Highborn

About

Highborn is a single-player strategy game with plenty of humor, available on Steam. It features a unique blend of strategic movement and combat, and offers replayability with unlockable hero characters and abilities. The game is filled with witty dialogue, wacky heroes, and includes over 20 achievements to unlock.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

68%

Audience ScoreBased on 88 reviews

humor32 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game features a humorous and light-hearted narrative that keeps players entertained.
Turn-based combat is simple yet engaging, making it accessible for newcomers while still offering strategic depth.
The game is well worth its price, providing a fun experience that can be enjoyed in short play sessions.

The game suffers from bugs and technical issues, including problems with saving and reloading that can disrupt gameplay.
Many players find the humor to be juvenile and not particularly clever, detracting from the overall experience.
The gameplay lacks depth and can become repetitive, with some players feeling it doesn't offer enough challenge or variety.

humor
34 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
94%
6%
The humor in the game is described as goofy, cheesy, and often juvenile, relying on clichés and self-referential jokes that can be both entertaining and cringeworthy. While some players find it clever and a perfect fit for casual gaming, others criticize it as lacking depth and being outright boring. Overall, the humor is a significant draw for those seeking a light-hearted experience, though opinions on its quality vary widely.
- “The dialog is very funny and makes fun of itself the whole way through.”
- “If you're tired and burnt out from a day at work and want to play a game, but don't have the wherewithal to dig into something deep, the casual aspect and wacky, stupid humor of this game is just what the doctor ordered.”
- “I found the humor to be clever and fun.”
- “This is boring, and not funny at all”
gameplay
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
The gameplay is characterized by solid mechanics and interesting troop types, featuring a unique forest mechanic for stealth. While it offers strategic depth, the simplicity may not satisfy hardcore turn-based strategy players, and the overall experience is described as relaxing but lacking in complexity and engaging story. Sound design is noted as subpar, with no music during gameplay, making it a decent option for casual players, especially at a lower price point.
- “Solid gameplay with interesting troop types.”
- “The mechanics are simple, but there is depth to be found in the strategy.”
- “Highborn presumably wouldn't appeal to hardcore TBS players; however, it is a decent bet (at least on sale) for those of us who sometimes just want to relax and listen to some music while playing a game, but who don't want to earn an advanced degree in the game's mechanics.”
- “There's no music during gameplay, and the sound design leaves a lot to be desired.”
- “The gameplay is a bit like Final Fantasy Tactics, but the tactics are way easier and too simple; the story is dull, and I just find it boring to play.”
- “This game is well worth the $10 regular price, but don't expect deep, complex gameplay.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The story of the game is generally perceived as dull and uninteresting, failing to engage players despite the potential for achievements and quest completion. Many reviewers found the narrative lacking depth, contributing to an overall average gameplay experience that felt repetitive and uninspired.
- “The game isn't fun, the story isn't interesting and there's nothing special about the graphics either.”
- “The gameplay is a bit like Final Fantasy Tactics, but the tactics are way easier and too simple; the story is dull and I just find it boring to play.”
- “I spent 8 hours on the campaign, only a few foolish losses which frustratingly had me redo the whole mission; I would say my experience is average.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The graphics are generally considered adequate but not impressive, with many reviewers noting they lack the polish of more recent titles. While some appreciate the bright, old-school visuals, others find them bland and barely passable, contributing to an overall sense of mediocrity in the game's presentation.
- “Fun simple combat, bright old school visuals, and hilariously cheesy and cliched plot.”
- “The graphics are okay, the sound too.”
- “The game isn't fun, the story isn't interesting, and there's nothing special about the graphics either.”
- “Graphics are quite bland, barely passable.”
- “The graphics may not be the latest and fanciest compared to the latest games out there, but they're certainly good enough.”
stability
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game exhibits some stability issues, particularly with awkward and occasionally buggy menus. While it is not as problematic as previous titles in the genre, users still report various technical problems that affect the overall experience.
- “The menus are a little awkward and occasionally buggy.”
- “It's not quite as buggy as GT is/was, but there are still some technical problems with it.”
- “Buggy.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The music aspect of Highborn is minimal, as there is no music during gameplay, which may disappoint some players. While the sound design is lacking, the game can still provide a relaxing experience for those looking to enjoy a casual play session. Overall, it may appeal more to casual gamers than to hardcore strategy enthusiasts.
- “There's no music during gameplay, and the sound design leaves a lot to be desired (though I did get a chuckle when I heard the Wilhelm scream).”
- “Highborn presumably wouldn't appeal to hardcore TBS players; however, it is a decent bet (at least on sale) for those of us who sometimes just want to relax and listen to some music while playing a game, but who don't want to earn an advanced degree in the game's mechanics.”
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game offers limited replayability, primarily revolving around a few challenging achievements, some of which are notably difficult to obtain. The absence of multiplayer further diminishes its replay value.
- “It has little replay value aside from some of the harder achievements, and one or two of them are actually quite brutal to get.”
- “There's no multiplayer, so don't expect too much replay value.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Players have noted that the game's optimization is lacking, particularly on larger maps where the framerate significantly drops due to the high number of units. This issue suggests that the game struggles to maintain performance under demanding conditions.
- “On the larger maps, the framerate starts to crawl because of the number of units; I suspect this is due to the game not being well optimized.”