to that of a robe showing royalty. Around this are the gold elements, sometimes above (the hood) sometimes below to the point of being a core elements of his body! The overall effect is that of an undead artefact that looks priceless yet somewhat creepy, enhanced by the featureless mask.
Wattson Haute Drop 5/5
Watt a look. It’s a nod to her French heritage while being fashionale, darksided and covert ready for her next raid of the Umbrella mansion. Like doesn’t she look like the next dlc in Resident Evil? All the usual elements are there but there are enough variations that really take this to high fashion. Wattson’s gone back to her signature blue but with silver in place of the orange to make the look a little more clean yet somewhat darker. The body suit underneath is a pleasing shiny blue matched by her gloves. The jacket is this kind of silver windbreaker. Often silver can look a little cheap like tin foil but here it adds a shine that looks expensive but practical. There’s that season 7 geometric shape idea with the lines on this fabric that double up as crinkles. Under this is this dotted jacket lining that could be insulation but adds interest against in the pattern. Topping off the look, there’s the practical face guard with ear muffs and a beret that calls back to her French heritage while the angular style looks very fashión. Her makeup works here with the simplicity and dark vibes with the black eye shadow. It’s understated and the name is the perfect pun. J’ai besoin d’acheter maintenant!
Pathfinder Memoir Noir 4/5
This skin is such a stand out and single-handedly puts the whole event into this 1920’s era. This mustard trench coat and matching fedora are gorgeous on him. The face matches the theme with the little moustache, although is Grand Soiree one was better. There’s a perfect balance of this cosplay and the robot underneath. Practicality has been taken into account with the coat moulded onto the legs. It’s a little strange how the Respawn keep dressing him up as a human. It somehow works here though
Mirage Boogie Down 4/5
Straight up the men are slaying this event. This is easily the best Mirage has ever looked in game. There’s something futuristic yet somewhat 70’s about the styling of this. The half and half gold and silver really work and there’s that season 7 geometric idea going on throughout the suit. As usual, Respawn have kept to the comedic route with Mirage. Not just in the gaudiness with the colours, but the styling in the top with the shirt open and the sunglasses and neck piece… it makes him look like a total pimp! I’m a little disappointed as I thought he was going to get a pink skin from his battle pass banner frame which would’ve been pretty controversial for his character. Having said that, Mirage really boogied down to disco town.
Lifeline Worlds Apart 4/5
Respawn have really upped their game making skins for Lifeline since Aftermarket. This isn’t a massive departure for Lifeline as all the features of her base skin are still there. There’s the hair buns, the short top, the long pants, etc. However everything has been changed up just enough to make this a fresh look. This skin is sharp and clean looking. The hair and makeup are the first thing that catch my eyes. She’s usually so natural so this sharp look with the dramatic eyes and white lips all below this dramatic headpiece immediately tell me that this is something pretty different. This skin is a lot more body conscious as her top has gone to a sharp sports bra with that geometric idea in gold indicative of this season. Most of the colour appears on her bottoms in the form of orange bags and blue strips that keep the colour scheme light but bright. The ties at the bottom change up the shape a little while stopping these from just looking like grey joggers. The overall effect is that it’s clean, edgy, elite and futuristic. It’s not quite Worlds apart from the rest of her skins but it’s at least on a different terrain.
Bangalore Dressed to Impress 3/5
Bangalore does seem to keep getting the short end of the stick on a lot of these events. It’s Bangalore in blue yet again. It isn’t bad at all, don’t get me wrong. Again there’s the statement of the coat with the gorgeous cyan and cerulean placed in a way that means the jacket has a totally unique shape. Otherwise, there isn’t much going on. The hair is similar to her heroic but not the most complementary as it’s a little Bride of Frankenstein. The neck jewellery I’ve seen before on her and the legs seem like an afterthought. In my opinion, this just wasn’t the event for Bangalore. She’s knowing for being combat ready, tomboyish, etc. She already had a skin in the September Soiree where she looked rich and opulent. A high fashion event would’ve much better suited characters like Crypto or have maybe given Rampart an opportunity for her first legendary skin. Either way, she’s dressed but I’m not impressed.
Loba Self Reflection 2/5
After the pretty pedestrian skin Loba got in the Winter event, it seemed like it was only up from there. Then this came. There are some great pieces in this skin, namely in, you guessed it, the jacket. I swear I don’t just go round wearing jackets all the time! The discoballness of it all! This sequin idea and the shape of the shoulders with the red lining and ruby red top underneath all make for a gorgeous business executive on her spaceship through the milky wave. I mentioned before the effect of too much silver is that of tin foil. That’s exactly what’s going on here. The long silver legs with this grey hair and light blue eye liner. It takes this from high fashion business executive to retirement home. Why do they keep giving the black girls grey hair? I wish Respawn would’ve done some self-reflection on this skin.
Pathfinder Copper Core and Rampart Gold Standard 1/5
Recolours. Nothing exciting. Strange that Pathfinder got an epic and a legendary in the same event.
Gibraltar Decked Out 1/5
This is blue with a bit of orange. Again, strange that he only got a rare in the event where his heirloom was debuted. At least it’s shiny.
Respawn did not disappoint when they said this was a high fashion event. I think this is the best event that has ever come to the game cosmetics-wise. It’s a bummer that the Pathfinder skin isn’t in the collection. Either way, I’m even more excited for the next collection events after this. We know that Respawn are wanting to up their revenue so hopefully, more updates, more content, more reviews!
