Guns are the centerpiece of first-person shooters, but fun is the most important part. If you want something different from this crowded genre, look no further: Squanch Games’ “High on Life” is one of the most memorable experiences you’ll ever have. With creativity from people behind “Rick and Morty,” this adventure will not only make you laugh, but it also asks you to literally say “hello” to your little friends: a bunch of talking guns.
“High on Life” has a drug-fueled plot to match its trippy nature. Earth is invaded by aliens called the G3 Cartel. They don’t come in peace—rather, they’ve come to capture humans and smoke them like sausages. You’re not letting them get away with that, so you suit up to bring down the cartel.
Gatlians—an arsenal of living alien firearms—are the friends you’ll make along the way. They’re the heart and soul to this zany universe that “High on Life” created. Despite being handheld, they fill the void of typical human/humanoid A.I. companions in most video games, and their traits definitely help.
Kenny the pistol keeps a straightforward, serious attitude; Gus the shotgun is more wholesome thanks to the relaxed voicework of J.B. Smoove; Creature substitutes a grenade launcher and propels his infinite spawns of small alien offspring to tear up enemies, all while talking about the fun of fatherhood; and Sweezy is your negative, potty-mouthed hybrid of a sniper rifle and submachine-gun.
Oh, don’t forget your melee weapon! That’s where Knifey comes in, as he yearns to stab everything and everyone.
Each Gatlian has infinite ammo and alternate fire modes to help even the score, like how Sweezy can stop time, or Creature can hypnotize an enemy into attacking their own. Eventually, you can even purchase Gatlian modifications or upgrades.
“High on Life” takes you across a bounty hunting board. You’ll travel from world to world, killing hard-headed bigwigs to get to their ringleader, Garmantuous.
At times, this trip that “High on Life” takes you on feels too easy. I played the game on hard mode and only died once, and it’s mainly because of the sparse enemy variety combined with how overpowered you become.
What alleviates any tedium is how much fun getting from point A to point B is. This is a popcorn shooter made for you to burst out laughing. The writers know how to make you laugh, and they’ve basically broken your funny bone.
Just like “Rick and Morty,” you can hear the improv-style comedy in things like NPC dialogue and how bosses ramble to parody pre-boss fight monologues. Based on their tone, nobody was taking this seriously, which makes it even more funny.
Everything else is hilariously inappropriate. I was defecated on by an alien in order to infiltrate a facility, I watched an addict go into withdrawal while my gun kept asking if he could borrow his disk encoder, and I watched a training debriefing from a boss where he basically told the audience they were going to die and that he didn’t care.
What’s unique is how your Gatlians react differently to situations. For example, if you jump into a river of toxic sludge, Kenny asks, “What the f**k is wrong with you?” and demands to know your ridiculous thought process. As for Creature, he’ll admit that the sludge hurts, but his overly friendly persona makes him go along with your choice.
“High on Life” tries to shake things up a bit with its level design here and there. When you’re not shooting, you’ll most likely be doing a lot of platforming for secret chests of alien pesos, but none of it feels like a slog.
You’ll use your Gatlians to create a path with their alternate fire modes from something they call their “trick hole” to get to hard-to-reach areas, like how Kenny can knock over platforms with his glob shot. Traversal is also made easier once you acquire a thruster, jetpack, and Knifey since he doubles as a grappling hook.
Other times, the game delightfully changes genres for a moment, and it reminds you that this entire game is one big satire of not just science fiction, but video games overall. Sometimes, you’re rotating pipes like a puzzle for an octopus trying to pass through. Other times, you’re harassing townsfolk to interrogate them, almost like you’re incorrectly playing “L.A. Noire.”
We haven’t had a game quite as crude and immature as “High on Life” in quite some time, and we need more games like these. It’s a colorful and trippy romp through alien territory, and it’s innovative with its guns, too. While it’s not the best first-person shooter, it definitely won’t be forgotten any time soon.
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