Highguard Could Be The Start of a Whole New Thing | Hands-On Preview

Quick Overview

Highguard is a novel first-person shooter that combines structural elements from games like Rainbow Six Siege, Valorant, and Star Wars Battlefront 2, featuring an upgradeable armament system reminiscent of Apex Legends and Call of Duty zombies, creating a unique, exciting, and potentially genre-inspiring 'raid shooter' experience despite some early balance issues.

Key Points: Highguard comes from Wildlife studio, comprising over 100 employees, including more than 60 former members of the team behind Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends. The core gameplay structure blends the attacker versus defender format of Rainbow Six Siege, the lane-focused bomb planting of Valorant, and the large-scale objective scope of Star Wars Battlefront 2's base destruction. Matches involve two teams of three Wardens defending one of four randomly selected bases, with map layout informed by the chosen base endpoints, creating a battleground larger than Halo Infinite's High Power but smaller than Apex Legends' King's Canyon. Objective completion centers on using the map-revealed 'shield breaker' sword to breach the enemy base shield (dealing 30 damage) and then planting bombs on generators (35 damage each) or the 'anchor stone' (instant base destruction). Movement maintains the quality pedigree of Respawn titles, described as fast and fluid via running, mounting, or ziplines, and the game offers a novel sensation similar to the first time playing a battle royale or looter shooter. Some Wardens, like the stealth-focused Scarlet and support-focused Mara, feel strong, while others like the recon specialist Condor have ultimate abilities deemed 'extremely precarious' and easy to counter in fast-paced combat. The game hints at deep lore suggesting a former technology-dependent society now relying on recently discovered magic, a narrative structure the developers have a track record of prioritizing.

Context: Highguard is a new free-to-play first-person shooter developed by Wildlife, a studio composed of many former Respawn Entertainment developers known for Titanfall 2 and Apex Legends. Although the reveal trailer suggested a fantasy setting with horses and magic, contradicting the developers' sci-fi history, the hands-on preview reveals a complex hybrid shooter. The game is described as a 'raid shooter' where teams of three Wardens battle across large maps to destroy the opposing team's base objectives within short match times ranging from 8 to 30 minutes.