Letting the guns do the talking - High on Life Review
Developer: Squanch Games | Platform: PS5 |
Playtime: 11:10 | Platinum: 20:10
Guess who forgot to write an intro before he wrote the review? High on Life 2 is coming out soon so I thought I'd try the first one, see how it is. Turns out, pretty good!
As this is by the Rick and Morty creatives, you should expect a lot of crass and crude humour. It’s still quite funny in a cringe (the original definition not the modern one) way and the usual adlibbing Justin Roiland is known for is toned down. There is a very specific brand of comedy here and while you don;t have to like it, you at least need to tolerate it otherwise there’s no point. Thankfully I do enjoy the humour for the most part so I enjoyed it. The fourth wall breaking in the game is actually quite clever which is a refreshing change for games that do this. The storyline however is nothing to really write home about, it’s a very serviceable A-B plot, carried by the dialogue.
Your main way of interacting with the world is through your guns, who just happen to be members of an alien species known as the Gatlians. Each one has a face and a personality and will banter with the player, each other and comment on the world around them. The main one, Kenny, is voiced by Justin Roiland doing his Morty voice so you best get used to that. Your guns operate as the standard pistol, shotgun etc affair but their uniqueness comes in their alternate fire attacks which are used in both combat and as ways to solve puzzles and traverse the environment - special moves include grappling and creating platforms. The player also gets a jetpack and magnet boots as part of their journey for enhanced exploration. I did fall into the trap of trying to use the movement to progress when often the solution was much simpler. The game’s secrets make heavy usage of the abilities
Honestly my one major downside for the game is the collectibles. Completely irrelevant to the game at large as you gain enough cash from the enemies you kill but there are over 200 chests to break and besides from a tally of how many you’ve got in each sub area, there’s no way to track them making the post game hunt for them to obtain the Platinum a nightmare. This wasn’t even done in a haha meta way that criticizes collectibles, there just genuinely too many.
I’m surprised how much I ended up really enjoying the game, especially since it seems like reviews at the time didn't see it too fondly. There's a good base gameplay level here enhanced with charming characters and an overall amusing script.
