There are many different first-person shooters out there so any new game in this genre has to really work hard to stand out. High on Life 2 definitely stands out straight from the start of the game. High on Life 2 is a first-person shooter where you play as a bounty hunter, who has found out a conspiracy and now has to work with a rebel faction to save the human race.

The first few minutes of gameplay you are thrown into a city being attacked but a giant alien creature. As you are going through the city, you are given a tutorial of the controls but after awhile you will keep swapping locations from a city to a talk show, then to your home eating dinner, then to a limousine talking to your agent then back to the city fighting the monster which is revealed that the monster was just an actor for a movie than you accidentally killed. This is basically giving you a rough back story of the main characters to get us acquainted with them. 

What really surprised me was that the guns and your combat knife are alive and in my opinion are hilarious. You can also tell that they care about you and your family which makes me feel like they are also part of your family. Even your agent shows he really cares about you,which is also a surprise. The main character even broke the number one rule of a bounty hunter, never kill another bounty hunter, to save his sister, who is the number 2 on the most wanted list, you being number 1 after breaking the bounty hunter code.

The game play works just like any first-person shooter. You are given two alien creatures that represent a laser pistol and a short range shot gun. You can switch between them in an instance which makes combat fun and seamless. The combat knife even has a short homing range especially when you use it to finish off your target. Your weapons even have some other abilities to help with combat and traversal. Your pistol has a charge shot and a time bubble, which can temporarily freeze enemies during battle and allow you to go past guards. The shotgun sucks up enemies and objects closer and has a disk shot that can do heavy damage and destroy certain objects. Your combat knife doubles as a grappling hook, so you can grab onto ledges and grind rails during battle.

Just before the first boss fight, you are given a skateboard, which makes traveling faster and can make battles more hectic. After getting used to the controls, you then have to fight the same creature who is after the bounty on you and your sister. This fight helps you get used to using the skateboard burning fights, since he also uses a skateboard and you will have to use your just to keep up with him.

The story of the game tells that even after you save the human race from being categorized as cattle and turned into a special drug by alien races, you find out that it’s happening again and this time it’s going through legal channels. Now if you want to save the human race again from becoming a pharmaceutical drug, you now have to become a rebel and take down certain political powers.

In between missions, you can explore the hideout and purchase things to upgrade your equipment and customize your armor and skateboard. You can also talk to your friends and family to get more world building. As you kill enemies you are given credit to purchase everything you need to save the human race, so be ready to shred on your board and take down your foes.

The controls are simple to get used to but when you try to use the skateboard during battle it can get kind of complicated. This game makes me feel like a pro skater, shooting down aliens , when I can manage balancing skateboarding and shooting. Once you get the hang of it, you can pull off some great tricks and easily get around the battlefield with ease.

In conclusion, High on Life 2, while being a weird experience that needs some time to get used to, is a really fun game that makes you feel like a rebel trying to do the same to the galaxy and the human race. With the character personality, the story and gameplay, this is a fun experience that I can recommend to anyone who wants to have fun.

Score: 7 out of 10

Reviewed on PlayStation 5