It feels anticlimactic to say so, and I don’t know why Geoff likes it so much, however Highguard appears first rate. Ample. S’alright. It’s a high quality aggressive FPS that’s able to producing spirited, back-and-forth gun battles between spec ops wizards on bearback, which may in flip tickle the itches of anybody burnt out on battle royales or exasperated with extraction shooters. That’s me. I’m speaking about me.
Not that Highguard doesn’t do its personal share of cribbing from the hits. If something, every spherical of its sole mode, Raid, proceeds such as you’re scrolling by means of the totally different style sections (and generally, particular video games) on Steam. First, there’s a minute or so the place you and two teammates reinforce the partitions of your base, Rainbow Six Siege model. Then as an alternative of prompt bloodbathing, each groups spend a couple of minutes looking the map’s loot crates and mineral deposits for cash and equipment upgrades – a peculiar mix of Borderlands and early-game MOBA farming. Fights solely escape when a magic sword unlocks someplace on the map, prompting a spin on Seize the Flag the place one blade provider is escorted to the different crew’s base to allow them to plunge it into the enemy’s defend generator, summoning a large sci-fantasy battering ram. As soon as that punches by means of the barrier, it goes all Counter-Strike, the attacking crew (who out of the blue ‘achieve’ restricted lives) attempt to plant bombs on all of the vital base bits.
Relying on what number of mills get wrecked in a base push, actually all of that may repeat a number of instances per sport, which – god assist me – is one thing I truly like. Sub-10 minute deathrolls solely occur often, so most of the time, you’re usually getting both the reduction of a quiet buildup section after the stress of a profitable assault, or an opportunity to reset and rearm after dropping a piece of base well being. Recurring engagements with the identical small crew can be conducive to rivalry-building, in a means that the one-and-done wiping of BRs and extraction shooters shouldn’t be, and Highguard’s weapons have sufficient percussive, metallic banginess to them that these duels are often snappy and satisfying. Supplied, a minimum of, you retain your shooters upgraded sufficient to counter the speedy beefing-up of non-public shields.
At its greatest, Highguard can be subtly efficient at recreating one of the best bits of its myriad inspirations. For me, the highlights are typically matches which have the texture of an ideal Dota 2 sport: involving and demanding of consideration, the place enduring the momentum of an apparently superior crew opens up probabilities to show the tables, be it by means of sheer grit or the perfectly-timed deployment of magic abilities.
When not at its greatest, although, Highguard does lack a security web of distinctive qualities. Chances are you’ll, for example, have already been left staring blankly at its virtually indescribably bland aesthetic – and I do imply that, as I truthfully can’t consider something attention-grabbing to say about it. Besides, maybe, that it matches the launch solid of playable heroes, a squad of competently voiced however barely characterised fantasy bores.
Their talents, whereas potent in the appropriate eventualities, additionally characterize Highguard’s proclivity for lacking alternatives. Most of them are simply easy defensive abilities you’ve seen in a dozen different hero shooters, or are boringly based mostly on dealing non-gun harm; the damaging flipside of which, and has all the time been in video games like this, is the chance of undermining gamers’ core capturing abilities. Few of those skills allow extra attention-grabbing tactical or motion prospers, as these of Apex Legends – which was co-created and developed by lots of the workers now forming Highguard makers Wildlight Leisure – have been doing for almost a decade. The mounts, equally, are finally simply super-sprint buttons with hooves.
Even that central loot-fight-push loop, whereas typically a profitable system for drama, displays some odd balancing selections. Primarily, it feels far, far too punishing to interrupt a base however then fail to blow up something earlier than a timer counts down; if this occurs, your personal base loses almost a 3rd of its well being, with out opponents laying a trigger-sore finger on it. Since reaching this level requires a number of successive wins (canny gearing, claiming the Shieldbreaker sword, and ferrying it to the opposite crew’s spawn level), that’s an obscene reward for just some minutes of last-ditch turtling. In opposition to a crew with restricted respawns, on terrain that naturally benefits the defenders. Haramball with weapons, truthfully.
Granted, none of this blocks out the potential of good instances in Highguard. Largely it stays, like I mentioned, first rate. The extra worrying downside is that in its present state, ‘first rate’ seems to be extra like the sport’s ceiling than its flooring.
The load of expectation is, being sensible, an element as properly. Highguard could not have marketed past its freebie TGA trailer spot however for us knuckldraggers who nonetheless admire a spot of manshoots, it was sufficient to know that Wildlight are stacked to their Californian rafters with veterans of Call of Duty 4, Titanfall, and Apex Legends. Three of one of the best first personers this century, and three of probably the most impactful too. COD4 modified motion video games in a single day, and even when the 2 Titanfalls by no means achieved the identical blockbuster standing, they modernised the motion shooter with a smoothness and tangibility that none different has surpassed since. Apex, too, remains to be having its improvements borrowed by rival battle royales and area shooters alike.
Regardless of my years of petitioning the British authorities, Not Making Titanfall 3 is but to grow to be a prison offence. However these are, demonstrably, a number of the most gifted FPS crafters within the enterprise. And whereas Highguard makes an inexpensive first impression, it does sting somewhat to know that it isn’t one other prompt belter.
