This Key Aspect of Highguard Is Worth Salvaging for Another Game

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The game Highguard didn’t last long – it was taken offline after just 50 days. Despite being announced with a lot of hype at last year’s Game Awards, it quickly faced criticism from players. Although the developers at Wildlight Entertainment tried to improve the game, they couldn’t overcome the negative response, ultimately leading to its cancellation. I’m hoping at least one interesting part of Highguard will reappear in a future game.

The game’s biggest issue was its excessive complexity. Combat felt drawn out, with matches often lasting over thirty minutes due to frequent pauses for gathering resources and exploring. Despite this, the game had some good ideas, and one particular combat feature was especially fun. Hopefully, that idea can be expanded upon in a future installment.

Highguard’s Mounted Escapes Are Genuinelly A Lot Of Fun

I recently had a chance to play Highguard at a preview event, going up against other gaming journalists. While they often beat me in direct combat or managing resources, I found I could hold my own when defending my base or attacking theirs. But what really caught my attention was the way the game handled collecting resources and loot while on horseback – that was the part I immediately enjoyed.

Most players agree that the time spent exploring and collecting items slowed down matches, but riding the mythical creatures around the map was fun. The most exciting part was when the ShieldBreaker Sword appeared, creating a race to grab it before the other team. This turned into a unique challenge: players would navigate the large maps – often while riding their mounts – trying to deliver the sword to the enemy base without being eliminated, similar to a reverse capture-the-flag game.

The game was at its best during the fast-paced, action-packed moments – whether I was speeding through mines, escaping gunfire in open fields, or rushing down a mountain to reach the base. These sections had a clear goal and were easy to pick up and play. While the rest of the game felt bogged down by complicated resource gathering, base building, and loot hunting, which distracted from the core hero shooter experience, simply moving across the map was genuinely fun. This particular mode feels strong enough to stand on its own as a competitive online game and could really improve the overall experience.

Highguard’s Potential Should Be Recaptured Elsewhere

While Highguard showed promise, it ultimately faced difficulties. Negative feedback and a shrinking player base led to the cancellation of planned updates, and after its funding was withdrawn, the game’s servers were shut down on March 12th. It now joins other unsuccessful games like Concord in gaming history. However, even in failure, there are lessons to be learned, and it will be interesting to see how developers apply what they’ve learned from Highguard to future projects.

I believe a game based on Highguard could be really enjoyable if it streamlined the core mechanics and highlighted the mounted combat. There’s a lot of potential to expand on how players move around on horseback, going beyond just visual customization. For example, developers could create timed racing events using the large game world as a racetrack. A game mode focused on capturing a sword and delivering it to the enemy base would emphasize mounted movement, speed up gameplay, and eliminate the often-repetitive task of simply defending your base.

Allowing players to fully mount their heroes would add an exciting layer to gameplay, especially in larger environments. Different hero abilities could lead to diverse mounted combat strategies, giving the game a distinctive feature that sets it apart. This approach would encourage varied tactics each round, keeping opponents on their toes. It would also emphasize fast-paced action, intense battles, and quick thinking. Although the game Highguard is no longer available, reimagining its mounted combat could capture its spirit within a more streamlined and action-focused experience.

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2026-03-13 23:11