Highguard's Rocky Launch: Is This Shooter Worth the Hype?

The gaming world loves a good surprise, and Highguard delivered one with its unexpected announcement at last year's Game Awards. Developed by Wildlight and released on January 26th for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, this genre-blending shooter promised to mix fast-paced FPS action with strategic combo systems and hero abilities. While it quickly climbed to nearly 100,000 concurrent players on Steam mixed reviews and technical hiccups have started to cast a shadow over the excitement. Is Highguard a diamond in the rough or just another shooter that will fade out in a few weeks? Let's break it down.

What is Highguard?

Highguard arrived unannounced, catching players off guard in the best way during The Game Awards. Wildlight, a studio known for innovative takes on multiplayer shooters, positioned the game as a fresh evolution of the genre. It features intense shootouts where players control wardens: elite guardians with customizable abilities and combo chains that reward skillful play.

The release hit platforms simultaneously, but Steam's peak player count highlighted the PC crowd's enthusiasm. Early impressions from hands-on sessions raved about its potential, yet the launch has been anything but smooth. With mixed review scores on Steam, gamers are split between those praising its core loop and others frustrated by bugs and online drama.

Gameplay Impressions

At its heart, Highguard shines in its core mechanics, blending traditional FPS elements with unique twists that keep matches dynamic.

• Combo Systems: Chain kills and ability activations to build multipliers, unlocking temporary power-ups like enhanced shields or rapid-fire modes. This adds a layer of strategy beyond point-and-shoot.
• Wardens: Choose from a roster of specialized characters, each with abilities like area-denial grenades or mobility dashes, encouraging team composition.
• Multiplayer Modes: Arenas support 8v8 battles, objective-based payloads, and a battle royale-lite mode called Warden Siege.

The shootouts are great, and they feel fluid and responsive on a stable connection. The gunplay feels good and offers satisfying feedback with weapons that range from plasma rifles to melee blades, and claws. The fresh twists, like environmental hazards that interact with combos, make matches unpredictable and fun.

However, the game's depth and community are where things fall down as of now. The progression system feels shallow after a few hours, with unlocks tied too heavily to micro-transactions for cosmetics. Multiplayer toxicity is also an issue, with voice chat amplifying frustrations during losses.

Overall, Highguard excels in short bursts but struggles to sustain interest without more content.

Verdict

Highguard earns a tentative 7/10 for its launch state: strong mechanics buoyed by fun, innovative combat, but held back by bugs and an overall lack of content. It has potential, and could be a great team based game with the right updates, but we'll have to see how if it can level-up in time to keep an audience.

If you enjoy shooters like Overwatch then Highguard could be right up your alley. It's also free, so it's worth trying with your squad to see if there is anything there that you like.