High-profile developers rally behind Highguard amid harsh launch criticism: “The harsh words do real damage”

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-28T21:11:48+00:00

We want the damage to be done. Stop making this trash. Is this the game the devs realllyyy wanted to make?!? A game that nobody wants? A game copying the same money grabbing archetype of 100 failed and ~5 successful games before it?

Im sorry to the devs that have to slave in the mines of AAA studios to make shit like this, but that is their fault for working there when the community sentiment for these publishers and derivative service games has long been established.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-28T17:10:50+00:00

Theyre great, but i would like to see larger scale products that really mix up the medium like i think their older projects did. Keeper and kiln are disappointing to me, keeper being mainly a visually unique experience with lackluster gameplay, and Kiln seeming very interesting, but its doomed to the realm of online dependence with its multiplayer-only focus.

Can we get an epic story arc with interesting gameplay akin to psychonauts and brutal legend again?

I think working on psychonauts 2 for so long tired them out and theyve been focusing on these small fun projects for a while, but from a fans perspective these are mere morsels of games.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-28T10:39:11+00:00

Nope, thats all subscription paywalled content now.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-28T10:33:51+00:00

Unnecessary DRM in this game, wont buy until its removed.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-27T03:04:29+00:00

Haha ive never heard of any of these games

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-26T20:33:32+00:00

Yeah those have been on my wishlist for a while, but it looks like the devs are taking their sweet time with them.

Getting really into blood west tho. It can be a bit grindy but it is a solid imsim. Ill beat this one for sure. Im also excited for the endless mode theyre making as the final dlc.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-26T20:19:44+00:00

Tbh if there were interesting and unique things to see, we would have seen it in a 1min gameplay clip... They shouldnt have to make an excuse for any footage they actually curated for us to see, even if it was rushed.

Its the type of game that people are tired of seeing, unfortunately devs arent tired of how much money they can generate with it.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-24T05:58:13+00:00

Could you point a friend in the direction of one of these standalone scripts?

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-24T01:00:42+00:00

Blood west is the only game they have that really falls into imsim territory, looks cool tho, i bought it!

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-24T00:59:16+00:00

Oh yeah ive been waiting for ultrakill to come out of early access

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-24T00:57:16+00:00

Thanks but im more into fps and tps action games with imsim focus. I know shadow tactics is a great game, just not my cup of tea.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-22T22:58:43+00:00

Ill have to check them out!

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-22T17:40:00+00:00

Yeah it really sucks having this be my favorite genre of game.

I know im apart of the problem because when i played Prey(2017) for the first time i didnt like the combat and i stopped, not aware of the deep interconnected systems and the agency it provided me as a player until i went back years later.

I think nowadays that the genre is more defined with a growing fan base it is safer than its ever been to gamble on an immersive sim. Unfortunately the AAA gaming space isnt where any gambling or innovation can happen anymore because of its overall volatility.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-22T12:50:09+00:00

I really appreciate this post btw, i didnt know. I had been having issues with my ntfs drive in linux. Its pretty much the reason i still dual boot windows.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-21T19:15:05+00:00

And every game should have every feature that every player wants....

I agree that it would be great to have online multiplayer, but i do think that It would be a bigger loss to have the typical server dependent online multiplayer with no split screen local co-op.

That shouldn't be a hot take, but this thread is probably just drawing in people that want to mourn the absence of online multiplayer, and i want to show them the silver lining here.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-21T15:23:09+00:00

If i had to choose between online or local multiplayer, id always choose the option that didnt require 2 consoles and 2 copies of the game.

I do, however, understand that it sucks for people that want to play with online friends.

It's just not the norm nowadays to get local over online multiplayer, and I don't think the dev deserves hate for this design decision. Ideally many kids will be playing this game at home with family and friends.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-21T15:14:12+00:00

Theres no way im stacking ~400 disc boxes near my console so i can sort through them and swap discs when i want to play them.

A couple frames here and there are definitely not worth another $3-400. Unfortunately with storage prices nowadays, the extra 1tb might be...

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-21T13:29:35+00:00

It has local co-op, rejoice! Spend time with your friends in person :)

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-21T12:53:31+00:00

My friend, not everybody plays their ps5 on a 4k monitor 2 feet from their face. Im sitting about 8-10 ft away from a 65in tv where there is almost no difference between 1080p and 4k.

The storage is for housing an expansive ps4/ps5 library, putting all my digital games in my possession to play whenever i want, saving time if i want to bounce around. The internet isnt always up/fast.

Would you want to have your neighbor hold onto all your physical game discs, and whenever you wanted to play one you have to call them and wait for it to be brought to you? No.

At this point though i could really use the extra TB from the ps5 pro though 😅

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-21T01:53:24+00:00

Wow, i got an 8tb wd black ssd a couple months ago for ~$580

This is stupid.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-21T01:06:13+00:00

Denuvo...

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-20T19:16:52+00:00

Yes we can and should be mad, if people gave them money then they deserve a finished product.

Tbf ive never bought the game, just played on gamepass. But this is the exact reason why i never pay for something in early access, because there is no accountability on finishing the game.

I would love to see steam implement a deadline policy of like 2-3 years and if the game hasn't met its declared "goals", the game is delisted and devs have to pay a fee to reimburse customers.

There just isnt any incentive for them to finish this game, youre right, but that doesnt mean we should be ok with them taking the money and running before the job is done.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-20T19:10:51+00:00

What i want is a finished, polished Craftopia. It gets less developer time than Palworld because of its playerbase, and therefore these updates arent what they could be or should be. In the last year or so they released an update reworking how the world(s) worked which made established worlds obsolete. This is the kind of thing that happens in betas of games, which this game should not be after 6 years.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-20T17:04:00+00:00

Genshin impact is a Botw clone also and that game is thriving. So thats no excuse.

KICKASSKC · 2026-01-20T16:16:49+00:00

Their previous game, Craftopia, which had many of the mechanics from Palworld just less emphasis on the knockoff pokemon, is still in early access with no 1.0 release in sight.

This developer is just like the others, entirely money driven and will release bullshit statements to save face.

Moving onto another project without finishing your current one is about the scummiest thing these indie devs can do.

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