High on Life 2 starts rolling out on Xbox and Game Pass tomorrow, February 13th, and we've now got some early reviews trickling in as the press goes hands-on with this upcoming Squanch Games sequel.
We're working away on some Pure Xbox impressions of this one too, so be on the lookout for that in the coming days - but for now, here's what the critics are saying about the High On Life follow-up so far:
Glitched (8.5/10)
"With that being said, High on Life 2 is bigger and better. Its comedy is unmatched, and it all comes together to create an enjoyable shooter that looks and plays out unlike anything I have played. High on Life 2 is bolder and more hilarious. Parkour is enjoyable, gunplay feels faster and more refined. This is a good game. If only it was a bit more polished."
Insider Gaming (8/10)
"High On Life 2 builds on the original with faster, more creative gameplay, stronger writing, and inventive traversal, delivering a vibrant and frequently hilarious sci-fi shooter. While technical issues and a divisive ending might hold it back, its memorable characters and varied missions make it a standout sequel."
GameReactor (8/10)
"High on Life 2 is a good game. It's not a masterpiece, but it does everything its predecessor did, and then some. It suffers from a few too many bugs and needs a little polishing, but it's nothing major, and if you can't wait to start playing, I'm not going to try to stop you. My concerns about this game turned out to be unfounded, which, as a Roiland enthusiast, I'm very happy about. As I said, even though the Rick and Morty creator isn't involved in running Squanch Games, he left his DNA behind, and it clearly still permeates the game development over there. And that's something you either love or hate. I like it, and I like High on Life 2."
Saving Content (4/5)
"If the previous game didn’t grab you, I do think High On Life 2 is superior in every way that makes it worth playing. Squanch Games largely plays it safe, but still manages to introduce new ideas never before seen in other games. Comedy is very subjective, but I think the humor in this game is right up your alley if you enjoy the likes of Tim Robinson. High On Life 2 is more High On Life, but in a more polished, focused, and refined space adventure where it’s crass humor is befitting the universe it exists in."
Press Start (7.5/10)
"High on Life 2, which is both helped along and hindered by the double-edged sword that is its new skateboarding mechanic, is a big, boisterous, and profoundly vulgar video game. Like the original, it’s another for the Adult Swim crowd, delivering the same boorish brand of humour as before. Luckily, I am that crowd and laughed plenty, while finding great joy in the game’s irrepressible need to move from gag to gag, and from moment-to-moment, while never being able to predict what it’d throw at me next."
Screen Rant (7/10)
"For all its faults, I'm still over the moon that Squanch Games is putting these games out. Trover Saves the Universe was kind of a proof of concept for a game like this, and the original High On Life caught a lot of people off guard, leading to this very sequel. If the team can refine things a bit with the next iteration, they could have another hit. For now, High On Life 2 stands as a conditional recommendation."
CGMagazine (6/10)
"By the time the credits rolled, I was left with a very specific kind of disappointment. Not the kind that comes from a really bad game, but the kind that comes from a game that could have been better with more polish, more restraint, and a clearer understanding of what actually worked the first time around. High on Life 2 isn’t missing out on the fun or creativity because there are flashes of creativity, solid ideas, and moments where the humour and mechanics align just right. But those moments are buried under technical issues, muddled design choices, and a pacing problem that never really resolves itself."
The Gamer (3/5)
"In a genre crowded with self-serious shooters, there is something refreshing about a series so deeply committed to its own identity. Even when the bit falters, even when it reaches for the lowest-hanging fruit, High on Life 2 never feels timid. It is garish and intermittently incisive. At its best, it makes the threat of human extinction feel like an open mic night you’re moderately glad you attended."
The aggregate sites don't have masses of data to pull from just yet, but Metacritic is landing on a 75 score at the time of writing, which is actually a higher rating than the first game eventually arrived at. High on Life 2 hits Xbox Series X|S, including Game Pass, on February 13th.