The upcoming first-person shooter High on Life is set to be released by Squanch Games later this year, and it looks to be a ridiculously one-of-a-kind experience in the best way. Squanch Games - which was founded by Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland - previously produced the well-received Trover Saves the Universe, and has kept the same absurdist sci-fi tone as its last title in High on Life. Screen Rant attended a special hands-on preview event led by Squanch's Chief Creative Officer and Art Director of High on Life Mikey Spano and Community Lead Jordyn Halpern to play through one of the game's missions and learn more about the title.
The ridiculous nature of High on Life shines through immediately with the game's concept: an alien drug cartel called the G3 have discovered humans are the best drug in the universe, and have invaded Earth to harvest it. After an alien confrontation, the game's protagonist comes into possession of a talking gun named Kenny, who's voiced by Roiland, and soon learns that there are other talking guns - called Gatlians - who need rescue as well. From there, the player assumes the role of a bounty hunter, using a space portal within their home to travel to different alien worlds in search of their targets while also dealing with cartel leader Garmantuous.
Interactions between players and their guns is a key plot device of High on Life, with each gun having a unique personality as well as different styles of shooting. The dynamic between player and gun is reminiscent of how the protagonist of Forspoken interacts with the sentient bracelet character, with frequent back-and-forth dialogue and running commentary on the situations at hand. This focus of the game is made worthwhile through incredibly entertaining voice acting - Roiland's talents are accompanied by others like J.B. Smoove and Betsy Sodaro, who lend their voices to weapons as well. High on Life's voice acting cast list as a whole is incredibly robust, with both talented comedians like Tim Robinson and Maria Bamford and accomplished voice actors like Tom Kenny and Maurice LaMarche bringing their talents to the title.
While it's not on the level of games like The Quarry, where choices lead to different endings, which weapon players opt to use at any given time will affect their playthrough. Although the game does have one main story with a set beginning, middle, and end, the way players get to each story beat can vary greatly based on which weapon they have equipped in High on Life. Some guns may point out secret routes that could be unnoticed by another, certain scenarios may be easier or harder based on a gun's personality, and returning to old levels with new equipment can sometimes let players access new areas. There are four main guns in High on Life, each of which has three different mods that can be applied, as well as a sentient melee weapon named Knifey.
With so many recent sci-fi games taking a horror slant, High on Life's more cartoonish approach to an FPS game is a welcome change of pace. The mission presented in the High on Life preview centered around the bounty of the alien Douglas, which necessitated travel to a city built within an asteroid. Enemy fights are violent but with colorful goop in place of blood and never feel too high-pressure, although they do offer a fair amount of difficulty depending on the situation. Players can more easily get through each fight by finding the best gun for the job, with each weapon's special shots, firepower, and any applied mods making quicker work of enemies. The preview culminated in a chaotic boss fight that developers stated was designed to likely take most players multiple tries to beat, although this challenge can be lessened with the game's easier Story Mode option.
High on Life offers many side quests players shouldn't miss, with a special warping mechanisms that can be found throughout the game where players can use microchip-type items to access extra content. The scenario included in the preview was quite silly, taking players to a place called Cutie Town with disastrous results. There was no real goal for this particular side mission, it was more intended to be an entertaining experience, which is a recurring theme of the game. While players can choose to go through the main story as quickly as possible, there's a large amount of Easter eggs, funny conversations, and secrets that can be discovered about the world for players who take their time. For example, the game includes several full-length movies that can be watched, as well as multiple television shows.
It's safe to say that the limited footage of High on Life shown at Gamescom this summer didn't do the game justice in terms of the content it has to offer. While the game's combat isn't the most complex, the variety offered by in-game weapons and how fights progress the narrative is satisfying, and some fights - particularly boss battles - still offer a fair amount of challenge. Players can make choices and will be able to discover different things on new playthroughs thanks to the game's branching storylines, and will have a lot of extra content outside the main missions to enjoy as well. The game's talented cast really sell the game's absurd ideas, and developers teased that there are a few more exciting cast members that have yet to be revealed that will surprise players. The preview only offered a small glimpse at what the game has to offer, and there's no doubt much more for players to discover in the absurd adventure that is High on Life when it releases later this year.
High on Life is set to release December 13 for Xbox consoles and PC, and will come to Xbox Game Pass on day one. Screen Rant attended a special hand-on event for the purpose of this preview.