High on Life 2

After a few exhausting days, I was longing for some relaxation. A whole day of video games? Yes, why not? Well, I stretched, cooked, walked the dog and took care of the children, with all that that entails. But most of the day I struggled, toiled and wrestled to get the High on Life 2 review published on time. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't forced, there was no pressure on me at all, but I hadn't really planned for it to turn out this way. We simply received the code very late, and things don't always turn out as planned, but luckily for those of you who want to know whether High on Life 2 is good or bad, it turned out well this time.

I might also add that I got hooked on the game. I wasn't prepared for how much fun I would actually have with it. We gave the first game a modest score, and this one is actually twice as good. Squanch Games has taken the criticism on board, sat back and poked fun at themselves, and delivered a product that is superior in every way to the first one. I will admit I was worried that it would be a complete flop. So it didn't turn out that bad after all.

Did you play the first one? It suffered from some fairly obvious problems, the biggest of which were a lack of variety, linear levels, tired/repetitive humour, clunky controls and boring boss fights. For me, the biggest Achilles heel was the humour - which was a bit surprising, as I genuinely appreciate Roiland's humour and have seen and enjoyed most of his work. If you've been living under a rock, Justin Roiland is the creator of Rick and Morty and the Netflix series Solar Opposites. It's a very special kind of humour. Not particularly clever, but more edgy and relying on just the right amount of shock value. During the development of the first game, he was the boss at Squanch Games, but now, in the much-improved sequel, he is conspicuous by his absence. I can't say that this is a contributing factor to this game being superior - but I have my suspicions.

It still has that typical Rick and Morty humour, but everything is more toned down. Roiland's DNA is still there, but with the first game in the rear-view mirror, the developers have been cautious. It never gets tedious. It's not always funny either, and you don't laugh constantly - but many more times than I remember laughing than with the first game. It's simply a very refined script where they've been careful to pick just the right amount of source material to ensure that the cup doesn't overflow.

What is the game about? Well, it picks up where the first game left off. As the world's best bounty hunter - the man who brought down the organisation that used the human race to make alien drugs - you go from a life filled with TV appearances, game shows, new bounties and a generally celebrity lifestyle to once again becoming one of the world's most wanted people. Things go awry when your sister, who has changed careers and become involved in animal rights groups, shows up as your next bounty. She has realised that Rhea Pharmaceuticals has the same plans as G3 had in the first game - they want to legalise the use of humans in drug manufacturing - and this information leads someone to put a price on her head.

Since it's your sister we're talking about, you do what a bounty hunter should never do - kill other bounty hunters. Instead of going by the epithet "G3 killer", this changes in the blink of an eye and you are now known as "Outlaw". All the bounty hunters in the universe are now after you, and so you and your gang must hide and make plans, figure out who is behind it all and save humanity a second time.

The game's first boss - a lizard-like skateboard-riding reptile who wants the prize money on your head - is a prerequisite for one of the absolute best parts of the game. After a battle with a somewhat unexpected outcome, his beloved board ends up in your possession. Instead of running, you will spend the rest of the game skateboarding, and Squanch Games has really done a wonderful job here. Travelling across the game's large levels is really fun. You can hear the sound of the skateboard's wheels against the ground, and the feeling of speed is also there. There are always plenty of ramps, rails to grind on and walls to ride against, and once you get the hang of it, you'll fly across the map like a killing machine on wheels. The world in High on Life 2 is clearly designed for your board, so that you have the opportunity to use it. It's really, really fun. Squanch Games has embraced elements that are clearly inspired by Tony Hawk - there are even "skate" letters to collect around the world, and you can buy new boards, grip tape and wheels in new colours.

But what else is new? From the first game, you have Knifey, Sweezy, and Gus. That is, the knife, the pistol, and the shotgun. As you know, "Gatlians" are living weapons that both accompany you on your adventure and serve as tools to facilitate killing. This time around, a bunch of new weapon buddies show up to join your arsenal, and without giving too much away, they include Travis the pistol, a rather sad middle-aged man who has just been left by his wife; Bowey the crossbow, who looks like Jar-jar Binks; and Jeppy, your half-brother. Yes, you have a brother who is half human and half "gatlian," and he appears in the second half of the adventure. There are more than that, but you'll have to discover them for yourself.

All your weapons have special abilities. Sweezy can shoot an "orb" that stops time, and Gus can suck things up and shoot a kind of metal frisbee - just like in the first game. Travis shoots grenades that lob enemies and things into the air, which you can then continue to shoot at and juggle them like some kind of morbid circus act. Bowey can open portals to another dimension and shoot hidden buttons. Overall, what they have in common is that the abilities are helpful, feel well thought out and natural to use. There's no unnecessary padding, which is obviously a positive thing.

In the game, you have five different objectives to complete before you can take on the final boss. Their common denominator is Rhea Pharma and the production of Humansa pills. The setup is largely the same as in the first game, but there are actually several differences if you take a closer look. There is a lot of variety between the different sections, and you don't get tired of the game just because it follows the same template over and over again. The boss fights aren't exactly brilliant, but they're much more entertaining than in the first game. Several of them are actually really fun, breaking the fourth wall and providing great entertainment. Squanch Games has taken big steps forward in this regard, which is clear after watching the credits roll after about ten hours.

It's worth pointing out that there's content to enjoy well beyond the ten hours I played. Although it's not a completely open world, the setup is similar to that of Outer Worlds 2. Very large and open worlds with good environmental variation on the ring planet you find yourself on. There are a whole bunch of different hidden items and fun interactions with NPCs to discover for those who want more, and when it's so much fun to swoosh around on the board in High on Life 2, I actually recommend it.

Technically, it started off very ominously. The game hacked, froze and generally behaved badly. I informed the rest of the editorial team that it was incredibly poorly optimised and that anyone who wanted to play should wait for at least a couple of patches - but then I realised that most of this was my own fault. I started the game before the whole thing had finished loading. When I restarted after 100% of the files had been installed, I was met with a much, much smoother game that mostly runs well. There are a few parts of the game that still don't work very well, and I experienced a handful of times where I got stuck due to bugs and had to restart. I think the game only crashed once, but that shouldn't happen at all. It simply needs a little polish, but it's not a disaster and definitely doesn't get in the way of your entertainment.

As I mentioned earlier, the game has improved writing and is not at all taxing on the ears and brain when it comes to repetitive humour. If you still think it's too much, you can adjust how much you want your weapons and even enemies to talk. I didn't change anything and I had absolutely no problems this time - but we are all different, so it's good that the option is there. It shows that they have really listened to the criticism they have received. This is also used quite liberally on at least a couple of occasions in the game. There is a lot of freedom at Squanch Games.

One thing that High on Life did really well was its design. It was stylish, well-designed and had a unique aesthetic. High on Life 2 continues in the same vein and looks very nice at times - but I suspect that the larger worlds meant that they had to cut back on some of the detail work, because if you look closely, you often see slightly problematic textures and shadows that don't quite work as they should. As I said, they still have a little way to go, and High on Life 2 would have benefited from a few more months in the workshop. But it's not a disaster and is still worth your precious time. I should mention that the music in the game is fairly anonymous and not particularly memorable - the soundscape focuses more on the environment, dialogue and the sound of explosions and chaos. It works, and there's nothing to complain about.

Otherwise, the game is chock-full of fun details, Easter eggs and tributes/mockery to/of other franchises. There is so much to discover that I suggest you don't do as I did and rush through the game, but take your time, enjoy all the details and soak up the atmosphere. It's worth it, because Squanch has really done a great job here and shows its love for the gaming medium.

High on Life 2 is a good game. It's not a masterpiece, but it does everything its predecessor did, and then some. It suffers from a few too many bugs and needs a little polishing, but it's nothing major, and if you can't wait to start playing, I'm not going to try to stop you. My concerns about this game turned out to be unfounded, which, as a Roiland enthusiast, I'm very happy about. As I said, even though the Rick and Morty creator isn't involved in running Squanch Games, he left his DNA behind, and it clearly still permeates the game development over there. And that's something you either love or hate. I like it, and I like High on Life 2.