I loved the original High On Life back in 2023. Equal parts hilarious Metroidvania and competent first-person person-shooter, developer Squanch Games is back with a bigger in every way sequel. I got to play roughly 45 minutes of the game’s opening at Gamescom in a bespoke demo full of sensible chuckles, jokes that go on far too long, and a greater sense of speed than the original ever had.
The biggest change to the High On Life formula is the introduction of a skateboard. Every time you click on the left stick, instead of running, you’ll whip out a funky-fresh skateboard. The early levels were all set up as mini skate parks, with grind rails and ramps hidden throughout. The skateboard movement felt great as I dashed around the world’s biggest Convention. It is much faster than the original, while retaining the majority of its gameplay stylings.
Starting at the parking lot, where everyone is in a mad dash to find a parking spot, I began my search for the human-hating Senator, Muppy Doo. The title of the game remains a reference to how aliens love to get high off of human beings. High On Life’s brand of humor is a particular one. If you did not like the first game, you will not like the second. It is so much more of that game’s stylings, though the quality level is higher than ever.
This is a very pretty game, stunning at times, with some of the highest quality texture work I’ve seen. It might not look quite as smooth as the reveal trailer did back in Xbox’s June Showcase, but it was never going to. Whenever I pause one of the many clips I took, it looks fantastic. No matter the scene, capture compression, anything, it is stunning.
The Gamescom demo was full of oddities and interactions you’ll never see in the full game. I did get a complete capture, which is up now on our YouTube channel, unedited. The game loves mixing up what you are doing on the fly, with long, meandering cutscenes and dialogue that you will either love or hate. It is an incredibly binary experience, and I couldn’t get enough.
Gameplay-wise wise the skateboard is the big change. You start the game with two familiar guns, though Kenny from the first game got poochie’d and is no longer a part of things. Knifey, your stab-happy\bull-whip maniac of a friend is there. He ends up being the star of Murder-con, where you must kill everyone else as often as possible to win. The demo skipped a fair amount of the content, including the first boss fight, leading me to one of the new guns voiced by Galactus himself, Ralph Ineson.
After defeating him in a fight, he will become a powerful burst rifle and a constant companion. Outside of platforming and combat, I didn’t get to see much of the overworld/relaxed side of the game. The demo ended with a prolonged fight against Muppy Doo, where he eventually shrank down and ran into my suit. I was forced to fight him through the in-game UI, eventually stabbing myself nearly to death (in the face) to take him out.
As a huge fan of the first game, High On Life 2’s first impression was a positive one. It’s gorgeous, has the same style of humor I came to appreciate over time, and still plays fantastically. It should be out in February of 2026 and is Day One on Game Pass. Keep an eye on Xbox Era for a review closer to launch.
