A big welcome back to all Loot Happens subscribers. Loot Happens is a weekly newsletter that is emailed and posted on LootHappens.com.
It's important to note that for premium subscribers, game offerings and in-game content, every week is different. Sometimes it's in-game codes, Steam keys, and giveaways, but premium members will always get something special every mailing. We also occasionally get mind-blowing early access or premium games that pay for an entire year's subscription.
Each newsletter is generally structured as Premium Loot > Free Sub Giveaways > Game Feature > Game discounts.
Key Giveaway For Premium Subscribers: Random
This week, we're adding mystery to our premium subscribers' giveaway. This time, we have a group of random games, but with some major titles sprinkled in. By following the link below, you can claim one of the best free games we have in the database.
It can be anything, from an awesome indie game, an old reboot, or a fresh AAA game. When you put in your email address Tons of variety as always!
Tiny Bookshop: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Tiny Book Shop invites you to slow down and start fresh with a second-hand bookshop by the sea. Stock shelves, decorate your space, and recommend the perfect book to curious locals as you get to know the quirks of Bookstonbury-by-the-Sea. Every item, genre, and location shapes who wanders in and how your shop grows. Gentle, warm, and quietly personal, Tiny Book Shop is about finding connection—one book at a time.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'shop'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
Sword of the Sea: Key Giveaway For Free Subscribers
Sword of the Sea is a serene yet exhilarating journey where movement becomes meditation. Surf across flowing deserts and shimmering waters on a Hoversword that blends skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing into one fluid rhythm. As you carve waves and pull off effortless tricks, a lost world slowly awakens—sand giving way to emerald seas and returning life. From the creators of Journey and ABZÛ, Sword of the Sea is about speed, grace, and the quiet power of restoring balance.
If you would like to be in the running for a key, hit reply and just put 'sword'. We will pick a winner and send over the key in 48 hours
Historically Low Prices
This section of Loot Happens tracks historical discounts right now on games and throughout the industry! Our tireless web crawlers scour the web daily, sniffing out the best deals across the gaming landscape.
These aren't just any games – they're titles we adore and highly respect. And right now, you can grab them at prices we've never seen before!
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor [Steam]
The sequel for the exciting story of Cal Kestis.$̶̶82.57 $15.69
FINAL FANTASY VII [Nintendo Switch]
The world has fallen under the dominion of the Shinra Electric Power Company.$15.99 $6.39
Featured Game Review: Highguard
Highguard didn’t make much of an impression at first glance. Another competitive shooter, another cast of heroes, another promise of live-service longevity—it all felt familiar. But after sinking more than 20 hours into live matches, Highguard has proven itself more interesting than its reveal suggested. Its central raid-focused mode delivers moments of genuine tension and spectacle, and the gunplay carries the confidence of developers who clearly know this space well. At the same time, the longer I stayed in its lobbies, the more apparent its growing pains became. Highguard has a strong core and flashes of brilliance, but it’s also a game that currently feels a little too light on content to sustain that excitement without steady, meaningful updates
A smart idea at the centre of the chaos
Highguard’s defining feature is Raid Mode, a structured multiplayer format built around attacking and defending heavily fortified bases. Matches unfold in clear phases—preparing defenses, scavenging for gear, intercepting the Shieldbreaker, and finally launching an all-out assault on the enemy stronghold. That structure does a lot of work. Objectives are always clear, tension builds naturally, and the final raid phase often feels like a full-blown siege, complete with collapsing walls, planted bombs, and frantic last-second saves. It’s a clever way to condense the high-stakes drama of survival games into focused, match-based sessions.
The bases themselves help sell the fantasy. Each fortress has distinct strengths and weaknesses that shape how fights play out, whether that’s tight choke points that favor defenders or layered interiors that reward coordinated pushes. Choosing a base at the start of a match feels meaningful, and learning how to exploit or survive each layout becomes a big part of mastering the game. When everything clicks, Highguard delivers some genuinely memorable multiplayer moments.
Slick gunplay, limited variety
On a mechanical level, Highguard feels great to play. Shooting is crisp and responsive, with movement that recalls the studio’s roots in fast, modern FPS design. The weapon roster is small, but every gun feels carefully tuned, and higher-rarity versions introduce subtle modifiers that can meaningfully change how a weapon handles. In the heat of a raid, that tight gunplay carries a lot of weight, especially when paired with hero abilities that can dramatically alter the flow of a fight.
That said, the lack of variety starts to show surprisingly quickly. With only a handful of weapons and eight playable Wardens at launch, it doesn’t take long to see most of what Highguard has to offer. The characters are well-designed and fun to learn, but the meta settles fast, and matches can begin to blur together once optimal strategies are understood. Recent updates help shake things up, but they also highlight how dependent the game currently is on future content drops to stay fresh.
Verdict
Highguard is a shooter with a genuinely compelling core idea and the mechanical chops to back it up. Its raid-focused design creates moments of real excitement, and its gunplay is consistently satisfying. But in its current state, it struggles to maintain momentum due to a limited pool of content and systems that reveal their depth too quickly. If Wildlight can deliver on its roadmap and continue refining the experience, Highguard has the potential to stand out in a crowded genre. For now, it’s an enjoyable but slightly undercooked live-service game: promising, fun in bursts, and very much a work in progress.
Next Week
Every newsletter has a lot to look forward to, and we are in active communication with several developers and studios. More to come next week!
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