High on Life is a shooter built on a simple idea: your guns are alive. Each Gatlian has a trick hole, a special mode that changes how it fires, and the knife swings like a grappling hook. That idea is the whole game, and it mostly works.
Trailer, via Squanch Games.
Gatlians Carry the Game
The Gatlians are the star. Sweezy, Gus, Creature, and Knifey each sound distinct, and the trick holes give combat a rhythm that feels fresh. Boss fights ask you to switch between them mid-fight, and the game tracks your progress across upgrades and new abilities. It plays like a Metroidvania, with locked areas tied to the guns you carry.
The Story Takes Its Time
The plot follows a young man who loses his sister during an alien invasion. He joins a bounty hunter named Gene and fights members of the G3 Cartel, led by Garmantuous, voiced by Hal Lublin. The rest of the cast includes Jennifer Hale, Tom Kenny, Echo Kellum, Laura Silverman, and Justin Roiland himself. The humor leans on pop culture references and absurdist jokes about the threat itself, and some of it lands.
Technical Issues Hold It Back
The game launched with rough edges. Load times, frame drops, and visual glitches kept appearing, especially on older hardware. Some players found the campaign stretched thin over its runtime, with filler combat sections between set pieces. None of it sinks the game, but none of it lifts it either.
Metroidvania Structure Works
The Metroidvania structure is the strongest part of the design. New Gatlians open new paths, and the world rewards exploration. Side quests and social areas break up the combat, though they lean heavily on scripted dialogue. The knife’s zipline moves let you move through the world quickly, which helps pace.
The Secret Ending Adds Weight
The main story ends with a twist: the player plants a remote bomb inside Garmantuous, which may require sacrificing one of their Gatlian companions. The secret ending shows a darker side to Blim City’s Magistrate Clugg Nuggin, who has been experimenting on rescued humans. Dr. Gurgula, the scientist behind the virus that destroyed Gatlus, executes him and escapes, hinting at further plans. It gives the story some weight after a mostly silly tone.
The Numbers
- Developer: Squanch Games
- Release dates: December 13, 2022 (Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S); July 22, 2023 (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5); May 6, 2025 (Nintendo Switch); August 28, 2025 (Nintendo Switch 2)
High on Life is a shooter with a strong hook and a weak shell around it. The guns deserve better, and the story has a few sharp turns. It’s a game worth playing for its ideas, even when the execution falls short.
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