Developed and published by Squanch Games, High On Life 2 is the long-awaited sequel to 2022’s High On Life. It continues the story of the unlikely bounty hunter who dismantled the G3 cartel, but this time his life has taken a different turn, pulling players back into planet-hopping chaos alongside their signature talking weapons. Crafting a sequel to a humour-driven franchise is never easy, yet Squanch Games not only delivers but improves on the original in several key areas. Minor story spoilers are discussed ahead, though they have been kept to a minimum. In this PS5 review of High On Life 2, we explore new planets in our space RV and even attend a chaotic MurderCon.
High On Life 2 picks up right where the first game ends, and you are basking in the glory after your huge victory over the G3 cartel. You even have a museum dedicated to yourself and your Gatlian friends, until things go wrong and your sister ends up with a massive bounty on her head. To help her out, you end up in a similar situation, and now you are on the run from the authorities with a big bounty on your own head and bounty hunters on your trail. You find yourself in a hideout with your sister, from where you must plan your next move and save the humans once again.
The game follows a similar narrative structure where you must pick a bounty and kill them. There are multiple bounties again, but this time the world feels far more interconnected. The writing is much stronger, and the dialogue delivery is tighter. Your ultimate goal is to explore different locations, upgrade yourself, and find out the reality of an evil CEO, who is smuggling humans (again), of a corporation that has placed a bounty on your and your sister’s heads. The overall narrative structure is pretty much the same as in the first game, but tighter and more direct this time.
As you hunt down the bounties, you explore beautiful locations and cause mayhem. Naturally, there are tons of cool boss fights as well, with some unique gameplay elements thrown in the mix. Probably the most unique boss battle in the game is the Senator Muppy Doo, one of your bounties, who manages to shrink himself and gain access inside your suit. The boss battle begins on the outside but concludes with you switching between different menus in the pause menu, and ultimately, you stabbing yourself in the face with Knifey. It is such a wild design for a boss battle that only Squanch Games can pull off perfectly with their sense of humour and good level design.
The main stars of High On Life 2 are, of course, its talking alien guns, known as the alien species Gatlians. There are some returning faces like Sweeney, Gus, and Creature, but also some new faces like Travis and Sheath. Knifey also makes its return as the titular melee weapon and grapple hook. These guns bring their humorous chatter to life as you blast through alien hordes, which you might remember from the first game, but this time around, it is set to an even higher level. As far as I am concerned, this is my favourite element of the High On Life franchise, and I always keep the chatter to maximum, and this time was no different. The result was nothing short of chaos as the guns would give witty remarks while I was blasting holes in them or carving them open with Knifey.
My favourite one out of the bunch is definitely Sheath, a new addition, which fires like an electrical burst assault rifle and also fires an electrical harpoon, which not only helps you open switches by connecting them to power nodes but also allows you to pile through enemies. You can skewer up to three enemies at once and detonate them on command. All this leads to some crazy, chaotic scenes during gunfights, and trust me, there is a lot of chaos this time around. This, combined with your skateboard, delivers both agility and firepower, which the first game did not have.
Travis, another new addition, is also a solid addition to the game, as it allows players to juggle their enemies after launching them in the air. Use its special on a group of enemies, and you will juggle them as long as you can keep hitting them. The rest of the squad is pretty much the same, but these feel more grounded this time around. Gus feels meaty for a shotgun, and the autopistol Sweeney packs a punch, too. You can further enhance their damage output through upgrades, which I found to be much easier this time around. The shop is also in a single place, in your hideout, so buying new upgrades is much more convenient now.
For me, the visuals of High On Life 2 feel a little hit and miss. Certain inside environments and assets look reused and are not that appealing. Outdoor environments, on the other hand, look good and feel like a proper modern video game. The character design looks fairly similar to the first game as well. While maintaining visual continuity with the original makes sense, some reused indoor assets feel noticeably dated.
It is not prominent in the outdoors, but during indoor sections, you will notice many low-level assets such as boxes, door trims, floors, and tiles. These ruin the overall aesthetics of the game. The console versions always have a lower fidelity level due to hardware limitations, but we have seen some really gorgeous titles released on consoles recently, so this is not an excuse. There is no Fidelity mode on the PS5, even on the Pro variant, which is disappointing, but the game does run at 60 FPS, which is a good thing. There were a few frame dips here and there, but nothing serious. You do get the options of Temporal Super Resolution and Sony PSSR on the PS5 Pro, so you do not have to sacrifice frames for image quality.
The outdoor locations are a treat to see and explore. The level design is much better as well, and instead of a linear loop, this time around, the levels feel like proper outdoor levels with open spaces, a lot of NPCs to interact with, and plenty of side activities to complete. Each location has tons of hidden collectibles, and with your skateboard, the exploration is now much more diverse than in the first game. Platforming feels top-notch, and as you glide from a rail, use knifey to grapple and then land on a platform, you feel very satisfied. You can find new skateboard designs, buy items from merchants, complete smaller quests and activities for NPCs, and even play some fully-emulated retro games on arcade machines after finding their cartridges. Every spot on a map has something to offer.
My PS5 review copy of High On Life 2 also suffered from a lot of crashes at random places throughout the playthrough. During a certain boss battle, it almost made it impossible for me to progress in the game further, as a certain boss attack, Kreg, was causing non-stop crashes for me. Luckily, I managed to complete it by using a little trick to make the boss stop that particular attack, which was causing the crashes. There is a launch patch coming, and it should fix most of these small hiccups for everyone. Apart from these particular performance issues, my playthrough was just fine, and I did not experience any other problems.
High On Life 2 confidently builds on its predecessor, delivering tighter design, better combat, and more ambitious level layouts. While its visuals occasionally show their age and technical issues slightly dampened the experience on PS5, the chaotic humour, inventive boss fights, and expanded exploration make this a sequel that meaningfully evolves the franchise. In an era dominated by live-service trends, it’s refreshing to see a story-driven shooter embrace its weirdness and succeed.
Final Verdict:
High On Life 2 is a confident and entertaining sequel that improves where it matters most. The gunplay is sharper, the level design feels more refined, and the chaotic humour remains intact throughout. While its visuals don’t quite keep pace with other modern shooters, the moment-to-moment action and creative encounters more than make up for it. It may not be a technical showcase, but it is consistently fun, and for fans of irreverent sci-fi shooters, that’s what counts.
Final Score: 8.5/10
Disclaimer: A PS5 review code for High On Life 2 was provided by Tara Bruno PR on behalf of Squanch Games for this review. Read our Review Policy.
