High on Life
Mature but engaging sci-fi shooter is for adults only.
Parents say
Based on 7 reviews
Kids say
Based on 17 reviews
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High on Life
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that High on Life is a sci-fi first-person shooter for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows PCs. The player uses guns, knives, and the environment to kill a lot of people, sometimes in rather graphic ways, resulting in large amounts of blood and gore that includes decapitation and dismemberment. The dialogue is full of curse words ("f--k," "s--t") and potentially offensive phrases (exclamatory use of "Jesus Christ," "tough titties"), as well as talk about drugs, acts of violence, and sex. An alien offers to sell you semen (and not theirs, either). There's also a live-action movie on a TV in which a woman disrobes, exposing her buttocks. Characters talk about how the alien invaders want to turn humans into drugs, while the player's sister is shown smoking and snorting cocaine, which she then offers the player. A character is shown suffering from drug withdrawal. In one mission, you go to Applebees and are offered a cocktail, which you can order, though you don't get to drink it.
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This Game Is Not As Bad As It Seems
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What’s It About?
In HIGH ON LIFE, you have to save humanity: Some drug dealing aliens have invaded Earth and announced that not only are they in control, but they're turning humans into illegal drugs. It's a good thing you're a serious gamer who loves first-person shooters, and that one of the invaders dropped an alien gun that's not only effective, but also sentient, able to talk, and interested in helping you. You just need to become more proficient with firearms first, something your gun can help you with by taking you to an alien world where you can hone your skills by becoming a bounty hunter.
Is It Any Good?
Though it's very cartoony, silly, and full of mature content, this sci-fi first-person shooter is also exciting, challenging, and engaging. In High on Life, you have to work as a bounty hunter on an alien world so that you can become proficient enough with firearms, and get more guns to rid Earth of the alien invaders who want to turn humans into drugs. So you run around, getting into fire fights with all manner of crazy aliens, while exploring and navigating some elaborate, layered, and hazardous locations. What really gives this game its personality is that it's made by Squanch Games, the studio co-founded by Rick & Morty co-creator and voice actor Justin Roiland. That's why the game has a similar mix of clever and scatological humor, which comes courtesy of your weapons ... which talk. A lot. And are also rather odd, but effective. Gus, for instance, is a shotgun that can suck enemies toward you or shoot giant metal discs at them, while Kenny, who sounds like Morty, is a pistol that can shoot explosive globs.
Admittedly, people who hate Rick & Morty -- or Roiland's other sci-fi sitcom cartoon, Solar Opposites -- will quickly get annoyed with this game's goofiness and naughty nature, even if they go into the options menu and tell the guns to keep it down. It has the same filthy sense of humor as those shows, with characters cursing nonstop, or you having to do rude things best left to your imagination (or your proctologist). It's also not for people looking for a serious shooter like Call of Duty. But if you love, like, or just appreciate this humor and you want a shooter that's challenging but not super serious, this game scratches that itch in the same way as the Ratchet & Clank games. That's why you also do a lot of jumping, climbing, and sliding on zip lines when not using offbeat guns to kill even odder aliens. All of which makes High on Life as clever and effortlessly fun as, well, the best episodes of Rick & Morty.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in video games. Is the impact of the violence in High on Life affected by the fact that you're killing a lot of people, some of whom are bad, and some of whom have been forced into a bad situation? Do you feel guilty killing so many people? Does it matter that the people are aliens and not humans?
High on Life's dialogue has a lot of curse words. Do you think that adds to the game, or is it unnecessary? Do you think it's ever OK to swear? What about when aliens invade Earth and try to turn your friends into drugs?
Game Details
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid ($59.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Squanch Games
- Release date: December 13, 2022
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- Topics: Adventures, Space and Aliens
- ESRB rating: M for Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Drugs, Violence
- Last updated: December 15, 2022
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