Highguard Review: Promising but Uncertain

Highguard review: a promising but uncertain new entry in gaming news

The routine is familiar by now. A bright, colorful online shooter launches, rockets up the charts, and sparks conversations across social feeds — even if you hadn't heard of it before. Often it's free, so curiosity wins. That first rush of promise and anticipation can end up being the high point for a game. Sometimes that excitement fades fast.

What Highguard offers

Highguard is the latest example. The 3v3 shooter from Wildlight Entertainment launched on PS5, Xbox, and Steam. Wildlight's team includes veterans from Apex Legends, Titanfall, and Call of Duty — pedigree that drew attention when the game was revealed at The Game Awards. The developers describe it as a "raid shooter," but it's easiest to think of it as a first-person take on a MOBA like League of Legends: teams have bases, you upgrade gear, defend your HQ, and complete objectives to destroy the enemy base. Also, you can ride a bear.

At its best, Highguard is fast, tense, and decisively fun — but its complexity could keep it niche.

Gameplay and feel

The action benefits from the studio's shooter experience. Movement feels smooth and gunplay is satisfying — qualities you'd expect from developers who worked on Titanfall. Highguard is also a hero shooter: you pick characters with unique abilities and Overwatch-style ultimate powers. These ultimates can swing a fight quickly if used well.

When matches click — defending teammates while they defuse a bomb, or coordinating an assault on an objective — the game shines. Those intense, close-quarters moments showcase its strengths.

Challenges and friction

• Complex rules and objectives: The match flow can feel hard to parse after a few games. That learning curve may limit broader adoption compared with pick-up-and-play hits like Fortnite.
• Map scale vs. team size: Maps are large but teams are small. Much of a match can involve wandering mostly empty levels hunting chests for better armor and weapons.
• Early pacing: Even with mounts to speed traversal, early match segments often feel slow and low on excitement.

Context in the crowded shooter market

Fresh ideas matter in a space dominated by established franchises. Titles such as Fortnite, Counter-Strike, Valorant, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty set a high bar. Some newer or returning shooters found footholds: Battlefield 6 cracked through with scale, while Helldivers 2 and others carved steady player bases. But many inventive games also failed to stick — examples include Anthem, Spellbreak, and XDefiant — despite clear hooks.

Highguard's mix of strategy, hero abilities, and fantasy touches feels different, but not radically so. Its identity can be awkward to explain, which may hurt discoverability in gaming news cycles and streaming culture where immediate hooks help virality.

Who might enjoy Highguard

• Players who like tactical, objective-based shooters with hero abilities.
• Fans of MOBA-style progression who want that loop translated into FPS combat.
• Gamers who appreciate crisp movement and satisfying gunplay.

Final thoughts

I'm enjoying Highguard during launch week. The combat feels great, and the oddball fantasy elements add charm. Still, its strategic depth, expansive maps, and somewhat murky match flow leave doubts about long-term success in a fiercely competitive genre.

For now, Highguard is worth trying for players who follow gaming news and want to explore a hybrid shooter-MOBA experience. Enjoy it while it's fresh — but be prepared for a learning curve and uneven pacing.

By Andrew Webster