Info about High On Life:

Official game description:
SUMMARY
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Fresh out of high school with no job and no ambition, you’ve really got nothing going for you until an alien cartel that wants to get high off humanity invades Earth. Now, you and a team of charismatic talking guns must answer the hero's call and become the deadliest intergalactic bounty hunter the cosmos has ever seen.  
Travel to a variety of biomes and locations across the cosmos, go up against the nefarious Garmantuous and his gang of goons, collect loot, meet unique characters, and more, in the latest comedy adventure from Squanch Games!
FEATURES
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*   Rescue and team up with charismatic, talking guns to become the deadliest intergalactic bounty hunter the cosmos has ever seen.  
*   Navigate dynamic and changing worlds that range from a jungle paradise, to a city built inside an asteroid, the hub of the cosmos.  
*   Leverage the unique skills of each gun to go up against a variety of criminals as you track down the nefarious Garmantuous and his gang of alien goons.  
*   Complete hunter challenges, meet weird, fun and hilarious characters, collect an array of alien technology, and more!
FAQ
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*   **Is this a VR game?**  
    Although many of Squanch’s previous titles were firmly rooted in VR, **_High On Life_** was built from the ground up for traditional flatscreen devices.  
*   **What type of game is this? Single player? Multiplayer?**  
    **_High On Life_** is single player only. There is no multiplayer.  
*   **Can my kids play? Can families play together?**  
    As this is a mature-rated title, we do not recommend it for children.  
*   **What languages will **_High On Life_** be available in?**  
    The game will be localized (text-only) in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish.  
*   **Who is Squanch Games?**  
    Founded in 2016, Squanch Games develops comedic games for multiple platforms and devices. The studio’s mission is to create immersive content that people can lose themselves in for hours at a time, as well as shorter experiences that can be enjoyed with friends. Their latest title, Trover Saves the Universe, is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC, alongside other digital and VR titles such as **_Dr. Splorchy Presents: Space Heroes_**, **_Accounting_** and **_Accounting+_**.  
*   **Do you have any other games?**  
    Other games launched by Squanch include **_Trover Saves the Universe_**, **_Dr. Splorchy Presents: Space Heroes_**, **_Accounting_** and **_Accounting+_**.  
*   **Will there be DLC?**  
    The High On Knife DLC is out now! Available individually or bundled with High On Life.

Release date: 13 Dec, 2022

Categories: First-Person Shooter, Single-player Story, Bounty Hunting Gameplay, Platformer, Metroidvania, Puzzle Solving, Exploration


- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price: No data
- Playtime Metrics: No data
- Time-to-fun: No data
- Player Archetypes: No data


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Hilarious and Unique Comedy (weight 1): Players consistently praise the game's humor, describing it as a unique blend of dark, absurd, and self-aware comedy, often compared to 'Rick and Morty'. The constant witty dialogue, fourth-wall breaks, and irreverent jokes are a major highlight, making players laugh frequently and keeping the experience entertaining.
- Vibrant World and Story (weight 0.25): The game offers a visually stunning and imaginative sci-fi world, filled with colorful environments, bizarre aliens, and creative level designs. The story, while often simple, is engaging and well-written, complemented by exceptional voice acting and a wealth of interactive dialogue that enriches the overall experience.
- Engaging Talking Weapons (weight 0.21): The concept of sentient, talking guns is a standout feature. Each weapon possesses a distinct personality, constantly bantering with the player and NPCs, providing comedic relief, and offering unique abilities that enhance both combat and exploration. This innovative mechanic is central to the game's charm and identity.
- Solid and Dynamic Combat (weight 0.11): The combat system is described as fast-paced, satisfying, and surprisingly solid for a comedy-focused shooter. Players appreciate the variety of unique weapons, engaging boss fights, and fluid movement mechanics, which prevent the gameplay from becoming repetitive and keep the action fresh.
- High Replayability and Value (weight 0.08): Players frequently mention the game's replayability, driven by the desire to explore different choices, uncover hidden jokes, and re-experience the hilarious dialogue. Many feel the game offers good value for its price, especially when on sale, and the DLC is also considered a worthwhile addition.
- Distinctive Visuals and Audio (weight 0.07): The game's graphics are consistently praised for their vibrant, cartoonish art style and colorful environments, often compared to an 'acid trip' or 'Rick and Morty' aesthetic. The sound design, including voice acting and an energetic soundtrack, further enhances the chaotic and comedic atmosphere.

Common complaints:
- Excessive and Annoying Dialogue (weight 0.45): A significant portion of feedback highlighted the overwhelming, unskippable, and often repetitive dialogue as a major detractor. Players found the constant chatter, especially from talking weapons and NPCs, to be annoying, distracting, and detrimental to the game's pacing and immersion.
- Short Length and High Price (weight 0.44): Many players felt the game was too short for its price point, with the main story often completed in under 10 hours. This, combined with a perceived lack of replayability and end-game content, led to a feeling of poor value for money.
- Repetitive and Unengaging Gameplay (weight 0.42): Players frequently found the core gameplay loop, including shooting mechanics and enemy encounters, to be repetitive, shallow, and ultimately boring. This led to a lack of engagement and a feeling that playing the game was a chore rather than an enjoyable experience.
- Unsatisfying Story and Ending (weight 0.41): The narrative was frequently described as short, underdeveloped, cliché, and unmemorable, often serving merely as an excuse for gameplay. The endings were particularly criticized for being anticlimactic, abrupt, or lacking proper resolution.
- Numerous Game-Breaking Bugs (weight 0.4): The game is plagued with a wide array of bugs, ranging from frequent crashes and fatal errors to glitches that break missions, cause bosses to disappear, or prevent game progression. These technical issues severely impact playability and create a frustrating experience for many users.
- Repetitive and Crude Humor (weight 0.37): While humor is a central selling point, many players found it to be repetitive, forced, and overly reliant on crude, sexual, or childish jokes that quickly became stale or annoying. The specific style of humor, often associated with Justin Roiland, was not universally appealing.
- Disappointing and Buggy DLC (weight 0.3): The DLC was largely seen as short, lacking in content, and not worth its price, with some players feeling it was a 'money grab.' It also suffered from its own set of bugs and was criticized for not seamlessly integrating with the main game.
- General Disinterest and Motion Sickness (weight 0.24): A subset of players expressed a general lack of interest, boredom, or even physical discomfort (motion sickness, headaches) that led them to stop playing the game. This indicates a failure to capture or retain player attention beyond initial impressions.
- Poor Localization and Accessibility (weight 0.16): A significant number of players reported issues with language support, including a lack of dubbing in various languages, missing subtitles, and poor localization for non-English speakers. Keyboard compatibility issues for non-QWERTY layouts also hindered accessibility.
- Confusing Level Navigation (weight 0.06): Players struggled with level design that lacked clear direction, leading to confusion, excessive backtracking, and difficulty in finding objectives or shops. The absence of an in-game map was a common complaint, especially for those seeking collectibles.

Gameplay feedback:
- FPS with Unique Mechanics (weight 0.19): The game is primarily a first-person shooter, often compared to Doom or Borderlands, but it integrates significant platforming, Metroidvania elements, and puzzle-solving. A core mechanic involves using sentient, talking weapons with distinct personalities and special abilities for both combat and traversal.
- Varied Playtime & Content (weight 0.17): The game offers a flexible playtime, with the main story typically ranging from 7-15 hours. Completionists can expect 15-40 hours, especially when exploring side content, collectibles, and achievements. The game balances linear progression with optional exploration and puzzles.
- Humor & Dialogue Focus (weight 0.09): A major aspect of the game is its heavy reliance on dialogue and humor, often likened to 'Rick and Morty' due to its creator and voice actors. The talking weapons constantly provide commentary, banter, and drive much of the narrative. Players can adjust the frequency of this chatter in the settings.
- Accessible Difficulty & Combat (weight 0.08): The game is generally considered easy to play, with a low default difficulty suitable for casual players. While combat is described as basic and can become repetitive, boss fights offer some variety and require attention to patterns. Higher difficulties provide more challenge.
- Bounty Hunter Narrative (weight 0.06): The story casts the player as an unemployed human who becomes a galactic bounty hunter. The primary objective is to stop an alien cartel, the G3, from invading Earth and using humans as a hallucinogenic drug.

Performance notes:
- Mixed PC Performance (weight 0.08): Player experiences with PC performance are varied. While many report smooth gameplay on mid-to-high-end systems and even some older setups, others encounter significant frame drops, stuttering, and crashes, particularly on specific hardware configurations or in graphically dense areas. Optimization seems inconsistent across different PC builds.
- Good Steam Deck Performance (weight 0.07): The game generally performs very well on the Steam Deck, with many players reporting smooth gameplay, even on high settings. It is officially marked as 'Playable' and offers a good portable experience, though battery life is noted to be around 2.5 hours.
- Visual Quality Issues (weight 0.04): Some players noted blurry visuals on PC and frequent pop-in of elements, which can detract from the visual experience.
- Linux Compatibility (weight 0.01): The game runs well on Linux using Proton, indicating good compatibility for users on this operating system.
- Short PC Loading Times (weight 0): Players generally experienced short loading screens on PC, contributing to a smoother overall gameplay flow.
- Installation Time (weight 0): One player noted that the game's installation process was not fast.
- Unreal Engine Used (weight 0): The game is developed using the Unreal Engine, a common engine in modern game development.
- Fluid Animations (weight 0): Animations, including character movement and weapon effects, are described as fluid.
- Resolution Change Issue (weight 0): One player reported an inability to change resolution while playing the game.

Recommendations:
- Buy on Sale, High Recommendation (weight 0.28): The game is widely recommended, often receiving high ratings (8/10 to 10/10), but a significant portion of players suggest purchasing it on sale, ideally for $10-$20, rather than at full price. Many found it worth a single playthrough, with some expressing interest in replaying it.
- Humor is Key (weight 0.19): The game's humor, heavily influenced by 'Rick and Morty' and Justin Roiland's style, is a critical factor in player enjoyment. Fans of this specific type of adult, absurd, and often crude comedy will likely love the game, while those who dislike it are strongly advised to avoid it.
- Unique & Fun FPS Experience (weight 0.1): The game is praised for offering a fresh, fun, and often hilarious twist on the FPS genre, standing out from more serious or formulaic titles. It's recommended for players seeking a straightforward shooter with a strong personality and engaging interactions, rather than a deep, complex narrative or combat system.
- Anticipation for Sequel (weight 0.06): Many players expressed strong enthusiasm for a sequel, 'High on Life 2', indicating a desire for more content and a continuation of the game's unique style and world. Some hope for improvements and expanded features in future installments.
- DLC Mixed Reception (weight 0.03): The DLC received mixed reviews, with some recommending it for additional content and jokes, especially if purchased with the base game on sale. However, others found it unimpactful or not worth the price, particularly if they didn't already enjoy the main game.
- Try Before You Buy (weight 0.02): Given the game's niche humor and unique style, some reviewers suggest watching gameplay or doing research before purchasing to ensure it aligns with individual preferences. This is particularly important for those unsure about the specific brand of comedy or the FPS mechanics.
- Achievement Hunting Issues (weight 0.01): The game is not recommended for achievement hunters, as some found the achievements annoying or requiring a guide or multiple playthroughs, which could detract from the overall experience.
- Refunds Due to Dislike (weight 0.01): A small number of players reported refunding the game, indicating that it did not meet their expectations or was not enjoyable for them. This suggests that while widely praised, it's not universally appealing.

Other player notes:
- Polarizing, Adult-Oriented Humor (weight 0.12): The game's humor is a central, defining feature, frequently compared to 'Rick and Morty' due to its dark, absurd, raunchy, and often vulgar nature. This style is highly polarizing; players who enjoy it will likely love the game, while those who don't will find it off-putting. It is explicitly not suitable for children.
- Short but Replayable Experience (weight 0.12): Players generally find the game to be relatively short, often completing the main story in 7-12 hours, though some spend more time on 100% completion or replays. Despite its length, many express a desire for more content, sequels, or DLC, indicating a positive overall experience.
- Strong Association with Justin Roiland (weight 0.04): The game is heavily linked to Justin Roiland, co-creator of 'Rick and Morty' and founder of Squanch Games, with his distinctive voice and humor permeating the experience. This association is a significant draw for many players, though recent controversies surrounding Roiland are also noted.
- English Language Proficiency Required (weight 0.02): Due to the heavy reliance on dialogue and humor, players need a good understanding of English to fully appreciate the game. There are requests for more language localizations, indicating a barrier for non-English speakers.
- Decent Graphics and PC Requirements (weight 0.02): The game's graphics are generally considered decent and align with typical AA standards, with modest PC requirements. This suggests accessibility for a wider range of systems without compromising visual quality significantly.
- Desire for More Content (weight 0.02): Many players express a strong desire for a sequel ('High on Life 2') or additional DLC, indicating that they enjoyed the game's core experience and want more of its unique style and humor.
- Engaging Voice Acting and Dialogue (weight 0.02): The game is praised for its hilarious and well-delivered voice acting, particularly from the talking weapons and various NPCs. Dialogue and humor are often highlighted as primary drivers of engagement, making the game feel like an interactive comedic experience.

Emotions:
- Satisfaction (weight 0.29): Players felt satisfied by the game's strong humor, engaging story, and unique talking guns. The overall fun gameplay, good graphics, and value for money also contributed to a positive experience, often described as a refreshing break from more serious titles.
- Excitement (weight 0.12): Excitement stemmed from the game's originality, bizarre humor, and action-packed adventure, often compared to 'Doom on drugs' or 'Rick and Morty'. Players were also highly enthusiastic about the prospect of sequels and DLC, indicating a strong desire for more content.
- Joy (weight 0.11): Joy was primarily driven by the game's humor, which frequently made players laugh out loud, especially the witty dialogues and character interactions. The fun, chaotic, and light-hearted nature of the gameplay also contributed to a highly enjoyable and amusing experience.
- Disappointment (weight 0.11): Disappointment arose from the game's perceived short length, especially for its price, and a lack of content or replayability. Repetitive humor, unpatched bugs, and a weak ending or DLC also contributed to players feeling let down.
- Frustration (weight 0.1): Frustration was mainly caused by persistent technical issues like frequent crashes, performance problems, and game-breaking bugs. Other sources included excessive, unskippable dialogue, confusing navigation, and a lack of essential features like an in-game map or proper localization.
- Amusement (weight 0.09): Amusement was consistently generated by the game's unique, often crude, and self-aware humor, particularly the talking weapons and their witty commentary. Players found the bizarre situations, absurd dialogues, and meta-jokes highly entertaining and laugh-inducing.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.05): Players enjoyed the game for its overall fun and unique interactive comedy experience, blending engaging gameplay with a vibrant world and distinctive humor. The strong voice acting and creative worlds also contributed to a generally positive and entertaining time.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise often came from the game exceeding initial expectations, with players unexpectedly loving it despite skepticism. The unique mechanics, unexpected story depth, and the sheer amount of content also contributed to pleasant surprises.
- Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance was primarily caused by the excessive and constant chatter from the talking weapons and characters, which became repetitive and obnoxious over time. The game's meta-humor and frequent jokes also wore thin for some players, leading to irritation.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciated the game's unique style, original story, and the significant effort developers put into contextual dialogues and world-building. The distinctive art style, music, and creative weapon designs were also highly valued.
- Boredom (weight 0.01): Boredom stemmed from repetitive gameplay mechanics, unengaging combat, and environments that felt monotonous over time. The humor also wore off for some players, leading to a feeling that the experience dragged, especially in the mid-game.
- Anger (weight 0): Anger was primarily directed at perceived developer negligence, such as unpatched bugs and a lack of customer service, leading to feelings of being scammed or ripped off. The inability to silence annoying talking guns also provoked strong negative reactions.
- Caution (weight 0): Cautionary feedback advised potential players about the game's subjective humor style and its suitability for specific player types. Reviewers often warned against purchasing at full price due to concerns about game length or the humor's limited appeal.
- Curiosity (weight 0): Curiosity was sparked by the game's unique and trippy nature, leading players to wonder about its twisted story or specific in-game features like watching movies. Some players also expressed interest in the 'Rick and Morty' series after playing the game.
- Anticipation (weight 0): Anticipation was driven by a strong desire for sequels or additional content, with players eager to experience more of the game's adventure and story. The prospect of playing at high graphics settings also contributed to this feeling.
- Hope (weight 0): Hope was expressed for the future of the game, specifically for sequels, more DLCs, or the return of beloved characters like Kenny. Players also hoped for more games of similar quality and unique style.
- Love (weight 0): Love for the game was expressed through strong affection for its main storyline, memorable characters, and the unique concept of falling in love with the talking guns. This indicates a deep emotional connection to the game's core elements.
- Confusion (weight 0): Confusion arose from unexpected game openings, long and sudden dialogues, or a lack of clarity regarding the game's identity (e.g., podcast vs. game). Some players also expressed confusion about negative feedback from others, given their own positive experience.
- Neutrality (weight 0): Neutrality reflected mixed feelings or an objective assessment, often citing predictable stories, short length, or a lack of replay value. Players acknowledged the game as 'hit or miss' or 'just playable,' indicating a balanced but not strongly positive or negative view.
- Regret (weight 0): Regret was primarily associated with purchasing the game at full price or buying specific in-game items that proved to be unsatisfactory. Some players also expressed regret for not having tried or bought the game sooner, wishing they had experienced it earlier.}