HIGH ON LIFE
Developer/publisher Squanch Games Format PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series Release October 25
The problem with dialogue in any firstperson shooter is that you’re somewhat dependent on the player looking in the right direction. Some games seize the camera to force you to look characters in the eye; others cast them as disembodied voices on the other end of an intercom. The elegant solution here is to put your conversation partner’s face on the one thing that’s always in front of you: your weapon. It’s the only part of High On Life you could accuse of elegance. Coming from Rick & Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, this Savage Planet-looking comedy shooter features hyperbongs, teddy-bear fight clubs, aliens that resemble unsavoury parts of the human anatomy, and, of course, that one irritating voice Roiland does. Switching to a shotgun not for any tactical reason but because you’re sick of hearing from your pistol is a novel concept.