Highguard Review

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Developed by a team of former creators from games like Apex Legends and Titanfall at the new studio Wildlight Entertainment, Highguard unexpectedly appeared at The Game Awards 2025. The reveal showcased a fast-paced take on the hero shooter format, but left many viewers with more questions than details. As a fan of the genre, I was eager to try it, particularly since it was announced the game would be released very soon. However, revealing Highguard at The Game Awards turned out to be a mistake, as many people quickly dismissed it without even playing.

The new game Highguard is receiving a lot of online criticism, with some players comparing it to PlayStation’s unsuccessful game Concord. However, unlike Concord, which cost $40 to play, Highguard is free-to-play. After a week of playing, it’s clear that the developers at Wildlight have created a really fun and engaging shooter that’s great right now and has a lot of potential to improve over time.

Though Highguard is built around hero shooter gameplay, it blends elements from many different online games. The main game mode, called Raid, throws a bit of everything at players. It begins with base building and fortification, similar to Rainbow Six Siege, then opens into a large map where players scavenge for loot like in battle royale games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends. Once a special weapon, the Shieldbreaker sword, appears, the game transforms into a large-scale Capture the Flag, tasking players with delivering it to the enemy’s base.

When you successfully plant the flag or eliminate the opposing team during overtime, Highguard shifts into a style of gameplay similar to Counter-Strike and other first-person shooters with bomb-planting modes. It might seem complex initially, but Highguard has cleverly combined elements from various games to create a unique and invigorating experience.

Highguard Always Gets You Right in the Action

Some players have mentioned that the maps in Highguard feel too large and that there’s a lot of waiting between fights, but I haven’t found that to be true. While the maps are big, the game does a good job of consistently bringing players into combat. The location of the Shieldbreaker is always visible on the map, and often, enemies are already heading there, creating exciting fights even before the main objective comes into play. Players can choose to ignore it and focus on gathering loot, but action usually finds them quickly.

Whoever carries the Shieldbreaker shows up on the map for everyone to see, instantly making them a target and drawing all players into conflict. The final stage of the game involves intense fighting, switching between each team’s base as players try to plant and defuse bombs, and ultimately eliminate the opposing team through any strategy possible.

In Highguard, mounts—like those used by Paladins—are key to keeping the gameplay fast-paced and action-packed. Players can quickly summon their mount—a horse, bear, panther, or other creature—with a double-tap of the jump button. These mounts are not only fast as they travel around Highguard’s maps, but also visually impressive.

Highguard Wardens Have an Incredible Arsenal at Their Disposal

In Highguard, players control characters called Wardens, each with unique skills, similar to other hero shooter games. The Wardens in Highguard have abilities that are simple to understand, making it easy to learn new characters, and every single one is enjoyable to play.

I especially enjoy playing as Scarlet, a defensive character who can become invisible, dissolve walls into sand, and use a powerful ultimate ability that throws damaging blades at opponents. It’s incredibly rewarding to vanish as Scarlet, quietly approach an unsuspecting player, and then hit them with the Kraken shotgun for massive damage, giving you a significant edge in the fight.

The game also features a variety of other enjoyable characters. Kai transforms into a massive ice demon with abilities reminiscent of Reinhardt from Overwatch, and Redmane boasts a devastating roar capable of destroying entire buildings. Condor utilizes a bird companion to provide her team with valuable scouting information, essentially giving them wallhacks. Finally, Atticus’s ultimate ability is comparable to Hela’s in Marvel Rivals, unleashing a barrage of powerful lightning spears on anyone caught in its path.

Highguard doesn’t have a huge variety of guns – just a few options in each type – which actually makes combat smoother and keeps the focus on exciting action rather than endless menu browsing. The guns themselves are satisfying to use, with a powerful feel, and when combined with each character’s unique abilities, every fight is genuinely thrilling.

Highguard is a Great Game, But It Needs More to Reach the Next Level

I’m really enjoying the core gameplay of Highguard – it’s so good, I think I’ll be playing it regularly for a long time. The game is expected to improve even further with future updates. Right now, my main concern is that it doesn’t have as much content as other similar games, but the developers plan to add more.

When it first launched, Highguard included five maps, eight playable Wardens, and one game mode. While the main Raid mode is enjoyable, the game has a lot of room to grow with additional modes that appeal to a wider range of players. The exciting action and unique characters of Highguard could also work well on smaller, more classic multiplayer maps similar to those found in games like Call of Duty and Halo. It would also be interesting to see a mode that focuses purely on combat, without any looting or armor collection.

Many players are disappointed that Raid mode is limited to 3v3 battles. The maps in Highguard are large enough to support bigger fights, and increasing the player count to 5v5 or even 6v6 could make the game more exciting and attract more players.

Highguard is trying out a new 5v5 game mode, but it’s not available as a regular option just yet.

There’s a lot to look forward to with Highguard! They have big plans for 2026, promising plenty of new content, and I’m hoping they can pull it off. While the game’s launch wasn’t perfect, at its core, it’s a fun and different shooter that’s free to play.

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2026-01-31 06:35