"The immense hate surrounding Highguard’s reveal and subsequent launch is far more interesting than the game itself, which despite the claims of the hivemind is far from awful. Unfortunately for Wildlight Entertainment, it is also far from good, and its long-term survival is not assured."
I like a lot of the features the developers have incorporated into Highguard. Mounts are fun, special abilities are interesting, and the ability to lay siege to bases is genuinely enjoyable. Unfortunately, when all of these features are combined with needlessly long preparation stages and very small team sizes, the result is a rather disjointed experience.
After spending a fair amount of time playing Highguard, I found myself asking the same two questions I always ask.
Honestly, no. Right now I play a wide variety of games, some of which I have played for years, others I play for a season, and I simply cannot imagine dropping either Call of Duty or Fortnite, titles I have played and enjoyed for many years, to play a game like Highguard, which will likely be entirely dead or drastically changed (in order to survive) in less than a year.
As a reviewer, I also have to ask whether I can imagine anyone quitting Call of Duty, Fortnite, Arc Raiders, Marvel Rivals, or Overwatch to play Highguard, and once again the answer is no. It is simply not better than any of those games, and with its future in doubt, I cannot see why anyone would take time and money away from a game they are already invested in and put those resources into a title that could very easily be dead before the year is out.
With so many amazing titles, products, and subscriptions all competing for our wallets, and the ever-present threat of a very costly next generation of hardware looming, gamers need to be smart with their spending.
After playing Highguard, I have to admit that I would not feel comfortable spending money on it. Despite enjoying the siege defence aspect, I have no assurance that the game will not be shut down within the next six to twelve months.
If Highguard were made by Epic Games, a company known for refunding players when games are sunset early (for example Rumbleverse and Paragon), I could see myself buying a few skins, as they are genuinely well designed. However, with no assurances that Wildlight Entertainment would, or even could, do the same, I do not feel comfortable spending money on cosmetics for a game that may not be playable in a few months’ time.
I have to assume many other players feel the same way, especially as more and more people struggle to keep up with rising subscription costs and increasingly expensive hardware.
While much of the press surrounding Highguard has been negative, it is actually a fairly decent game in most respects. Character designs are attractive and diverse, gunplay is solid, and many of the gameplay mechanics are reasonably well thought out.
While there are arguably too many mechanics, and not all of them mesh particularly well, the game does show potential.
Assuming the developers can respond meaningfully to feedback, Highguard does have a chance of surviving, provided its large community of haters eventually finds something better to do than wishing failure, layoffs, and bankruptcy on a team whose only real crime was having their trailer shown at the wrong time during an awards show.
Gaming, like most things, is a matter of taste. Not every game will appeal to every person, and that is perfectly fine. What is not fine is the sheer scale of the hate campaign that formed around a fairly mediocre, non-controversial, and ultimately inoffensive title like Highguard.
You have to question the source of that outrage. Why would the hivemind become so enraged over a game that, at worst, will quietly shut down after failing to generate enough revenue to support its developers?
Highguard has not hurt anyone. It has not introduced some industry-destroying business model that forces players to pay more for less. All it has done is exist. The sheer number of basement dwellers and streamers foaming at the mouth for its demise is frankly bizarre and a little unsettling.
Highguard is average, and personally I do not feel it is worth my time. That said, like every other sane person, I wish the developers the best and hope the game does well and remains active for those who enjoy it. Wanting anything else is frankly unhinged, and potentially a sign of deeper issues.
If you would like to read more about the dangers of blindly following streamers or allowing yourself to be absorbed by the hivemind, we have discussed these issues in depth in the following articles.
Deep Dive #2: Woe Unto the False Gods of Gaming – Bluntly Honest Reviews ↪
Deep Dive #8: The Endless Horrors of the Hivemind – Bluntly Honest Reviews ↪
In short, treat others the way you would like to be treated, and that includes developers. If you would not want people wishing financial ruin upon you for petty reasons, I suggest extending that same kindness to others.
Highguard is somewhat unique in that it attempts to appeal both to players who want all female characters to look like pin-up models, and those who prefer characters who look and dress appropriately for their setting.
I feel the developers have largely succeeded in this regard. While I do not support the idea that female characters must show large amounts of flesh to be considered attractive, I am also not entirely opposed to visually striking designs, provided they are not created solely to inspire lust.
A good example of this is Una, who shows a fair amount of skin due to her larger muscular frame, but in a way that is largely non-sexual in nature.
Some characters, such as Scarlett, do feel slightly out of place. An entirely bare midriff makes little sense in a combat scenario, but refreshingly she does not rely on excessive cleavage or skin-tight outfits, which is often the case in free-to-play titles such as The First Descendant ↪ and Mecha Break ↪, both of which are among the worst offenders released in the last decade.
While some may see this as a non-issue, lust is a serious matter, and one that Jesus Christ addressed directly in the Gospel of Matthew.
Highguard is a free-to-play first person shooter game developed and published by Wildlight Entertainment, it released on 26 January 2026, and is available on PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
Highguard supports:
Highguard offers the following matchmaking options:
The Highguard in-game store sells:
Highguard supports the following peripherals:
Highguard is rated PEGI 16+ and contains:
I like the idea of Highguard. It is the execution I find lacking. With long lulls in combat, small team sizes, and matches that mostly consist of reinforcing the same walls, harvesting ore, and looting chests (chores) punctuated by occasional bursts of genuinely fun combat and excellent base defence, the pacing simply does not work for me.
After spending time with Highguard, I feel it would work far better as a round-based siege and defence game, rather than the hybrid of MOBA and open-world PvP title it is currently trying to be.
Ultimately, it is not a terrible game, and it has a lot of unique ideas, but with its user count plummeting and community interest already low, I struggle to see how the developers can turn Highguard around before matchmaking becomes unviable and cashflow dries up entirely.
We found Highguard to be a mediocre game, meaning that while it has some redeeming qualities, it's held back by noticeable flaws that prevent it from being truly enjoyable.
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