High On Life 2 Review

High On Life 2 is the sequel I’ve been waiting for after enjoying the first one so much. I can’t quite believe it’s been just over three years since the first outing. Squanch Games are back with a bang, and those on Xbox are in for a treat, especially if you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription. You can purchase the game, of course, but subscribers have full access to the experience on Xbox Series X|S, PC and Cloud. The game also makes use of the Xbox Play Anywhere functionality, buy once and play on Console or PC. If you’re keen to hear how the game stacks up against the original, keep reading.

Gameplay

High On Life 2 is set five years after the first game, and I’ll tread carefully here so not to spoil any of the story for you. After defeating the G3 cartel from the first game, you’re now enjoying life with your feet up, lapping up the fame and glory. This time around, you’ll be pairing up with your sister Lizzie. She had a bounty hanging over her head, and not only will you be protecting her, but you’ll also be working together to take down the corrupt Rhea Pharmaceuticals.

It’s a joyous open-world journey of chaotic firefights, exploration, riding around using new skateboarding mechanics and ticking off various exciting quests and puzzles. Immediately, I noticed how much bigger in scope the game was in comparison to the first. There appears to be much more detail in environments, enemy variety has expanded, and more bosses that appear spontaneously outside of missions also. The level of mechanical depth in both interacting with the world and also traversing it with unlockable gadgets throughout the game, encourages you to keep surveying and discovering this bright and vivid playground.

Sci-Fi Tony Hawk

Skateboarding is a feature that is introduced to you very early in the game. Surprisingly, I found shortly after the mission I was playing that you can use this throughout the remainder of the game. You can ride around grinding rails, wall riding and jumping gaps. Alongside this, it can also be used during combat, and you’ll be able to fire whilst skating. Hats off to Squanch Games for bringing something totally new into the mix to spice up the gameplay.

Visuals & Audio

Visually High On Life 2 is mostly polished across the board, but it isn’t completely flawless on Xbox Series X. Occasonally there were noticeable frame drops and some bugs that weren’t exactly game-breaking but pretty obvious. That said, the art direction is magnificent. Playing through the neon-infused alien worlds with the intelligent dialogue and cutscenes is a visual treat. I won’t spoil the opening scene of the game, but it was an absolute pleasure to sit through, and so well put together.

The development team have been completely transparent with their roadmap of optimisations for performance and bug fixes. Most of the kinks will be ironed out in a matter of a few months, which is great work for a relatively small team compared with the size of the project. Audio design is the meat and gravy for High On Life 2. Without the superb voice acting, the game simply wouldn’t be the same. You can feel the personality through every character and talking gun with a barrage of witty jokes along the way. You won’t find another experience out there with a script like the High On Life games; it’s fantastically unique in its writing and delivery. Sound effects are equally brilliant, with the whole game world giving off

Final Thoughts

High On Life 2 takes all the exceptional qualities from the first game and expands on them. I adored my time with the 2o hours, or so I had with this sequel, and it’s such a unique and clever game. There aren’t many games out there that have you constantly chuckling and beaming from ear to ear consistently throughout. Squanch Games has a very talented team behind them, and what they have created again is a hilarious romp in another bizarre yet intriguing setting full of comedic moments, satisfying gameplay and just a bloody great time.

If you have an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, I urge you to give it your time; it’s simply brilliant. New to the game? Not an issue, since it’s accessible even if you missed the original adventure. The story and mechanics will introduce themselves so you’re not left confused in any way. If you have the time, though, I would recommend giving High On Life a go; it isn’t a necessity, however. Fancy buying a copy of High On Life 2 instead of playing with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate? Then you can purchase a copy of the game for Xbox Series X|S right HERE!