Squanch Games released the entertaining and borderline inappropriate High on Life 2 on Friday, February 13, 2026. A direct sequel to the first game, players both familiar and not can enjoy this title. At the beginning of the game, a montage of cut scenes recaps the first game. Either as a nice refresher for gamers who have played the first or as a catch up for those just jumping in.

Ollying Around the World

High on Life 2 has some of the most entertaining and satisfying movement I’ve interacted with. Very quickly, you as the player are gifted a skateboard. The game then shows you that this is an unconventional sprint mechanic. It turns the world into a massive skate park, grinding rails and jumping staircases as you traverse the map. It also aids in creating a dynamic environment while fighting as well.

Admittedly, it took me a little time to get using to skating and shooting. I occasionally got stuck on a rail and found myself flying in the opposite direction from the intended fight. There were also some fights where I was surrounded by enemies and shooting from a moving skateboard made me feel wildly out of control. In the spirit of transparency, I did play the game on a lower difficulty. Because of this, I was able to be shot from varying angles without much concern but could imagine this frenetic pacing may be more detrimental on higher difficulties.  

More generally, the gun play itself felt good. The shooting was not nearly as smooth as the skateboarding, but enjoyable nonetheless. I discovered early on that certain guns, sentient weapon-beings known as Gatlians, better fit my playstyle than others (looking at you, Gus). However, each Gatlian has a special “attack” that is required to complete certain encounters. Swapping between weapons was easy and came with the added perk of hilarious commentary from the various Gatlians.

Badum-Tss

The comedy throughout the game was largely entertaining. However, some jokes and moments didn’t quite work for me. I attribute that to having a differing sense of humor. Even the achievement flavor text made me chuckle on occasion. One of the first achievements I achieved had the subtext “Congratulations, you have murdered an animal rights activist.” From these small details to snarky remarks made by the Gatlians to dialogue between characters, I feel like High on Life 2 stuck the comedic landing more often than not.

From a narrative standpoint, the main storyline is as hilarious as it is engaging. While not overly complicated, between the plot and the gameplay it kept me playing to learn more. The opening of the game starts with cut scenes depicting the “life of glory” achieved after the events of the first game. And just as quickly rips that away as you must decide between being the hero-celebrity everyone thinks you to be or being a good brother. You, of course, defend your sister and break bounty hunter code in the process. You also discover an insidious plot by “big pharma” to turn all humans into medication. Despite your masked anonymity, underneath you are 100% human and 100% in danger. The story evolves from there with you becoming a misunderstood outlaw intent on protecting your sister and humans at large. I enjoy a good in-game snub at something that is, in the real world, a legitimate issue. Comedic commentary on rogue pharmaceutical companies is not wasted on me.

Around the World(s)

As the story unfolds so too does the world of High on Life 2. And what a world, or more aptly “worlds”, it is. I was immediately taken in by the incredible graphics. Every world visited is bright, full of details large and small, and bustling with various types of life. Despite the game’s intent not being “open world”, I still found myself exploring every nook and cranny. Less so for hidden items and more so simply because the level design was so cool. Interacting with random NPCs was usually rewarding. Not because they helped propel the story forward in any way. Instead, it was because their commentary was often spontaneous and hilarious. One NPC I ran across got incredibly angry when he thought I was trying to look at his phone screen. Interactions like this are not necessary but add worldbuilding that I couldn’t help but appreciate. Moments like this let me know that the game devs truly loved and cared about the world they were creating.

Verdict

Overall, I enjoyed my time with High on Life 2. The colors, the comedy, and the gameplay come together to make this a really fun time. Its snark and irreverence were a nice change of pace from other titles currently out. I played on PC and while it was mostly smooth, I had a few bumps along the way. The most notable was the long load times I experienced when first logging in and occasional frame-rate drops when the screen was particularly busy. My PC has above required specs, but there was a note that Squanch knew there were performance issues that they were working on. With this in mind, I am hopeful that they will be addressed.

Score: 6/10

Reviewed on PC. High on Life 2 is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC with a planned Nintendo Switch 2 release on April 20, 2026.