Do you remember the game that made you first fall in love with gaming? Over my lifetime, I’ve played enough games for a hundred people, yet through the endless swamp of played games; certain games stand out from the rest.
Looking back, the games that have captured my mind, heart and soul throughout the years haven’t necessarily been the prettiest or the most mechanically sound – hell, some of them haven’t even been great games. Still, the one thing they all have in common is that they were all fun.
Fun is a funny thing. I don’t feel like there is a formula for it, and it’s also not something that can be manufactured; instead, fun is very much like luck in that it has to come around at the right time, the right place and fulfil the right need. But once that fun happens, it takes a lot to extinguish it, and above all else, High On Life is pure, unadulterated fun. Through and through.
After a busy December filled with events, packing, moving and unpacking, I was excited to finally get to sit down, kick back and play a game again and what better way to start the year off than with a game by Justin Roiland, a man responsible for some of my go-to shows when I want to laugh, Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites.
High On Life is a game I’ve been following for a while now, so it wasn’t like I was going into the game blind, and I had a good idea of the kind of visuals and humour I was going to be in for. However, I didn’t expect to love it as much as I did. And I didn’t expect the shooter part of the game to be as good or as fun as it was.
The story behind the game is also surprisingly well-told, and while I didn’t come to the game for its story, I did end up sticking around for it.
Basically, you play as an unnamed protagonist that has to stand up and fight an alien drug cartel that has invaded Earth. You’re armed with Gatlians, a race of talking guns, and each Gatlian possesses its own attacks and abilities. Yes, it’s weird. Yes, it’s awesome, and no, I’m not going to say a single thing further about the story – you need to play it for yourself.
Now one thing you need to know before going into this, High On Life is unquestionably a Justin Roiland project. If you’ve watched any of his shows and find yourself put off by dark comedy, the breaking of the fourth wall or monologues about farts, then this is almost definitely not going to be the game for you, and that’s alright. But if that kind of comedy tickles you in the right ways, then this roughly 10-hour-long game is something you’d be remiss in ignoring.
There is a real draw to High On Life for me, and I think a big part of that is the game oozes fun. It’s fun to play, it’s fun to listen to, it’s fun to look at, and most importantly, it must have been fun to make because that’s the only way the feeling could have been captured so purely. High On Life is also a solid shooter game, and exploring the world filled with secrets, chests and side-quests felt equally rewarding and engaging.
In a nutshell, if you’re looking for a good weekend binge game that will take you on a trip like none other, then you can’t go wrong with High On Life.
