High on Life turns absurd humor and sharp gunplay into a surprisingly polished shooter, where talking weapons and bizarre aliens make every firefight as chaotic as it is clever.
Let’s linger on that first point a little longer: High on Life is fundamentally a game by Justin Roiland. Its story and gameplay are steeped in his brand of off-color, absurdist, and self-referential (anti)humor. Roiland voices your sentient gun, so he’s always right there in your hand, providing a running commentary. Depending on your tolerance, that’s a pretty high barrier to entry. (It’s telling that there’s a setting where you can turn off his incidental dialogue.)
But, just past that, there’s a really creative game that scratches that first-person shooter itch in a year where shooters didn’t exactly stand out (with the exception of Metal: Hellsinger, which blended Doom-like mechanics with bespoke metal music to great effect, and Hyper Demon, which built on the agonizing, wonderful tension of Devil Daggers).
Much of High on Life‘s creativity stems from its traversal options. Very early on, you’ll pick up Knifey, a homicidal and sentient knife. Knifey is your melee weapon, but he also serves as a grappling hook – much like the greatest thing that’s ever happened to the Halo series, the grappleshot. Picking up Knifey lets you ride zip lines and scale previously unscalable walls. Each of your guns – aliens called Gatlians – has a similar secondary use.
Your primary weapon, Kenny, has a “Glob Shot” that he shoots out of his “trick hole.” In combat, this acts like a grenade, but it also lets you knock down certain walls to create new paths. The shotgun-like Gus fires Disc Shots that shoot a giant Frisbee that ricochets around the level to damage enemies. Shoot them at certain walls, though, and they create platforms you can climb. The copyright-safe version of Halo’s Needler, Sweezy, fires a Time Bubble that slows time inside its shell – perfect for getting past spinning fan blades.
Add to those the Jetpack and Mag-Boots that let you climb metal walls, and navigating every world and area of High on Life becomes a genuinely satisfying action-puzzler shooter.
Regardless of how you feel about Justin Roiland’s humor, or how annoying you think his running commentary is, High on Life is a good game. It’s not perfect, mind you. We’ve run into glitches, clipping issues, and one game-breaking bug about eight hours in – something that doesn’t seem uncommon based on a quick search. Some of those bugs have already been addressed in a day-one patch, with more patches to follow, as a representative for Squanch Games told AELGAMES.
High on Life full storyline and plot summary
High on Life follows a nameless bounty hunter thrust into action after the alien G3 Cartel invades Earth to harvest humans as recreational drugs. Teaming up with talking Gatlian guns, you hunt down the cartel’s leaders across bizarre planets to confront boss Garmantuous and save humanity.
Opening Invasion
The story kicks off with the G3 Cartel, led by Garmantuous (voiced by Hal Lublin), attacking your suburban home. You and sister Lizzie escape with Kenny, a chatty Gatlian pistol (Justin Roiland), warping your house to Blim City, the alien hub. Guided by slacker ex-bounty hunter Gene Zaroothian (David Herman), you license up and start targeting G3 bosses like 9-Torg (Jennifer Hale), Douglas (Tom Kenny), and Krubis (Echo Kellum).
Key Companions and Worlds
Along the way, you recruit more Gatlians: Sweezy (Betsy Sodaro) with time-bending shots, Gus (J.B. Smoove) the disc-launching shotgun, Creature (Tim Robinson) the sticky grenade launcher, and the psycho knife Knifey (Michael Cusack). You also revive legendary Lezduit (Mike Stoklasa). Missions span jungle worlds, salt planet Peroxis (where you battle Muxxalon CEO Mux and gain B.A.L.L.), and Knifey’s violent homecoming on Australia-II.
Rising Stakes
Backstory reveals Kenny accidentally doomed his planet Gatlus to the G3, straining team bonds. Blim City’s Magistrate Clugg aids you amid Lizzie’s alien fling with Tweeg. Side drama includes rescuing humans from labs and uncovering Muxxalon’s human trafficking.
Climax and Endings
You infiltrate Garmantuous’s lair, planting a bomb inside him-possibly sacrificing a Gatlian. A secret ending exposes Clugg’s human experiments; Dr. Gurgula (Wayne Pygram), Gatlus’s destroyer, executes him and flees with bigger schemes, as Clugg’s sons vow protection. The 10-15 hour tale blends crude humor, revenge, and heartfelt gun bonds in a psychedelic FPS romp.
Who voices the main Gatlians like Kenny and Sweezy
High on Life features a talented voice cast for its main Gatlian weapons, bringing distinct personalities to these talking guns.
Kenny
Justin Roiland voices Kenny, the initial pistol companion known for his excitable, fourth-wall-breaking chatter reminiscent of Roiland’s Rick and Morty roles.
Sweezy
Betsy Sodaro lends her voice to Sweezy, the feisty semi-auto pistol with time-slowing abilities and a tough, no-nonsense attitude.
Other Main Gatlians
-
J.B. Smoove voices Gus, the wise-cracking shotgun.
-
Tim Robinson voices Creature, the chaotic grenade launcher.
-
Michael Cusack voices Knifey, the unhinged melee blade.
