When I first started High on Life, I honestly wasn’t sure how long I was going to last.

A talking gun that won’t shut up? A bounty-hunting adventure where the entire universe seems to be one giant joke? Characters who somehow manage to be both completely ridiculous and strangely memorable? It sounded like the kind of game that could get annoying very quickly, and yet, three days and roughly 12 hours later, I had beaten it.

That surprised me more than anything.

High on Life is not a game that takes itself seriously. In fact, it seems almost determined to make sure you never take anything seriously. Your weapons constantly have something to say, the characters are absurd, and the world is filled with jokes that range from genuinely funny to the kind where I just sat there thinking, “Did they really just say that?” But somewhere along the way, I stopped caring about whether every joke landed.

I was having fun.

That is what I think High on Life gets right. It understands that a game doesn’t always need to have a complicated story or a deeply emotional narrative to keep you playing. Sometimes, being ridiculous is enough.

The Guns are Half the Experience

The talking guns could have easily become the most annoying part of the game. Instead, they became one of the reasons I wanted to keep playing. Each gun has its own personality, and because they are constantly commenting on what you’re doing, they make even ordinary moments feel a little more entertaining. Walking around an area isn’t just walking around. You have a weapon in your hand, making some completely unnecessary comment about whatever is happening.

It shouldn’t work, but it does.

Even when the humor became predictable, I found myself waiting for the next ridiculous interaction. There is something oddly charming about a game that knows exactly how stupid it is and completely commits to it.

It Doesn’t Need to Be Serious

One thing I appreciated about High on Life is that it never tries to convince you that you’re playing some groundbreaking philosophical adventure.

You’re a bounty hunter; you shoot aliens, and your guns talk. You save the universe while everyone around you acts like this is the most normal thing in the world. That’s basically it. And honestly, sometimes that’s enough.

After spending so much time with games that demand your attention with huge emotional stories, complicated systems, or massive open worlds, High on Life felt like a game I could simply sit down and enjoy. It wasn’t asking me to analyze every character’s motivation. It wasn’t trying to make me cry. It just wanted me to have a ridiculous time.

And I did.

Three Days Later…

The fact that it took me three days to finish High on Life probably says more about my schedule than the game itself, but those 12 hours went by surprisingly fast.

There were definitely moments where the humor didn’t land, sections that felt repetitive, and times when I wanted the game to just get on with what I was doing.

But when I finally reached the end, I realized something: I was actually going to miss it. That’s probably the best compliment I can give High on Life.

It isn’t perfect. It doesn’t need to be. It’s biggest strength is that it knows exactly what kind of game it wants to be and refuses to apologize for it. Sometimes you don’t need a masterpiece. Sometimes you just need a ridiculous talking gun and 12 hours to kill, and somehow, High on Life gave me exactly that.

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Featured Image Source: Squanch Games via Steam