Apex Legends adds ‘cool dad representation’ with new hero

digitaltrends.com:

Apex Legends‘ latest season, Saviors, is around the corner and it’s adding a new hero: Newcastle. During a press event, Respawn Entertainment shared new details about the character, including his support move set and dad-inspired design.

Newcastle has one of Apex Legends‘ most intriguing backstories to date. Newcastle is a Captain America-like superhero in the game’s world who has tried and failed to qualify for the Apex Legends tournament time and time again. As it turns out, he’s so desperate to enter it because he’s in deep in debt. When a negotiation with his loan sharks turns violent, Newcastle’s dad, who’s related to Bangalore, decides to don the Newcastle mask and enter the battle royale in place of his son.

Described as a “protector,” Newcastle’s fatherly status isn’t just a fun piece of backstory. It’s a fundamental, guiding philosophy to all pieces of his design. In describing the character, the team jokes that they were excited to finally bring “cool dad representation” to the series.

In terms of his look, Newcastle wears a white superhero suit that includes a shield. If it looks a little tight on him, that’s on purpose — he’s wearing his younger son’s suit, after all. The team notes that they looked to give the character a traditional “dad bod” for the game, giving him a natural body type that we usually don’t get to see in video games.

His move kit is entirely built around his shield, which gives him a support utility. His tactical ability is called Mobile Shield and it allows him to create an energy wall that can block incoming projectiles. It can even deflect some projectiles, sending them bouncing back at an enemy. It’s destructible though, and enemies will be able to target the top and bottom of it to