Bloody Hell, Highguard's Mounts Are The Real Magic – And We Need A Racing Mode, Pronto!
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Wildlight Entertainment's Highguard might be a mixed bag, but its fluid, magical mounts are an undeniable highlight, turning players into sci-fi-fantasy cowboys (or bear-riders!). This unexpected fun has ignited calls for a dedicated mount-racing mode, an idea even the game director is openly pondering.
Right, so you know that feeling when a game is just... *there*? Not terrible, not amazing, just kinda existing in its own little digital space? Highguard, Wildlight Entertainment's latest colossal undertaking, kinda sits in that grey area for many, myself included. But here's the kicker, mate: its mounts? Absolutely bonkers in the best way possible. Seriously, they've pulled off some genuine wizardry there, and it's making me wonder if they accidentally brewed up the ultimate speed potion for digital beasts instead of a revolutionary FPS.
*This whole wild observation, by the way, got me thinking after reading Claire Lewis's cracking piece on Polygon, titled 'Highguard's mounts are the best part of the game, now I want a racing mode'. She really hit the nail on the head, fair dinkum.*
After ten years in the digital crucible, attempting to reinvent the FPS wheel, Highguard’s launch was... well, let's just say it wasn't exactly a smooth teleportation ritual, was it? Mixed feedback, a seriously rocky start – you get the picture. I personally find the game perfectly *fine*. It’s got its moments, a certain slow-burn charm, perhaps. But if I’m being honest, it often feels a bit like waiting for a spell to fully charge when you just want to blast something already. A tad slow-paced for my tastes, if you catch my drift.
And then you summon a beast. Bang! Suddenly, you're not just 'fine' anymore; you're having an absolute blinder. I've never been one for the whole 'horse girl' thing, not really. Real horses are majestic but also massive and unpredictable, and in-game horses usually find a way to annoy me (RIP my many Oblivion steeds, forever stuck on a pebble, or worse, those creepy half-human abominations). But Highguard's menagerie? We're talking horses, bears, panthers, even eldergryphs – and they’re pure digital poetry in motion. They're what keep me coming back, like a digital siren call from a particularly fast panther.
It makes sense, I suppose. Wildlight Entertainment, the mad geniuses behind the fluid parkour of Titanfall and the slick slides of Apex Legends, were bound to nail movement. That's their jam, right? But who'd have thought that pedigree would extend so gloriously to four-legged (or winged!) companions? Suddenly, I'm not just a player; I'm a sci-fi-fantasy Arthur Morgan, tearing across the landscape, blasting foes from the saddle. It's exhilarating, like a perfectly executed spell where all the components just *click* into place, creating a moment of pure, chaotic joy.
Forget calling your horse from across the map, waiting for it to clip through a tree, or enduring a lengthy mounting animation that breaks the flow more than a bad internet connection. Nope. Here, a quick press of a button and your chosen steed materialises beneath you like a phantom limb, ready to bolt. Another press? They vanish, just as swiftly. These creatures aren't just fast; they're agile, capable of physics-defying leaps that get some serious airtime, allowing players to terrorise enemies from above. And miraculously, I've yet to see one get hung up on a rogue pixelated rock. Wildlight clearly designed their maps with these glorious creatures in mind – a subtle but powerful bit of world-building, if you ask me.
So, here's the rub, isn't it? The core gameplay, while fun enough, feels a touch... pedestrian sometimes. And yet, the *best* part of the experience is tearing across the map on a battle-bear, firing away like a maniac. It's almost ironic. This discrepancy is why, like Claire, I'm now desperately craving a mode that truly leverages this mechanical masterpiece. Imagine: high-stakes mount racing, dodging obstacles, perhaps even some light combat from the saddle? Bloody brilliant!
And here’s where the plot thickens! Game director Chad Grenier recently told Polygon that the idea of a mount-racing mode isn't just a pipe dream; it's something 'floating around at the studio.' He even said, 'I mean, the possibilities are endless.' Now *that's* the kind of news that gets my digital wizard senses tingling. Endless possibilities, you say? My mind immediately jumps to chaotic team races, capture-the-flag on griffons, maybe even some sort of jousting event with energy lances! A fiver says someone's already prototyping a prototype as we speak.
Look, we've all seen games promise the moon and deliver a pebble, especially when it comes to free-to-play titles and their monetization strategies (those $18 horse armor skins? Let's not even start, eh?). But the sheer fun factor of Highguard's mounts feels like a genuine, unexpected gift. If Wildlight can lean into this accidental genius and actually deliver a dedicated mount-based mode – especially a free one – it could transform the game from 'pretty good' to 'oh my god, you *have* to try this.' It’s a chance to turn a fantastic mechanic into a full-blown game pillar, and frankly, it would be pure magic. Here's hoping they cast that spell right.
Tags: Gaming News, Highguard, Mounts, Game Design, Wildlight Entertainment
Original article: Polygon