# Highguards and Lowguards | Kurt & Lucy Gotcha Covered Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TmPZrm6L5GM Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/TmPZrm6L5GM Generated: 2026-01-31T17:33:09.299+00:00 --- ## Quick Overview The new free-to-play 3v3 hero shooter Highguard, developed by former Titanfall and Apex devs, launched as a mixed bag, featuring compelling character designs and good shooting mechanics, but suffering from an overly large, empty map, superfluous systems like a thumbstick QTE mining mini-game, and initial connectivity issues, leading to a poor first impression despite having enough unique elements for a potential redemption arc. **Key Points:** - Highguard is a 3v3 free-to-play hero shooter with a premise similar to Overwatch and Apex Legends, featuring wardens with distinct abilities and a siege objective revolving around protecting two generators. - The core gameplay involves reinforcing bases, mining currency, opening chests for gear, and racing to deploy a 'shield breaker' battering ram at the enemy base to destroy generators. - Lucy found the character designs good, specifically liking the support warden Mara, who is essentially "2016 Symmetra from Overwatch," noting the game launched with only one support character. - A major low point identified was the mining mini-game, which is a Quick Time Event executed on the right thumbstick, which Lucy called "insane" and a "frustrating time." - The developer, Wildlife Entertainment, originally planned a shadow drop but accepted Jeff Keighley's offer to reveal it at The Game Awards, intending to go dark until the game was playable for hands-on assessment. - Kurt felt that while the first two and a half hours were frustrating due to bad matchmaking and system clunkiness, he eventually had fun in a balanced final game when paired with similar skill levels, suggesting potential exists if systems are finessed. - Regarding Resident Evil 4 Remake gameplay, Kurt and Lucy confirmed Leon's gameplay had "additions and evolutions" but asserted "no improvements" were necessary over the original remake, and they noted Leon does not appear to solve puzzles, unlike Claire. **Context:** The "Curtain Lucy Got You Covered" show covered recent major gaming news, focusing heavily on the launch of Highguard, a new free-to-play multiplayer title from former Titanfall and Apex developers, which had a controversial reveal at The Game Awards before its surprise Monday launch. The hosts also dedicated significant time to answering audience questions about their recent hands-on preview of the Resident Evil 4 Remake, specifically focusing on the dual protagonists Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield, and discussed rumors surrounding a potential Resident Evil Code Veronica remake. ## Detailed Analysis The hosts deeply analyzed Highguard, describing its genre as a blend of Hero Shooter (Apex/Overwatch) and Siege/MOBA (Valorant/CS2), where teams of three protect generators, loot, and use a siege weapon mechanic involving a 'sword in the stone' equivalent to break defenses. Lucy experienced connectivity issues on launch day, including rubber-banding and one-bullet time-to-kill, but praised the character designs, though criticized the lack of diversity in initial support characters. The primary criticisms, or 'low guards,' centered on the map being too large and empty, suggesting a need for more mobs, and the highly criticized default control scheme for mining being a QTE on the right thumbstick. Despite these flaws, Lucy believed enough unique elements exist for a good game with finessing. The discussion then shifted to the ethical fallout of the reveal, noting the developer's planned strategy to go dark post-reveal, which was complicated by the Game Awards presentation, and supported Sven Co-op's sentiment that creators deserve respect from critics who lack full context. Following this, rapid-fire Q&A on the Resident Evil 4 Remake confirmed it plays more like RE2/4 but incorporates elements of RE7's first-person sneaking, noted that both Leon and Claire have item boxes, and praised the successful balancing act between action set pieces and horror pacing, contrasting it sharply with the purely action-focused RE6. Finally, the hosts addressed the slow pace of AAA development like GTA 6 and Elder Scrolls 6, attributing delays to shareholder demands for graphical fidelity, increased team sizes, and the rapid technological landscape changes, contrasting this with Japanese studios like Capcom and FromSoftware who maintain iterative development cycles. ### Highguard Game Mechanics - 3v3 hero shooter structure - Objectives include protecting two generators and breaking the enemy shield using a battering ram spawned by a 'shield breaker' key - Gameplay loop involves reinforcing, mining for currency, and gearing up via a merchant. ### Highguard Pros and Cons - Positive aspects include good character designs and solid shooting feel - Major flaws include an overly large, empty map, superfluous systems like the thumbstick QTE for mining, and initial connectivity issues. ### Highguard Reveal Strategy - Developer Wildlife Entertainment intended a shadow drop but accepted The Game Awards slot, planning to remain silent until players could go hands-on to judge the game. ### Resident Evil 4 Remake Preview Insights - Gameplay is a mix of RE2/4 style and RE7 first-person elements - Both Leon and Claire have item boxes, though it is unconfirmed if Leon solves puzzles or uses the item box extensively. ### Stalker Enemies in RE4 Remake - Big Boy Guy (Mr. X equivalent) is very stressful due to his size in corridors, while Big Eyed Lady is terrifying; initial encounters are scary until map knowledge allows for baiting. ### Code Veronica Remake Discussion - Lucy expressed no desire for a Code Veronica remake, preferring a new, direct story continuation for Claire Redfield, citing the original's problematic plot points and lore focus. ### AAA Development Delays - Delays in titles like GTA 6 stem from shareholder pressure demanding increased graphical fidelity and larger teams, contrasting with iterative development strengths seen in Capcom and FromSoftware.