Highguard is Scratching an Itch I Did not Know I Had

Probably the newest in an extended line of unlucky high-profile multiplayer disasters, Highguard is formally out, and issues aren’t wanting too sizzling. A 3v3 “raid shooter” from former Respawn Leisure builders, Highguard was revealed as The Sport Awards 2025’s ‘yet one more factor’ announcement. Prior to now, this spot has historically been used to showcase new entries from fashionable franchises/builders like Monster Hunter Wilds or Naughty Dog’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, so displaying a brand new free-to-play hero-shooter-adjacent sport rubbed some folks the mistaken approach.

Highguard went radio silent following its Sport Awards reveal, with no further trailers, gameplay deep-dives, or interviews releasing all through January, leaving folks to invest on its standing. Highguard‘s January 26 launch date rolled round and, to the shock of some, the sport was launched, and an embargo lifted on press reactions, a lot of which have been very constructive. In response to tracker website SteamDB, Highguard reached virtually 100,000 Steam gamers on launch day, however it instantly fell sufferer to review-bombing. Highguard is presently sitting at a ‘Principally Unfavorable’ rating on Steam with over 19,000 consumer critiques, 7,000 of that are from gamers who put lower than an hour into it. However I appear to be one of many few who’s genuinely having fun with Highguard.

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Important Things Highguard Understates Or Doesn’t Tell You

Highguard’s gameplay loop is pretty easy, however the sport options a number of understated or unhighlighted mechanics and methods.

Highguard Is not a Excellent Sport…

It is crucial to state proper off the bat that Highguard is just not an ideal sport. It actually has points, and anybody who’s really performed the sport is, after all, allowed to precise their criticisms. One of the widespread complaints I’ve seen floating round on-line over the previous couple of days is that Highguard‘s maps and core sport mode do not match its 3v3 construction, and I can undoubtedly see the place these critiques are coming from. You possibly can go fairly a couple of minutes with out seeing one other participant throughout Highguard‘s gear-up section, and the overall structure of the sport’s bases feels extra appropriate for a staff of 4 or 5 to be defending/attacking.

One other widespread criticism I’ve heard is that Highguard‘s art direction and total aesthetic is considerably jarring. Whereas characters, bases, and environmental constructions take inspiration from medieval fantasy, there is a Sci-Fi tinge to Highguard‘s world, and the 2 distinct types aren’t blended successfully. Highguard‘s weaponry can be at odds with these two distinct types, with many weapons showing too life like, such because the Dynasty assault rifle which is actually simply an AK-47 with some curved edges.

…However I am Having a Blast With It

Highguard launches to mostly negative reviews

That each one mentioned, these points have not actually gotten in the best way of my enjoyment of Highguard. A little bit of context about my traditional gaming habits; I principally play single-player video games, usually ones with a give attention to story and tight gameplay. However on occasion, a multiplayer sport will come round that I immediately resolve to dedicate my total life to, or a minimum of a number of months of my spare time. This occurred again within the day with Overwatch, it occurred with Apex Legends and Fortnite, and it is occurred a number of occasions over the previous couple of many years with Name of Responsibility. The final multiplayer sport I turned unhealthily obsessive about was Marvel Rivals, which had me beneath its spell for about 4 months.

After taking part in round 10 hours of Highguard, I really feel myself being drawn in as soon as once more. For these unaware, Highguard‘s core gameplay loop borrows key options from a number of fashionable titles. Gamers start by fortifying their base, much like Rainbow Six Siege. They then head out into a big map to search out new gear, like Apex Legends, and buy new tools at a vendor, like in Counter-Strike. A Shieldbreaker weapon then seems in a central location and the 2 groups of three rush to seize it and apply it to the enemy’s base, turning the match right into a chaotic massacre that jogs my memory of classic Halo CTF, albeit with Overwatch-like hero talents.

It is this mixing collectively of a number of genres that is scratching an itch in my mind I did not know I had. Whereas I’ve cherished Rainbow Six Siege, Apex, and Overwatch, I’ve put lots of of hours into these video games, and I’ve skilled their particular gameplay loops numerous occasions. Although Highguard is arguably simply stitching collectively those self same mechanics I already know and love, it is presenting it in a novel approach that is actually working for me. Going from Siege defending to Apex looting to Overwatch fight in fast succession is making these tried-and-tested experiences really feel thrilling and new once more, like I am being given a rotating carousel of all my favourite consolation meals.

The Million Greenback Query: Will I Be Taking part in Highguard in a Month?

However even the juiciest burger can lose its attraction after too many bites. 10 hours is greater than sufficient time to inform whether or not you want a online game or not, however within the grand scheme of issues, it is only a fraction of the playtime followers put into their favourite video games. I’ve received over 200 hours in Marvel Rivals, virtually 300 in Overwatch, and virtually 400 in Fortnite, for instance. It is very potential that Highguard‘s honeymoon section will put on off quickly, and I will merely return to taking part in the video games it is taken inspiration from. However I am cautiously optimistic about Highguard‘s future.

Mere moments after its launch, Highguard‘s developers launched an in depth roadmap for the yr forward. The moderately bold plan will see a brand new ‘Episode’ come to the sport each two months, being break up into two elements in order that new content material is assured to drop each month. This is simply a few of what Highguard is ready to supply in 2026:

February and March — New Warden, new base, new map, new raid instrument, new mount, Ranked Mode
April and Might — New Warden, new base, new weapon, new loot objects
June and July — New Warden, new base, new limited-time mode, new map, new weapon
August and September — New Warden, new base, new weapon, new mount
October and November — New Warden, new base, new map, new weapon, “Shock”
December — New Warden, “Shock”

The notion of getting a new playable Warden each two months is kind of thrilling, particularly as I nonetheless really feel I am solely scratching the floor of the eight already within the sport. New maps additionally sound intriguing, as do new weapons and base layouts. On prime of all that, Highguard‘s devs have already began to roll out updates addressing among the suggestions. On the time of writing (January 28), Highguard is ready to obtain an replace both right this moment or tomorrow that can add FoV sliders for consoles and extra graphical choices for PC. This replace clearly will not repair lots of the points some have expressed with the raid shooter, however it’s a great begin, and one which has me eager for Highguard‘s longevity.