Once I booted up Excessive On Life for the primary time, I knew what I used to be getting myself into. I am conversant in the work of not solely Justin Roiland (Rick and Morty, Photo voltaic Opposites) but additionally of his recreation studio Squanch Video games (Trover Saves The Universe, Accounting+), so I had an concept of the kind of comedy that was coming my manner. What I didn’t anticipate, nevertheless, was a 3D shooter with Metroidvania vibes that echo a number of the greatest video games of my youth, and extra importantly does them justice.
Excessive On Life tells the story of an unnamed protagonist–whom everybody calls “Bounty Hunter,” even their very own sister–fighting towards an alien drug cartel that is invaded Earth. The cartel needs to spherical up each human on the planet and promote them because the drug, which different aliens can devour by way of elaborate machines. Our bounty hunter hero is armed with Gatlians, a race of speaking weapons, and every Gatlian possesses its personal assaults and skills. The idea is admittedly very bizarre, nevertheless it’s a well-told story that stored me guessing till the tip.
At this level, it bears acknowledging that that is 100% a Justin Roiland challenge, full with all of the hallmarks of his comedic philosophy. Speedy-fire monologues, fart jokes, demolition of the fourth wall, ad-libs, darkish comedy–it’s all intertwined inside the recreation’s narrative and presentation. If issues like Rick and Morty, Trover Saves The Universe, or Photo voltaic Opposites aren’t your cup of tea, this may not be both. That mentioned, I’ve a really excessive tolerance for this kind of goofiness and I discovered myself laughing all through the 10-hour journey.
I obtained a kick out of the truth that Squanch Video games licensed 4 full-length schlocky B-movies for gamers to “take pleasure in” just because it may. Each time a voice actor in clear ad-lib mode would giggle in the midst of a diatribe, I’d additionally giggle. The referential humor all the time obtained a response out of me–particularly mentions of different video video games, just like the full-throated endorsement of indie darling Donut County by Kenny the pistol.
There is a real allure in all of it. Positive, a number of the jokes do not land, and the ramblings of the gun in my hand can generally go on too lengthy, nevertheless it’s clear in each try that the event workforce was having enjoyable making Excessive On Life. I by no means knew what was going to occur as scenes progressed, and that lack of predictability enhances the expertise. Actually, this unruly method is the one manner sure jokes work–which consists of, for instance, a complete scene that performs out in “House Applebee’s,” full with waiter interruptions as you order meals.
Nevertheless, Squanch Video games additionally is aware of this model of humor is not for everybody, and it offers the choice to tone down banter so these turned off by fixed chatter can nonetheless benefit from the recreation. I left my settings to “Frequent” banter and did not assume it was too much–in comparability, I didn’t discover the banter to be as egregious as what earned Horizon: Forbidden West criticism earlier this 12 months. This may very well be as a result of the characters weren’t talking out loud in regards to the puzzles in entrance of me, which made the dialogue really feel extra pure for the setting.
When you get previous the goofiness and concentrate on the sport itself, Excessive On Life delivers a stable 3D shooter expertise that emulates the exploits of Samus Aran. Every of the totally different biomes I explored had been brimming with secrets and techniques, from dwelling chests full of gold to random NPCs providing a fast zinger or transient aspect quest. As the sport progresses, vertical motion is launched due to discovering a jetpack, and that opens up exploration much more.
These worlds are giant, as effectively, which the sport tries to counter with a waypoint system that permits me to see by which course my goal lies and the way far-off it sits. Generally this method will get its wires crossed, and reaching one waypoint someway turns into me returning to the waypoint I simply got here from, however as a rule, a easy faucet of the D-Pad factors me in the correct course. The waypoints additionally turned one thing of a crutch within the later components of the sport, as not utilizing them generally led to me touring to the improper a part of the map and getting misplaced. It’s not an ideal system, however the waypoints are useful as a rule.
The Gatlians every stand out from each other, each of their quips and the way they’re utilized in fight. Kenny is the resident pistol, Gus is a shotgun, Knifey is the… uh, knife, and Sweezy acts just like the Needler from Halo. Essentially the most attention-grabbing of the weapons is Creature, which acts as a kind of Pikmin system, launching small creatures at enemies for injury over time. All 4 are potent in fight, as they possess benefits over sure foes and make it important to change by weapons throughout a battle.
Every gun has a second energy that aids with touring and environmental puzzles, which slowly opens extra of the world to me as I progress. Kenny shoots blasts of thick slime which is able to hit designated obstacles and will let you cross. Sweezy can fireplace a shot that slows time within the space round the place it lands, making her the right option to get previous fast-spinning followers that will in any other case trigger injury. These particular pictures can in a battle as well–Kenny’s slime pictures will launch opponents within the air for additional hits, for example–which provides me much more choices.
Utilizing the Gatlians in battle is loads of enjoyable, and the enemies I am going through match proper into the bizarre and foolish aesthetic of the remainder of the sport. The unhealthy guys are every coated in a kind of yellow goo–the origin of which I cannot spoil–and as you deal injury, the goo wears off, exposing their grey our bodies beneath. Whereas unusual, it serves as a simple visible assist for a way a lot injury you’ve got executed to a sure enemy, and it additionally means that you can create your individual weak factors. If an enemy is hiding behind cowl, however there is a patch of grey pores and skin uncovered on its arm, goal that spot and the enemy will fall rapidly. It is an ingenious concept of exhibiting fight injury on enemies with out giving them well being bars or one thing comparable.
That mentioned, a lot of the enemies I encountered are dumb as rocks. I may run as much as any one of many regular grunts and both shoot or melee them to loss of life with out taking loads of injury. There have been occasions I’d be overwhelmed and need to retry a battle, however these had been extra because of my being overzealous relatively than enemies outsmarting me.
Positive, a number of the jokes do not land, and the ramblings of the gun in my hand can generally go on too lengthy, nevertheless it’s clear in each try that the event workforce was having enjoyable making Excessive On Life
Boss fights aren’t significantly better, as nearly all of them boil down to easily taking pictures and dodging. A few of them shake issues up a bit, whether or not they implement the particular shot of the Gatlian you’re about to rescue–Krubis fires giant discs you’ll be able to mirror again at him, which it seems is the facility of Gus the shotgun–or offer you a number of bosses to battle without delay. At their core, nevertheless, it’s extra of the identical fight you get from grunts, simply with larger baddies.
Whereas total fight is enjoyable, the place it turns into tedious is the size of some skirmishes. Every encounter tends to play out in waves, with two or three units of enemies popping out earlier than the battle is over. A few of them stretch far longer than that, to the purpose the place Kenny the pistol says, “Oh my god, MORE?!” and I am feeling precisely the identical. These fights turn into a take a look at of persistence as a lot as a take a look at of talent. Boss fights do not have this situation for essentially the most half, however a few of them fall into their very own issues–one battle particularly nonetheless makes me offended simply serious about how troublesome it turned in its last stage.
Finally, Excessive On Life is, in its personal bizarre manner, a tackle what a contemporary Metroid Prime recreation may very well be, by the lens of Justin Roiland’s comedy antics. There is a comparable sense of exploration blended with fast-paced moments of fight, solely right here it is also swelling with expletive-laden jokes and generally incoherent rambling. The story, off-beat as it could be, is instructed extremely effectively, with characters and moments I will be referencing for some time. Even should you’re not a fan of the type of humor Excessive On Life presents, the recreation that is right here is definitely worth the journey.
