If there’s one thing that Squanch Games consistently delivers, it’s personality. Loud, chaotic, sometimes clever, often exhausting personality. High on Life 2 is the direct sequel to 2022’s High on Life, and it doubles down on nearly everything that defined the original—for better and for worse.
The result? A game that’s occasionally hilarious, sometimes creative, but rarely surprising. It’s absolutely high on something… I’m just not sure it’s momentum.
Gameplay & Story
If you were hoping for a bold new direction, pump the brakes.
After becoming an intergalactic celebrity for dismantling the G3 cartel in the first game, you’re once again thrown into a familiar setup—this time targeting a corrupt pharmaceutical company attempting to legalize the use of humans in their latest drug, Humanzipro. It’s a sharp concept on paper, but structurally it feels like a near carbon copy of the original campaign.
You go to planet.
You meet weird characters.
You shoot things.
You fight boss.
Repeat.
Mechanically, it’s almost identical to the first game. The gunplay feels the same, movement feels the same, progression feels the same. Yes, there are new weapons—and yes, you get a skateboard—but neither fundamentally changes the formula.
That said, the new guns do inject some personality into the experience:
Sheath (voiced by Ralph Ineson aka FREAKIN GALACTUS) brings that booming, gravelly gravitas that somehow makes every ridiculous line feel epic.
Bowie (voiced by Frankie Quiñones aka CholoFit Creeper) adds a different comedic energy that lands more often than it misses.
But let’s be honest—the MVP is still Creature, voiced by Tim Robinson. Every time Creature talks, it’s hard not to smile. The delivery just works.
Level design is hit or miss. The Con planet is easily the standout:
Parking Con is a chaotic warzone that feels intentionally absurd.
Policon is… exactly what it sounds like. A political convention that drags longer than the joke can sustain.
And then there’s MURDERCON, which is legitimately awesome. It feels like you’ve been dropped into an intergalactic laser tag arena. It overstays its welcome slightly, but it’s the most energized the game feels.
Boss fights are creative in concept, but like many of the jokes, they stretch just a bit too long. That’s kind of the Squanch Games trademark—they find a bit, commit to it, and then push it slightly past the breaking point.
Sometimes that works. Sometimes you’re just waiting for the punchline to end.
Graphics & Design
The first High on Life ran rough on PC. Rough enough that I personally couldn’t finish it due to game-breaking glitches. So I have to give credit where it’s due—High on Life 2 runs significantly better out of the box. No excessive tweaking. No catastrophic crashes. That alone is an improvement.
Visually, though? It’s still gross. Intentionally gross.
The art direction leans into fleshy textures, bright alien slime, exaggerated character models, and off-putting creature design. It’s not ugly because it failed—it’s ugly because it wants to be. But if you’re expecting a jaw-dropping 4K spectacle, this isn’t that game.
It’s colorful chaos, not technical showcase.
Feedback
Here’s the core issue: High on Life 2 doesn’t know when to stop.
The “Squanch Games touch” is strong—every joke lingers just a little too long. Every bit gets stretched just a little too far. Even after turning down gun and enemy chatter, the pacing of the humor can feel exhausting.
There’s a tight, really funny 12–15 hour game buried in here. But instead of trimming the fat, the sequel doubles down on indulgence. When the humor lands, it’s great. When it doesn’t, you feel every extra second.
And because the gameplay hasn’t evolved much, the comedy has to carry more weight. That’s a risky gamble.
Final Verdict
If you’re deeply into the Squanch / Rick-and-Morty-adjacent humor style, you’ll probably enjoy this. If you loved the first High on Life, there’s a solid chance you’ll enjoy this one too.
But if you were hoping for meaningful evolution—mechanically or narratively—you might walk away feeling like you’ve played this before. High on Life 2 isn’t bad. It’s just familiar. Occasionally hilarious. Occasionally dragged out. Occasionally creative. But rarely essential. It’s not a game for everybody—and honestly, that’s okay.
High on Life 2 is available now for PC via Steam or Epic, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
If you’re curious about another game that leans hard into bold style, loud personality, and unapologetic chaos, make sure to check out our Romeo is a Deadman review next. It’s another wildly colorful experience—just in a very different flavor. Give it a read and see which over-the-top adventure deserves your time.
