Highguard Review - Not Ready For Primetime

Quick Overview

The review concludes that Highguard, a first-of-its-kind mobile hero shooter hybrid, fails to execute its unique concept perfectly, resulting in a confusing and frustrating experience rather than an exciting one, particularly due to its overly large maps and punishing core mechanics.

Key Points: Highguard is a first-of-its-kind mobile PVP shooter hybrid that attempts to blend base building and team-based hero shooting. The game features two main phases: a 2-minute preparation/resource gathering phase and a raid phase where teams attack/defend generators. The reviewer played for 22 hours on PC and found the experience confusing and frustrating, rating it a 'Fair' 6/10. Key issues include the extremely large 5v5 maps, which force players to spend too much time gathering resources, and the permanent death mechanic during overtime. The map design, particularly the 3v3 format during overtime, isolates players and makes coordinated pushes difficult. While combat mechanics like weapon handling feel responsive, the core loop is hindered by the map scale and the punishing overtime rules. The game offers creative mechanics, such as building sand walls and destroying structures with the Blast Hammer, but these elements are ultimately undermined by the overall structure.

Context: The video presents a review of Highguard, a competitive multiplayer shooter that mixes elements of MOBAs and hero shooters, developed by Wild Light Entertainment. The core gameplay revolves around two teams attacking or defending bases by planting bombs on generators, with phases dedicated to preparation, resource gathering, and raiding. The reviewer spent 22 hours playing the game on PC to assess its viability as a standalone title.

Detailed Analysis

The review scores Highguard a 'Fair' 6/10, concluding that the game's attempt at a unique mobile hero shooter hybrid is ultimately confusing and frustrating rather than exciting. The core loop involves a 2-minute preparation phase where players gather resources and fortify their base using tools like the Blast Hammer, followed by a raid phase focused on destroying enemy generators. The reviewer highlights that the large map size forces players to spend significant time running across the map, especially during the resource gathering phase, which feels passive and tedious. Furthermore, the overtime mechanic, which locks respawns and forces players to either destroy two generators quickly or have their own base take damage, creates frustrating situations where players can be eliminated early in the overtime period. While the moment-to-moment gunplay, particularly with SMGs and shotguns, feels responsive with minimal recoil, the overall game flow suffers due to the map scale and the lack of in-game text chat for coordination. The reviewer notes that the game relies heavily on player coordination, which is difficult to achieve given the map flow and limited communication options. Despite visually impressive art style and interesting mechanics like character abilities tied to magical animals and the ability to create sand walls, the core structure, especially the mandatory 60-second base preparation time, makes the experience feel like a beta rather than a fully realized game.