Excessive on Life seemingly had one guiding query that fueled each design choice: What is the funniest factor we will do right here? It is the form of over-the-top, wildly left-field humor that is according to Rick & Morty, as you’d count on, and Excessive on Life 2 takes these concepts to new heights.
I performed it just a few weeks in the past at a Microsoft occasion throughout PAX West weekend, the place we additionally chatted with Squanch Video games COO Matty Studivan about this sequel that takes issues to extra radical locations (in additional methods than one).
In Excessive on Life 2, it’s essential to use your intergalactic hitman skills to take down a sci-fi-comedy metaphor for large pharma. The speaking weapons from the primary recreation return, although some new ones have joined the fray. Most apparently, nevertheless, is you could’t dash on this recreation. As a substitute, you skate.
Excessive on Laughs
In case you performed the primary recreation or have watched Rick & Morty, you will know precisely what to anticipate with Excessive on Life 2 when it comes to its narrative and character moments. A first-rate instance from the demo I performed is once I was infiltrating an space to assassinate my goal.
After all, the entrance door was guarded, so I needed to sneak in by way of another means. In most different video games, you’d discover that vent or elevator shaft and easily use it. Congratulations, you reached the following checkpoint.
In Excessive on Life 2, I simply went barely to the fitting and located an elevator being labored on by upkeep. I approached the employee, heard somewhat of his spiel, after which walked previous him to get within the elevator, which instantly broke.
From there, he requested if I may assist him repair the elevator by hitting some buttons inside. In some unspecified time in the future, he asks me to carry one button for 20 seconds, then whereas holding it, hit one other button. Astute players may notice that there is solely, in reality, one work together button.
So even when you observe the charade of counting to twenty, you may’t do it. And the employee says one thing that factors out that you do not actually have the capability to hit two work together buttons.
In different phrases, it is meta comedy all the best way down. That meta humor comes into play throughout a boss struggle within the demo. I will not spoil it an excessive amount of, however let’s simply say that it surpassed my expectations when it comes to simply how a lot Squanch Video games is devoted to obliterating the fourth wall. If this would not danger authorized bother, I am positive they’d joke about deleting system32 to unravel a puzzle.
Even the premise of Excessive on Life 2 lives on the road between absurd and ridiculous. My mission was to search out a fictional senator named Muppy Doo, who was giving a speech at a conference. So I needed to go to the Conference Planet and undergo Parking Con and Con Con (once more, meta) to get to his conference. After all, it was not possible to seek out parking at Parking Con.
Love It or Skate It
This sort of humor could be fairly polarizing; usually it is both extremely your factor or completely not your factor. Regardless, what’s onerous to disclaim is that the core gameplay itself is enjoyable, amid all of the jokes and jabs.
This primary-person shooter feels extra energetic and frantic than its prequel, and what actually contributes to the frenetic tempo is the brand new dash mechanic. As a substitute of operating, your character whips out a skateboard, instantly altering the trajectory of how you progress.
It takes a bit to get used to only as a result of it actually does really feel like driving a skateboard as an alternative of sprinting in one thing like Name of Responsibility. When you get the dangle of it although, you can even leap onto partitions and experience them for a bit. Rails could be grinded on, including another choice for cruising round an area.
The speaking weapons make a return right here, as anticipated. They’re arguably the center and core of Excessive on Life, offering each comedic aid and narrative development. Every has an alternate fireplace mode as effectively, which might doubly be used to unravel sure puzzles within the surroundings.
The brand new weapon I discovered within the demo was a three-shot burst rifle named Sheath, and he is voiced by the buttery-brutal tones of Ralph Ineson. His alternate fireplace shoots out an enormous spike, and you’ll chain it to a number of enemies to make all of them collide into one another. It provides a pleasant quantity of crowd management that turns out to be useful, particularly whenever you get somewhat overwhelmed.
Excessive on Life 2 Preview | Remaining Ideas
On the finish of the day, I feel lots of people interested by Excessive on Life 2 already know precisely what they’re signing up for. This can be a comedy recreation at the start, which is each its biggest energy and biggest weak point. In case you like quirky meta humor, you will like this, however the equal and reverse can also be true. On the very least, the tone appears constant within the demo, and it’ll all the time stand out from the pack relating to all of the first-person shooters on the market.
Over the long run, I am curious how effectively the narrative will land. Joking your entire time can probably get previous, and I personally ran out of steam partway by way of the primary recreation. However with extra thrilling gameplay, possibly Excessive on Life 2 can have sufficient juice to maintain issues radical all the best way to the tip.
Excessive on Life 2 was previewed at an Xbox occasion in Redmond, WA, courtesy of Microsoft.
