I’ve Never Uninstalled a Game So Fast Before

by

We’ve all experienced games that don’t live up to the hype. Some are plagued by glitches, others become repetitive and boring, but occasionally, a game is surprisingly bad in a way that feels intentional. For me, that game was Highguard.

I spent a good amount of time playing Highguard and got a solid understanding of its mechanics. However, I was surprised by how quickly I uninstalled it. Right from the start, it was obvious the game wasn’t still developing – it felt like a promising idea that ultimately fell flat, becoming frustrating and draining to play.

I Couldn’t Tell What Highguard Wanted to Be

Honestly, I was totally lost from the very beginning. I kept telling myself it was just a learning curve, that things would start to make sense after a few matches. But they didn’t. This game, Highguard, feels like it doesn’t even know what it wants to be, and that confusion shows in every single thing you do. It feels like they just grabbed bits and pieces from other games, slapped them together, and called it a day – nothing really works well. One minute I’m trying to build up defenses like I’m playing a shooter, but those defenses are useless because enemies just ignore them. The next, I’m stuck grinding for resources in a survival mini-game I’ve played a million times before. Then, out of nowhere, I’m just running around a huge map collecting color-coded loot that’s supposed to be exciting, but honestly just feels like a chore.

It’s really frustrating to play. The game feels like it’s made of mismatched parts, thrown together without much consideration for how they work together or how enjoyable it is. Fighting doesn’t help you improve, and there’s very little sense of accomplishment. The game’s speed jumps erratically between boring and overwhelming, making it hard to get into a good rhythm or feel any forward progress. I was hoping to find something that would make the game engaging and keep me playing, but it’s just not there. This game had potential, but it feels like they tried to do too much at once. It’s a collection of decent ideas that don’t work well together, instead of a single, well-developed experience.

How the Launch Made Me Lose Hope

The Game Awards presentation was meant to be a huge, exciting launch for the game, a chance to impress everyone. Looking back, though, it actually highlighted the game’s problems. The lack of communication before release, combined with no opportunities for public testing and a focus on just one impressive reveal, meant the game wasn’t ready for such a public debut. When I finally got to play it, all of its issues were immediately obvious – problems that could have been fixed with more testing or quietly patched after release instead hit me all at once.

First impressions are crucial for games that are constantly updated, and Highguard unfortunately failed to make a good one. From the very first game I played, it was clear the game couldn’t keep me engaged, didn’t feel rewarding, and didn’t make my time feel valuable. I wanted to give it a chance and see if it could get better, but the core problems were too significant to be fixed with simple updates. There was no real justification for the issues.

The Game Awards presentation felt like it should have been a great start, but it actually revealed a core issue: the game simply wasn’t finished. Throughout my time playing, it became clear the developers prioritized flashy visuals over a solid gameplay experience, and unfortunately, I suffered for it with wasted time and frustration.

Why The Half-Commitments Hurt My Every Match

I stopped playing Highguard because it became incredibly frustrating. Every time I try to revisit the game, I’m reminded why I quit initially. The abilities just aren’t very interesting or powerful, and the gameplay feels empty despite being built on a lot of different systems. I keep switching between these systems, hoping to find something enjoyable, but they all feel unfinished and poorly executed. Things like fortifying walls, collecting resources, and finding colored gear don’t work well together, the game feels slow and disjointed, and it’s just not a fun experience.

Even now, I can see the potential this game had, which makes its shortcomings even more disappointing. It doesn’t feel like a game still finding its way – it feels like a result of not being able to make clear decisions. Every aspect feels like a compromise. I keep imagining how great it could have been if the developers had fully committed to a single, strong idea and really refined it. Instead, the gameplay feels like a collection of hesitant choices, and that quickly became frustrating. While it’s admirable that the game tried something different from typical hero shooters, that doesn’t matter when the overall experience feels unfinished and cobbled together.

Checking Steam reviews confirms what I’ve been experiencing. The overwhelming negative feedback highlights the same issues: unbalanced maps in 3v3 matches, a sense that your gear and progress don’t matter, and clunky gameplay. These aren’t just things I’m reading online – these are my own frustrations, and it’s clear many other players feel the same way. Every time I play, I’m held back by the game’s incomplete fixes, and it quickly becomes obvious that I’ll probably end up deleting it.

I’d like to see Highguard focus on a specific direction and really commit to it. They should get rid of anything that isn’t working, improve the promising parts of the game, and create a unified and enjoyable experience. However, I’ve reached my limit. I uninstalled the game because, as it stands, it’s not bad, it’s just dull, empty, and doesn’t feel worth my time.

It’s possible the developers could eventually remake the game, simplifying it and focusing on a single, clear idea to create something truly enjoyable. But that’s a big ‘if’. If they want to win me back as a player, they’ll need to completely overhaul it – essentially do a Cyberpunk 2077style rebuild, tearing it down and starting over with a focused, workable plan. For now, though, this is a game I uninstalled quickly – a missed opportunity that never seemed to fully commit. Highguard* aimed high with its ambition, but ultimately failed to deliver a cohesive experience.

What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

Read More

2026-01-28 01:43