Game Pass’ High on Life is actually one of 2022’s best shooters

I want to write it down high on life As a Justin Roiland-fueled comedy game, your opinion of it only depends on whether his particular brand of comedy lands on you. high on life One of the best and most creative shooters released in 2022.

Let’s dwell on that first point a little longer. high on life is basically a game by Justin Roiland. Its story and gameplay are imbued with his uniquely amoral, absurdist, and self-referential (anti-)humour. Roiland voices your sentient gun so he’s always right at your hand. Provide running commentaryDepending on your tolerance, it’s a pretty high barrier to entry. (I mean, there’s a setting that lets you turn off his incidental conversations.)

But past that, in a year when shooters didn’t stand out at all, there are some really creative games that scratch the first-person shooter itch (with the exception of Metal: Helsinger, Fusing doom-like mechanics with bespoke metal music to great effectWhen hyper demon, built on the painful and wonderful tension of Devil Dagger).

Image: Squanch game via Polygon

many high on life‘s creativity comes from its traversal options. Very early on you get the Knifey, a murderous and sentient knife. The Knife Knee is a melee weapon, but it also works as a grappling hook. The best thing in Halo history, grapple shot. Picking up a knife allows you to ride ziplines and scale walls that were previously unscalable. Each gun (alien called Gatrian) has a similar secondary use.

Your primary weapon, Kenny, has a “Glob Shot” that fires from a “Trick Hole”. In combat, this works like a grenade, but it can also knock down certain walls to create new paths. A shotgun-like gas-fired disc shot that fires a giant frisbee that bounces around the level and damages enemies. However, shooting them at certain walls will create platforms you can climb onto. A copyrighted version of Halo’s Needler, Sweezy fires Time Bubbles that slow time within a shell. Great for passing through rotating fan blades.

Image: Squanch game via Polygon

Add to these a jetpack and mag boots that allow you to climb metal walls and navigate any world or area. high on life It makes for a really satisfying action puzzle shooter.

Regardless of what you think of Justin Roiland’s humor or how annoying his running commentary is, high on life Good game. Not perfect. Glitches, clipping issues, and in about 8 hours he ran into one game-breaking bug. As a Squanch Games rep told his Polygon, some of these bugs have already been addressed in the day one patch, with more to follow.

Oh, yes, high on life Incomplete game you need to buy Roiland’s rick and morty A style of humor that fully embraces it. But if you can live with it, you get a truly creative shooter. (Free to Xbox Game Pass makes it much easier.)