I'm not a big fan of pile-ons- the industry has been so eager for another Concord-style bloodbath that I came into Highguard looking for something interesting. After all, the big stinger at the end of The Game Awards has to have some juice behind it, right? With developers who'd worked on Titanfall and Apex Legends, there's sure to be some kind of polish, some kind of catch that'll make me overcome my natural dislike for team based shooters and hook me in.

Having tried out the game myself, it exists in this weird dual-reality state. On one hand, I absolutely agree with the idea that it's genre-pushing: the game's systems work very hard to make it so much more than an Overwatch or Valorant clone. On the other, it also has the downsides of taking big swings: some of its decisions make no sense.

Not Just A Hero Shooter

To its credit, despite the trailer evoking so much hero shooter imagery, Highguard itself feels very light on the actual hero shooter stuff. It's much closer on the Valorant end of the spectrum- characters have abilities, but their deployment is much more calculated. The game's Wardens are balanced entirely around their roles- if you're playing a Defense-class Warden don't expect any of your skills to help in a dogfight.

I don't mind it in the broad strokes but that kind of dogmatic approach is kind of a running theme through Highguard. It reminds me of your friend who's developing their first boardgame, excitedly explaining to you a myriad of rules and conditions ad nauseam, then suddenly getting mad if you discover something they didn't intend. Raid Weapons, for example, are strictly for siege use. Don't bother trying to fire a rocket into a crowd- the projectile moves so slow it's physically incapable of hitting anything that wasn't a stationary wall.

Similarly, the Wardens themselves feel allergic to anything that might get it accused of car crash neutral. The game wants to move at a more methodical pace, despite so many of its tension climaxes being all-out firefights. I get it, the game wants to be more of a tactical experience. But the scramble during the shieldbraker phase is so inherently chaotic that I kind of wish the game leaned into it more.

To its credit though, listening to the game's rules is pretty fun. Highguard basically incorporates a whole Ranked playlist in the span of one match- starting with a capture the flag mode before going into a CS-style bomb-planting mode before resetting if you don't curbstomp your enemies at once. From choosing which walls to destroy to infiltrate to even pre emptively casing the joint before the Shieldbreaker spawns, there's a lot of room for creative play.

One Warden, for example, lets you go through solid walls. Another lets you kill confirm, stopping your opponents from reviving and enhancing your squad with extra shields. There's room for sauce here, I just wish it didn't feel like it was gripping your wrist to play correctly all the time.

One Phase Too Many

While I'll happily concur that Highguard is a unique experience, the steps it takes to get there do feel arduous. An exploration phase to pick up gear, really? Deciding what weapons you want to take at the start of the round already feels like an impactful decision, the fact that you then follow it up with scavenging for armor and upgraded weapons feels kind of redundant. Given how much of the game is about committing to tactical decisions, having plans change because of your gear score feels kind of dull in comparsion.

I'm not against downtime in competitive shooters- but the gearing phase of Highguard in particular feels so bolted on you almost wonder if its a vestigial portion from when it was originally a battle royale or something. It doesn't help that the game's 3v3 nature and big maps help the stage feel extra empty. These sceneries are gorgeous, but not when I'm checking every nook and cranny for an extra hat before the Shieldbreaker spawns.

Still, the phases that are good are great. Like I said earlier, it feels very much like the phases are designed to emulate a typical ranked playlist. As I'm sniping the bearer of a Shieldbreaker, I'm simply reminded how much fun Capture The Flag is as a gametype and why we don't have more games with it there. The actual siege is also pretty great, and probably the best use case of the game's big maps and small teams. Skulking around the base is way more tense than any other shooter I've played, since the decision of rushing A or B feels more involved. Going A while walking in the direction of B is totally tenable, and with the right player you could totally just wipe the enemy team with one guy if everyone's looking the wrong way.

It leads to a very polarizing cocktail. Those who sing praise for Highguard's gameplay are probably thinking of the highs, while any complaints about the downtime are probably nitpicking some of the more quiet phases.

Highguard Verdict

Ultimately, a lot of your enjoyment of Highguard comes down to what you expected of it. Is it the Valorant killer? Not by a long shot. With its visual incoherence and fairly boring characters, I don't think it'd ever move into the highly competitive space shared by its biggest rivals- it simply doesn't have the attitude to start controlling clear folder space.

What it is though, is a genuine attempt at innovating in a space that's crawling with clones. The gameplay formula feels genuinely interesting- but at the same time its insistence that it be played one step at a time means that it's basically mandatory to queue with your friends. After all, the last thing you want is one moron ruining the play.

Contrary to popular sentiment I think this game has a shot at attracting a crowd specifically because it makes steps to address the most boring aspects of tactical shooters. But its lack of pomp and circumstance is going to be its own personal reinforced wall it needs to break through. 

Final Score: 7/10