By the time High on Life was released in 2022, Rick and Morty was already feeling stale. After a lackluster sixth season, the show’s signature humor felt forced, and the involvement of co-creator Justin Roiland was becoming a problem. High on Life was still enjoyable despite this, but Roiland’s departure following serious allegations ultimately felt like a chance for the development team to move forward with a sequel. High on Life 2 is indeed funnier than the first game, and improved in several ways, though it still holds itself back in a few unnecessary areas.
The best part of High on Life 2 is definitely its humor, and it’s worth pointing out how much funnier the game is without Justin Roiland. The constant, disruptive stuttering is gone, and the rambling conversations don’t always fall into the same crude jokes that Roiland often made. Despite being the game’s main advertised personality, he actually held it back.
Rating: 3.5/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Many of the jokes are pretty funny and aided by clever premises or excellent performances | …But it takes too long to get those tools, making half of the game’s combat arenas less than ideal |
| Its story changes many of its characters and provides a silly yet worthy commentary on the pharmaceutical industry | Hubs are too big and have too much empty space |
| Combat eventually finds its stride once players get enough tools… |
Now that the story is moving freely, the humor in High on Life 2 really gets to shine, helped along by a fantastic cast. Tim Robinson is hilarious as Creature, a character who makes wonderfully silly observations. Ken Marino’s Travis is a comically insecure character, and the game adds to this by making his wife an alien gun – creating the unique situation of players wielding a married couple who fire both lasers and witty insults with equal force.
High on Life 2 Is Funnier Than the Original
The game High on Life 2 has a fun and inventive approach, showcasing its ability to use outlandish concepts for both laughs and gameplay. Many of its jokes succeed because of their initial idea, the punchline itself, or the delivery – often a combination of all three, like a bit involving Jar Jar Binks or the protagonist’s mom’s new, quirky boyfriend.
The game isn’t just full of references; some cleverly become part of how you play. For example, it’s fascinated with the obscure 1991 NES game Bible Adventures, features a boss battle that happens partly in the pause menu, and uses a fast-paced, jump-cut intro to teach you the basics and set up the story. There’s even a reward for drawing a silly picture in one of the game’s drawing challenges. While nods to games like Silent Hill 2 or Disco Elysium are fun, they’re brief. The really impressive references are woven into the gameplay itself, demonstrating how the game’s design can actually make the jokes even funnier.
While High on Life 2 is generally funny, it doesn’t always hit the mark. The game constantly throws jokes at you, leaving little breathing room. Every character – from the locals to your talking weapons and allies – is always trying to be amusing. Unfortunately, many of these jokes fall flat or drag on without a good punchline, proving that constant attempts at humor can be exhausting. Spontaneous wit can be great, but it sometimes leads to rambling conversations that don’t really go anywhere. Cutting some of the weaker jokes would improve the game’s overall comedic balance. High on Life 2 definitely has funnier moments than its predecessor, and while the bad jokes aren’t as terrible as before, they still hold the game back.
High on Life 2‘s Combat Takes Time to Find Its Rhythm
The shooting mechanics are improved over the original game, even while moving sideways or backwards. Like the often-overlooked gem Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath, the game’s weapons have distinct personalities, which adds a fun and unique touch – hearing guns taunt enemies during combat is surprisingly enjoyable. While the battles can be quite hectic, this is both a strength and a weakness of the game.
The game suffers from consistent, though minor, performance issues. Early on, the combat feels disjointed and doesn’t quite work well. Weak and inaccurate weapons – like the shotgun, machine gun, and pistol – make it difficult to deal significant damage, and their alternate firing modes aren’t much help. This extends fights unnecessarily. The skateboard, used instead of sprinting, makes things worse, as it’s nearly impossible to effectively shoot enemies while moving so quickly with such weak guns, hindering the ability to quickly eliminate opponents.
The combat really comes alive once players unlock upgrades and better weapons. Having a second powerful pistol or a precise bow and arrow, for instance, lets you fully experience the exciting, fast-paced action the game offers, making you feel like a skilled bounty hunter. This shouldn’t be something that only happens later in the game after you’ve found enough upgrades. While you eventually become powerful, it takes too long to get there, and the initial power level feels too weak.
High on Life 2‘s Large Hubs Pad Out Its Runtime
While High on Life 2 is a first-person shooter, it offers more than just shooting. The game features a skateboard that unlocks fun platforming sections, races, and challenges reminiscent of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, adding some welcome variety to the gameplay. Beyond that, players can explore large hubs, complete side quests, find loot, and even fish with a talking fishing rod that has a peculiar sense of enjoyment. Some of these elements primarily exist for comedic effect, but others are genuinely enjoyable and worthwhile additions to the experience.
The game’s large central areas feel overwhelming and detract from the joy of discovery. There’s an excessive amount of collectible items, and the pacing suffers because jokes and important moments are spread too far apart – some are easily overlooked. It’s often unclear if certain areas serve a purpose or are just filler, and hidden gems are tucked away in unexpected places. One secret ending, triggered by a seemingly unimportant side quest, is a perfect example – it’s funny, but rewarding players for finding it shouldn’t be so difficult.
High on Life 2‘s Story Is More Than Jokes
Okay, so the story has some parts that really drag and feel like fluff, which is a shame because the core idea is actually pretty good. It tries to make a point about the pharmaceutical industry, and honestly, some of the futuristic language feels a bit silly and forced. But even with all that, it still manages to really nail the awful behavior of the people in charge – the greedy politicians, the ultra-rich who just exploit the system, and the powerful folks who care more about profits than people. It’s pretty obvious what it’s getting at, and that adds a lot of depth to the story. It’s not just a surface-level plot; it actually feels like it’s saying something important.
While the sequel reuses the same villain, which feels underwhelming, High on Life 2 excels at evolving its world and characters. Many characters experience personal growth and change throughout the story, which keeps things interesting and drives the plot forward. Importantly, these changes aren’t just narrative; they also unlock new gameplay features and abilities. This strong connection between story and gameplay leads to some genuinely surprising and innovative mechanics.
Okay, so High on Life 2 isn’t quite as mind-blowingly connected as the first game, but it’s definitely a huge improvement! The original had some funny moments, and this one just has more of them that actually land. It’s consistently funnier, which is awesome. The shooting itself feels a little weak at first – you really need to upgrade your guns to get the most out of it. I’m hoping a future game will polish things up even more, but honestly, High on Life 2 still delivers a really strong dose of that signature Squanch Games humor and shooting action. It’s a good time!
A PS5 copy of High on Life 2 was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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2026-02-19 20:43