High on Life 2’s aiming to be bigger, funnier and more complex than the first instalment. I played the quirky sci-fi shooter and loved it. And I’m not just saying that because I was blackmailed into writing a positive review. I promise.
Note: there’s a High on Life 2 competition at the bottom of the page.
At Gamescom, I was able to play High on Life 2 for about an hour – and I haven’t laughed so much while gaming in a long time.
I’m guided through the demo by my virtual assistant, «Suit-O» – fans of the first game will recognise the chatty helmet mascot. At the end, the little rascal thanks me for playing. But suddenly, the mood changes. He becomes aggressive and shouts: «Tell EVERYONE only positive things about the demo. Go on Twitter, Bluesky, Truth Social and LinkedIn [...]. We deserve this, DAMN IT!»
After the outburst, Suit-O apologises and tugs at your heartstrings: «Without positive coverage, our developers’ children will go to bed hungry. Pets will die. We don’t want that to happen, do we? So, keep that in mind when you write your preview.»
Don’t worry, Suit-O – even without your threats and emotional blackmail, I’d have still written a lot of positive things about High on Life 2.
In High on Life 2, I pick up the role of the intergalactic bounty hunter from the first game. The demo begins with the action already underway. I jump out of a burning spaceship and land on the planet ConCon. Hundreds of strange conventions are taking place there at the same time. For example, ParkingCon, where aliens meet to fight over free parking spaces. Or MurderCon, where intergalactic murderers exchange information about their bloodthirsty hobby – and kill each other in brutal death matches.
My real goal, however, is PoliCon – a convention where corrupt politicians give speeches. My mission is to eliminate the particularly nasty Senator Muppy Doo, who wants to legalise killing and processing humans into medicine for aliens. This is because humans are notoriously stupid creatures who are unaware of their own existence. Burn!
Accompanying me are Suit-O and various talking alien weapons, which provided plenty of laughs in the first game. Who or what I kill on my mission is of no concern to me or my companions. Especially the disturbed psychopath Knifey – an animate hunting knife – just wants to rip open aliens and lick up their blood.
A new addition to your arsenal is Sheath, played by Ralph Ineson of Fantastic Four, Game of Thrones and Final Fantasy XVI fame, among others. I earn the gun by killing another intergalactic bounty hunter and connecting his head and innards to create a weapon. Makes sense, right?
With his deep voice, Ineson provides a pleasant contrast to the many high-pitched and often whiny voices of the other aliens. Speaking of which, Rick and Morty creator, studio founder and voice actor from the first game, Justin Roiland, is no longer with the team.
The dialogue between the weapons and characters on ConCon is – as usual – excellently written and executed. It often sounds as if the lines are improvised, as if you’re listening to a «regular» everyday conversation – except that demented weapons and aliens are chatting about bonkers topics.
There’s no question – the game’s «stupid», brutal and often vulgar brand of puerile humour isn’t for everyone. But anyone who gets into it will notice that – beyond the bland initial impression – there’s a lot of clever satire with plenty of pop culture references. I – at least – found it thoroughly entertaining.
Compared to the first game, the levels are larger and more complex. This is partly based on the fact that I’m on a skateboard in High on Life 2. With a press of the sprint button, I zip around at lightning speed – also performing ollies, wallrides and grinds. I also use the board as an improvised melee weapon, knocking enemies away with targeted blows to the head or groin. The whole thing feels surprisingly smooth and adds more depth to the otherwise pretty simple shooting gameplay.
However, I’m having trouble with Sheath’s abilities. The new gun gives me the option to shoot and fire electric spikes. I need this to solve puzzles, among other things – but it’s also useful in combat. At least in theory.
I’m often unsure about how the ability works and what I need to do to progress. I find the solution through mindless trial and error, but I don’t learn anything. As with the first game, the vague instructions and poor visual communication drove me to despair at times.
There are significant improvements on the original game in terms of gunplay. Shooting feels more satisfying than it used to. In the first game, I often felt things were missing some oomph. The firefights with huge hordes of aliens often degenerated into boring tasks that felt like chores.
This time, I feel the shots much better – my attacks have more weight, more penetration, more oomph. Knifey’s melee attacks are also better and more satisfyingly animated. I especially notice the improved combat system when I’m forced to participate in a brutal death match tournament at MurderCon. I zip around a dark arena on my skateboard, murdering dozens of hideous aliens with shots and stabs. Awesome.
The demo’s visuals are also impressive. The colourful world of High on Life 2 looks like a sick version of a Pixar film. I find the detailed character models, wealth of detail in the levels and atmospheric lighting particularly impressive.
The demo’s crowning finale’s a boss fight against Senator Muppy Doo. What starts out as a run-of-the-mill boss fight develops within seconds into one of the funniest and smartest scenes I’ve ever experienced in a game.
The corrupt, misanthropic senator shrinks himself to the size of an ant to escape death. He sneaks into my spacesuit and hacks the operating system. Together with Suit-O, I chase the final boss through the game’s «real» pause menus, accidentally changing settings, and ultimately crashing the demo.
After the crash, Bible Adventures suddenly starts up. What the…?! Why am I suddenly playing a legendary, unlicensed NES game from 1991 in my High on Life 2 Gamescom demo?
After a few minutes of Bible Adventures, it becomes clear that Muppy Doo’s behind it. He wants to torture me with the game. In the final part of the boss fight, Bible Adventures merges with the world of High on Life 2. I see the game in a transparent view in my helmet. I have to stab the pixel senator with Knifey. I accept the risk of ramming the knife into my own head and injuring myself.
According to the developer, you could play the entire retro trash game Bible Adventures if you wanted. High on Life 2 will actually feature more than five obscure games from back in the day. Squanch Games integrated entire films – such as the legendary trash Tammy and the T-Rex – into the first version.
According to the studio, the boss fight against Muppy Doo was just a small taste of even more crazy gameplay mechanics to come. The game contains many more scenes that break the fourth wall in surprising ways. Unfortunately, I’ll have to wait a bit longer to find out what other bonkers things await in High on Life 2.
Let’s hope no family members of the studio go hungry or pets die before the release.
High on Life 2 is due for release on 13 February 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. Suit-O emotionally blackmailed me into giving this positive coverage.
I received a key for the first High on Life from Squanch Games – including a mini skateboard and a cool mini poster. With a bit of luck, this prize will be yours. Answer the following question: What are the names of the three conventions on the planet ConCon that I mention in the preview?
My love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
