Less than a month into the new year, Highguard has proven to be what could potentially end up as the year’s most controversial release.
Marketed as a new style of PVP gameplay, Highguard fell short of expectations immediately after launch and earned ‘Mostly Negative’ reviews on Steam. Interestingly, the game seems to have somewhat recovered since release, climbing to ‘Mixed’ reviews on the platform.
Since launch, Highguard has racked up more than 24,000 reviews on Steam. Among these, 42% are now positive, marking a major improvement for the game compared to launch day. As a reminder, less than 20% of the title’s reviews were positive on day one.
Many of the recent reviews discuss the positive impact of the game’s latest mode. For context, Highguard now features a limited-time 5v5 mode, which was added after players felt the 3v3 format was unsuitable for the large maps and environments.
“Game was a wasteland with the 3v3 mode. 5v5 is absolutely better.” -thyAuctive
Some have also admitted that Highguard did not deserve the negativity that was thrust upon it immediately after the first trailer debuted at The Game Awards. As sudden as this development may be, the team at Wildlight Entertainment is likely glad to see the small change of heart on the players’ part.
Of course, the game is not out of hot water yet, with negative reviews still pouring in. Many players continue to complain about the lackluster performance and barebones gameplay, so there is much work to be done before Highguard can make a comeback.
In terms of player retention, Highguard seems to have stabilized at peaks of around 10,000 daily concurrent players on Steam. Since players have yet to entirely give up on the game, there may be hope yet for Wildlight Entertainment’s debut title.
