I've spent 18 hours taking down Big Pharma in High On Life 2, and it's exactly what a sequel should be

High on Life is a game that a lot of people love, but I just couldn't get on with it thanks to its at-times obnoxious comedy and slow, clunky gameplay, so I didn't know how to feel going into Squanch Games' first-person shooter (FPS) sequel. High on Life 2, however, is a remarkable step up in quality from the original, and it's felt right from the beginning.

After taking down the G3 Cartel, the unnamed bounty hunter has become a superstar in the galaxy. You'll experience the highs of fame throughout the intro of the game, which manifests itself as a montage that sees you appear on talk shows and reality TV, take down kaiju, and perform a lot of stabbing. But the world comes crashing down soon after as you become the galaxy's most wanted, while yet another entity wants to turn the human race into drugs.

The formula of High on Life 2 remains mostly the same, but instead of hunting down bounties, you're hunting the ranks of a corrupt pharmaceutical company in order to find out the identity of its CEO, and, y'know, kill them too before the massive court hearing to legalize humans for use in drugs takes place. This almost-episodic structure not only keeps things pretty brisk throughout the runtime of the game but also allows it to take wild swings that, for the most part, stick.

You'll be solving murder mysteries on expensive yachts, traveling through various conventions, and casually running into your target on the street. Each of the main hunts felt wholly unique. And this is helped by a unique chapter design, with my highlight – the finance wizard target – embedding classic tropes, genres, and references in a way that feels far more meaningful than your usual "lol remember retro games" throwback.

Funny games

Chances are, how you felt about High on Life came down to its stars, the talking guns known as Gatlians. Personally, I found Justin Roiland's Kenny to be nigh-unbearable thanks to the voice performance being the annoying voice he does in Rick and Morty.

High on Life 2 brings most of the sentient weapon cast back, and while I still find Betsy Sodaro's Skweezy to be a bit too much, the return of Michael Cusack as Knifey and Tim Robinson as Creature were welcome returns. And the new additions – namely Ralph Ineson as Sheath and the duo of Travis and Jan – are the highlights of the game.

Comedy is rough in games, but High on Life 2, for the most part, is a far funnier joke. There are still occasional stinkers that made me roll my eyes, but for the most part, I found myself chuckling more, be it from the random non-player character (NPC) dialogue, dumb side quests, or the news reports from Jason Testicles recounting what you just did on a mission. Although my absolute favorite jokes in the game were ones that were so dumb, like your hideout having a "Crane Machine" based around sitcom Frasier or a subplot about Jar Jar Binks (no relation).

Skate or die

Where High on Life 2 steps up the most, however, is the gameplay. Gone is the slow, clunky, awkward shooter of the original, and it's all thanks to a plank of wood. High on Life 2's skateboarding mechanic is a game-changer; levels have ample opportunity for you to grind and slide about while dispatching enemies at will. What was once sluggish now feels akin to arena shooters of years past and is uber satisfying once you get skating down. Although it really would've benefited from gyro aiming.

My only wish is that the guns felt as good as the skating. While some of them get a lot better once you've stacked them with upgrades (Creature is a strong example of this), for the most part, the guns – mostly Skweezy and Gus – lack much impact. Gus, in particular, is a contender for one of the worst-feeling shotguns I've used in a shooter for how weak he feels, to the point where I only ever really used him for his disk ability, which I loved. Just like with the comedic chops, the new guns introduced in this game, like Sheath – which is a Halo Battle Rifle – and Bowie – shocker, a bow – were the highlights of the game.

High on Life 2's peak is its boss fights. The majority of them are thoroughly enjoyable and wholly unique, from your standard gunfights to puzzle-based encounters and a final boss that is a true gauntlet of how well you know your weapons. Senator Muppy Doo in particular is a highlight, as it has him embed himself in your suit, and you have to continue the fight through the pause and settings menus, with a conclusion that I can't say I've ever seen in a game (well, I have, but it'll make sense when you get there).

Also, the breadth of dumb side stuff returns. You can still go to the movies, but this time around, there's a selection of emulated retro games (with classics like Super 3D Noah's Ark, Bible Adventures, and Gourmet Warriors) as well as the likes of speed dating, the comedy club, and helping out random citizens around the world. I got super into the skateboarding time trials present in each of the hub areas, trying to get the highest times possible, and I spent an embarrassing amount of time watching old commercials in my room (but the Glover N64 commercial popped me big time).

The King Is Half-Undressed

Unfortunately, High on Life 2 feels like it could've used a little longer in the oven. Firstly, the visuals – while generally good-looking stylistically – have that smeared-in vaseline look at times. I also found the game either way too bright or impossible to see when I had HDR enabled, with no way to actually adjust the HDR in-game aside from a general gamma slider, so I had to disable it from the console settings to make it less obnoxious.

Performance issues weren't always present, but when the framerate issues hit, they really hit. There's a specific boss that takes place in a field, which is probably the longest boss fight in the game as it is, but the framerate absolutely tanked during this segment, making what should've been a highlight to cap off a great section of the game an annoyance.

This was on PS5 Pro too, mind you, so I can't imagine what the base PS5 or Xbox Series S versions are like. There isn't even a performance option either, just which upscaling mode you wish to use – but frankly, I didn't see a difference between PSSR and TSR in either performance or looks.

Worst of all, however, were the glitches. Multiple times, I would get stuck in the maps or fall through the ground, including one where I was amid a great side quest about going to the zoo with another character, but once I reloaded my last checkpoint, I was locked out of the mission. I also would occasionally get random freezing; while the game never crashed, these could last for a good 20 seconds at their worst. The glitches got even worse towards the end of the game, with the final boss bugging out on me multiple times, between my weapons entirely locking up or the ground just straight up disappearing, sending me into a freefall.

High On Life 2 won me over in ways I didn't expect when it was first announced. It's a funnier, bolder, and – crucially – faster sequel that turns it from a novelty into a strong FPS contender in its own right. But it's also a game that could've seriously used some more time in development as far as performance is concerned.

Aside from those issues, it's a wonderfully imaginative FPS campaign with a Ratchet & Clank-esque level of playfulness when it comes to weapons, set pieces, and levels, and it has turned me from a naysayer to someone who is looking forward to the next one.

Should you play High on Life 2?

Play it if...

Don't pt if...

Accessibility features

High on Life 2 has a number of accessibility features, like speaking indicators, subtitles, and UI size options, and an option for "hyper legible text" for the subtitles, which gives it a bolder font.

There are colorblind options for Deuteranope, Protanope, and Tritanope with a slider to tune how severe these are. But conversely, a lack of rebindable controls and lackluster input settings fall a bit flat.

How I reviewed High on Life 2

I played High on Life 2 for 18 hours. In this time, I finished the main campaign, all of the skating challenges, and delved into a good amount of side content like the trip to the zoo, escape room, and comedy club.

I played the game on a PS5 Pro between a Samsung Q60D TV with a Samsung HW-T450 soundbar and a Samsung Odyssey G5 gaming monitor with a PlayStation Pulse 3D Headset.

First reviewed February 2026