Title – High On Life 2
Platforms – PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC
Release Date – February 13th, 2026
Developer – Squanch Games
Publisher – Squanch Games
MSRP – $59.99
ESRB – M for Mature
Purchase – Amazon
Disclaimer – High On Life 2 was reviewed on the PC. Thanks to Squanch Games for providing a review code for the purpose of this review. Gaming Instincts is an Amazon Affiliate and does gain financial benefits if you choose to purchase this product on this page.
Introduction
High on Life 2 is the next entry in a brand new wacky FPS franchise that originally launched on December 13th, 2022. For those who never played the original, here is what you need to know. High on Life takes place in a sci fi universe filled with talking foul mouthed guns and outrageous comedy. As the player, you use these alien weapons to eliminate other aliens, solve traversal puzzles, and most importantly, laugh constantly. The game is packed with crude sexual humor that you simply do not see very often anymore, and honestly, it feels refreshing. It pulls inspiration from platformers and metroidvanias, but we will get into mechanics shortly. Fast forward to now and we have High on Life 2. If you enjoyed the original and want more of that same chaotic humor and absurd energy, this sequel absolutely delivers. It is not perfect and it does have performance issues, but it is loaded with funny, memorable, and genuinely entertaining moments backed by a fantastic cast of characters.
Premise and Story Setup
Let us start with the premise. In the first game, you had to fend off the G3 Cartel invasion of Earth and save humanity. High on Life 2 picks up directly after that. You are now a successful and well known bounty hunter taking down alien crime syndicates. Meanwhile, your sister Lizzie is kidnapped by a pharmaceutical conglomerate, and now you must rescue her while uncovering what is really happening behind the scenes.
Going further into the plot would enter heavy spoiler territory, so I will leave that for you to discover. If you are wondering whether the previous cast and talking guns return, the answer is yes. The original voice actors are back as well, with the exception of Justin Roiland as mentioned earlier. Despite that absence, the game still maintains its chaotic energy, wacky tone, and relentless humor. Now, while the story is not aiming for the emotional weight of something like The Last of Us, it is still engaging, entertaining, and surprisingly memorable. That is largely because of the cast.
The Gatlians are the talking alien weapons you carry. Gus returns as your shotgun and is voiced by JB Smoove. Sweezy also returns, voiced by Betsy Sodaro. Gene, the three eyed alien former bounty hunter who was evicted from his apartment, is back once again to assist you. He is voiced by David Herman. Lizzie returns as well and now becomes central to the story as the one who must be rescued. She is voiced by Laura Silverman. And of course, Mr. Knifey makes his comeback, bringing his foul mouth and obsession with stabbing anything in sight. He is voiced by Michael Cusack. The returning cast absolutely commits to their roles, and it shows.
You will meet plenty of new Gatlians and characters throughout the adventure, but this is a review, not a complete breakdown of every moment in the game, and I do not want to spoil surprises. What I will say is that the new additions are strong. They are funny, they are memorable, and the voice acting across the board remains one of the game’s biggest strengths. A strong cast is essential for a universe like this to feel alive, and High on Life 2 understands that.
If you loved the vibe of the first game, you are going to feel right at home. If you are new and looking for something outrageous and unapologetically ridiculous, the writing delivers. The humor targets everything, politics, current trends, sexual orientation, and more. It does not pull punches. This game does not hold anything back, but if you are easily offended then it’s not for you. Personally, I find the writing across both titles refreshing compared to the overly safe and sanitized dialogue that dominates much of modern gaming. This is a game where you can sit back and simply enjoy the insanity. The dialogue is absurd, fast, and often unpredictable.
Gameplay and Traversal
Like the first entry, High on Life 2 focuses on mobility, fast gunplay, gore, platforming, and metroidvania style puzzle solving using alternate weapon fire. The major addition this time is the skateboard mechanic. Interestingly, the skateboard was originally planned for the first game but did not make it and was saved for the sequel.
The skateboard significantly increases your movement speed. You can grind rails, chain movement together, and if you are skilled enough, pull off some stylish combat sequences. It adds adrenaline and momentum to encounters.
That said, I will be honest. At first, it feels clunky. Coordinating high speed traversal with aiming and shooting takes adjustment. After about an hour, it clicks. Once it does, it becomes second nature. Just understand there is a learning curve. You can choose to fight on foot, but doing so puts you at a clear disadvantage. The lack of mobility makes it easier for enemies to land shots, and dodging becomes far more difficult.
Alternate weapon fire returns and remains essential for progression. Whether you are using Gus to pull in Lugblobs or charging receivers with Sweezy’s spikes, puzzle solving continues to be integrated into combat and exploration. If you enjoyed that design philosophy before, you will appreciate its expansion here. There are new Gatlians as well, but I will let you discover those naturally.
The planets are larger this time. There are more collectibles, more alien pesos to gather, and more upgrades to purchase. You can spend your currency on abilities, weapons, skateboards, and cosmetics. Side missions are more plentiful too. Overall, High on Life 2 feels like a bigger and more content rich experience. That said, if you are expecting groundbreaking gunplay, you will not find it here. Combat remains relatively straightforward. It is largely point and shoot with alternate fire adding variation. You can juggle enemies or slow them down with Sweezy’s time bubble, but over time encounters can feel repetitive.
The game is dialogue heavy. There is constant banter. You can interact with NPCs, choose different dialogue responses, and uncover additional lore. One moment you are listening to ridiculous conversations, the next you are thrown into combat, followed immediately by a boss fight or a dramatic shift in tone. The pacing fluctuates often. Calm moments quickly escalate into chaos, and this rhythm repeats throughout the game.
Once you complete major bounty targets, you are free to explore. You can collect items, take on side missions, or visit shops for upgrades and cosmetics. The structure allows you to break away from the main storyline when you want to, which is appreciated. Boss fights remain a highlight. Each one features unique mechanics combined with signature comedic dialogue. I played on normal difficulty and died multiple times. Some of that was due to missed parries. Some of it was because I was paying more attention to the dialogue than the fight itself. Once you understand the patterns, they become manageable.
I strongly recommend playing on normal difficulty. It feels like the intended experience and gives you a proper understanding of the combat systems. If you are primarily interested in the story and humor, story mode is available and significantly lowers the challenge. Overall, the game clearly prioritizes its writing, cast of characters, and overall vibe rather than delivering ultra polished gameplay or some kind of next level gunplay and platforming systems. That focus is very apparent once you spend enough time with it.
Technical Performance, PC Settings and Audio
The original High on Life was developed using Unreal Engine 4. The sequel runs on a heavily modified version of Unreal Engine 4, which is surprising for a 2026 release given that many modern titles now utilize Unreal Engine 5 and its advanced lighting and rendering capabilities.
While the game does look good and improves upon the previous entry visually, it suffers from frequent stuttering. Unreal Engine has long been associated with stuttering issues, and unfortunately that problem is present here as well. For a game built around mobility and fast paced movement, stuttering directly impacts the feel of combat and pacing. Testing was performed on a high end PC equipped with an Nvidia RTX 4090 GPU, a Ryzen 9 7950X CPU, and 64 gigabytes of DDR5 RAM using maximum graphical settings.
DLSS, AMD FSR 4.0, and Multi Frame Generation are supported and can improve performance if your hardware allows it. A performance patch is scheduled for launch day, February 13th, but its impact on stuttering cannot be guaranteed. This review reflects the experience of the provided review build.
The last aspect worth discussing is the audio. As mentioned earlier, the voice acting is fantastic. The performances are energetic, memorable, and perfectly aligned with the tone of the universe. The soundtrack complements the experience well, leaning heavily into experimental electronic, lo-fi, and psychedelic elements. It creates a surreal, almost hallucinatory atmosphere that reinforces the game’s identity. While it may not suit every personal taste, it fits the overall vibe exceptionally well.
Final Verdict
In conclusion, I genuinely enjoyed High on Life 2 despite its performance issues and areas where the overall polish could have been stronger. It stands out as one of the most unique and refreshing new IPs in recent years, offering a distinct tone, memorable characters, and a chaotic universe that feels different from most modern releases. High on Life 2 receives a final verdict of 8 out of 10.
The writing, humor, and cast carry the experience, while technical issues and limited mechanical innovation prevent it from reaching a higher score. Fans of the original will feel right at home, and newcomers should consider starting with the first game for the best experience. If you are looking for a polished technical showcase or cutting edge combat systems, this is not that game. However, if you want a bold, funny, and unforgettable single player experience, High on Life 2 delivers.