The Escapist’s Big Weekend Playlist: What we’re playing this weekend, from Highguard to horror

It’s Friday, and that means we’re almost into video game hours for the week. As ever, the Escapist team is sharing what they’re playing while they’re briefly unchained from their desks (we kid, of course).

As ever, you can expect some horror, some shooting, and, uh, The Witcher 3? What year is it? Here’s The Escapist’s Big Weekend Playlist.

Olivia Richman – Highguard

I’ve taken a break from sneaking and looting alone in ARC Raiders to give Highguard a try. Despite the negative review bombing on its launch day, I think the game is pretty solid and decently fun. I’m not gonna say it’s the best thing I’ve ever played in my life, but it’s an enjoyable game if you give it a chance. And yes, that means playing it for more than 10 minutes before making a review.

Highguard can be pretty addictive in the sense that it’s fast-paced and action-packed. I love having my trusty big cat mount whenever I need it. The gunplay is also pretty fun, although it feels a bit imbalanced and frustrating at times. I don’t have a lot to say about it because it’s fine: Not amazing, not bad. But I like that the devs are listening and updating, so I will see where it goes.

Scott Baird – Look Outside

One of the hardest things about playing a spooky RPG with tons of lore is resisting the urge to just go on YouTube and find out all the details straight away. With Look Outside, the temptation is strong, but I’m gutting it out because the game is so good.

Look Outside is a survival RPG in which a star appears in the sky, turning everyone who looks at it into a monster. Your character is a regular shlub in an apartment block who has to survive until the star vanishes, raiding other flats for food, making friends with the few sane survivors, and battling the body horror residents who couldn’t resist peeking out of the window. Each run is exhilarating, and I want to see the ending on my own terms… before diving into the YouTube vids that explain everything.

Em Stonham – Cronos: The New Dawn

This weekend, I’ll be spending some more time with Cronos: The New Dawn, achievement hunting, and tearing back through the campaign. It’s one of my favourite blends of sci-fi and survival horror, with some revolting monster designs and spectacular set pieces.

I’m anxious to dig into as many Bloober Team titles as I can over the next few weeks; the team’s mysterious Valentine’s Day teaser website has me baffled (and hoping to see a Rule of Rose remake), so I’m settling for replaying old favorites for now.

Lloyd Coombes – The Witcher 3

Yes, it’s eleven years old. I love The Witcher 3’s opening 15 hours so much I’ve played them half a dozen times, before something else catches my fancy and I find myself drawn to it like some kind of videogame-hunting magpie.

I like to imagine that the poor Griffin at the start trembles when it hears me loading up a fresh save, but having spent a fair amount of time in Cyberpunk 2077 recently (and regularly revisiting it), I want to finally get deeper into Geralt’s final tale.