High on Life 2’s biting satire hits much harder than its half-baked gunplay.
Game developer Squanch Games is taking another crack at its quirky 2022 shooter High on Life with a brand-new sequel: High on Life 2. When the first game launched, it drew lots of attention online thanks to its chatty guns, meta references, and Rick and Morty-like dark sci-fi-infused humour.
While High on Life 2 hasn’t changed much in that regard, it does have a few new ideas to make its world and combat feel enticing enough for another go, chief of which is a brand-new skateboard. However, its main flaw takes no time at all to become apparent, and continues to be a real problem in a series that has made its name on quirky weapons; that flaw being poor gunplay.
The G3 Killer returns
High on Life 2 has a killer opening, offering a somewhat depressing look at what life has been like for the player character–known in-universe as the ‘G3 Killer’–after the events of the first game. After becoming perhaps the most famous intergalactic bounty hunter of all time and selling their soul to various corporate interests, the player character is sadly suffering from a touch of existential ennui, while also drifting away from their family.
In their absence, the G3 Killer’s sister has unearthed a massive conspiracy tied to a major pharmaceutical company that is exploiting humans for their own gain. Helping her out leads to the G3 Killer falling out of favour with the law, and embarking on a new quest to save humanity–this time not from the schemes of a cartel, but the horrors of big pharma.
High on Life 2’s storyline wouldn’t feel too out of place in a Rick and Morty episode, as the series’ brand of absurd sci-fi humour is palpable here. Even the horrifying revelation that a major pharmaceutical company is looking to mine humans for pills gets delivered via a flagrant and cheery homage to Jurassic Park’s Mr. D.N.A. References to Jeffrey Epstein can’t be ruled out either, and neither can human petting zoos, where the captive humans are actually pretty content with their current lot in life.
It’s clear that High on Life 2’s characters operate in some kind of futuristic dystopia, only most of them refuse to admit as much. Acts of cruelty and capitalistic deception are considered part and parcel with their daily lives, and that kind of sharp-tongued satire often works well in the game’s favour. However, it can also be often undercut by the game’s inability to keep its jokes from wearing themselves out.
Take, for example, the presence of a Spencer’s store in-game, manned by returning shopkeeper Mr. Keeps. I wasn’t aware that Spencer’s was an actual real-life store prior to playing the game, as the chain is completely absent where I live. The store appears here as something of a jab at brands imposing themselves upon the free will of their employees. However, the joke–which the TV series Community arguably did first, and better, with its Subway product placement–feels a little stale and dishonest.
Ultimately, this is just a company advertising itself in a video game that groans at the very idea of such a thing. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Much of the game’s satire can land awkwardly in this way, leaving the game’s writing feeling a little too hit and miss overall. With its mile-a-minute delivery of constant jokes, it’s not enough for the game to only be funny sometimes. Voice acting can also be surprisingly poor at times, with some of the game's NPCs seemingly being voiced by actors who were just shoved into a recording booth half-asleep.
High on Life 2: Sunset Overdrive edition
High on Life enjoyed a moment of online virality at launch, thanks to the novelty of its talking weapon. The protagonist is mute in this game, leaving their weapons to do all the talking for them–as well as the fighting. Each weapon fits into a basic archetype–knife, shotgun, and so on–but their eccentric personalities and constant quips can make them rather endearing outside of battle.
A few returning weapons from the first game return here, along with all-new weapons like Sheath, a burst rifle voiced by none other than Ralph Ineson (Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps). It does take a little too long for these weapons to get introduced, however–I was left brandishing two returning guns from the first game and Knifey for quite some time before a new weapon finally showed up.
The weapons also provide utility outside of combat, allowing them to function more like tools when solving puzzles and exploring environments. High on Life 2 also adds a big new change to combat in the form of a skateboard, which allows players to zip through combat scenarios quickly and stylishly. You can grind on rails, wallride, and even do kickflips while riding your skateboard, allowing the G3 Killer to get around rather quickly while avoiding dangerous mobs of enemies.
This variety of combat gameplay–from the new guns to the nifty skateboard–lends High on Life 2 a Sunset Overdrive-like feel, where an emphasis has been placed on platforming, performing stylish attacks, and having an upgradeable fixed arsenal rather than a disposable weapon loot system.
That’s a big upgrade over the original game, but it still isn’t enough to take High on Life 2’s combat to the heights it needs to reach as a shooter. Much of the game’s core shooter gameplay loop still feels unsatisfying and clunky compared to other games in the genre. Weapon feedback is inconsistent, as a few guns outright don’t feel good to use until sufficiently upgraded, and enemies sometimes don’t react to being shot. Performance can also be a little shaky, as I experienced quite a number of frame drops on the PlayStation 5 during combat.
There’s also a problem with combat readability, as some enemies are just hard to keep track of due to the general chaos of these scenarios. It’s hard to figure out which enemy is which at times, as they either blend into the background or blend into each other. Enemy AI isn’t great, as enemies tend to just swarm the player without thinking or remain stationary to get shot at. Both in terms of visual design and AI behaviour, they could have used more time in the oven.
There’s a swathe of interesting weapons in this game–all taking the form of living, breathing aliens that just happen to function as tools of murder. Thus, it’s a shame that they don’t actually feel that distinct in practice. Gus, for example, is a farting alien that expels wind to damage enemies. In practice, however, he simply feels like just another weak shotgun, completely lacking the explosive feedback that makes shotguns fun to use in the first place.
Verdict
High on Life 2 is by and large an improvement over its predecessor, albeit with combat and weapons that could use a lot more polish. The game falters in comparison to other shooters, due to its underwhelming gunplay and enemy design, making its combat scenarios something of a chore to get through.
While its joke-ridden quests and story campaign can be hit-or-miss, we can’t deny that they still lend the shooter its own charming flavour. A few of the game’s quests and hidden surprises were a lot of fun to encounter, such as one quest that ends in a murder mystery-style investigation that puts you in the shoes of Benoit Blanc (or Sherlock Holmes, or Miss Marple… you get the idea).
Still, this is a safe recommendation to fans of eccentric comedy with anti-capitalistic leanings who can stomach some poor gunplay. There’s fun to be had with the game’s talking weapons, if you’re willing to give them a shot.
High on Life 2 is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S for US$59.99.
