High on Life is excellent at running down the basics of how to control each gun and how best to get through the narrative. However, some tips will get you into the frame of mind needed to get the absolute most out of the title. You play as a teenager who becomes a bounty hunter to save humanity from an alien cartel invasion.
If it sounds silly, that's because it is, but you're not meant to take anything seriously here. High on Life is a Comedy and does whatever it takes to make the simplest of concepts as wackily executed as possible. Here are a few things to keep in mind when starting out.
8 Remember To Adjust Character Chatter
You'll first want to jump into the settings and reduce gun and enemy chatter to Occasional or None, as these Gatlian's never stop yapping. Whether it's dropping hints for puzzles, backtalking the enemy, or them judging you for trying to shoot everyone, these talkative guns always have something to say.
It's a common theme of recent triple-A titles where the characters we love never know when to stop talking, but here there's a comedic spin on the idea. Once you're past the intro and officially off-planet with your first Gatlian, you're free to quiet down these chatterboxes.
7 No Need To Worry About Fall Damage
If you scoot over a little too close to the roof's edge, worry not! You won't die from the fall damage and can instead take a nifty shortcut down. If you do the same thing, but above water or some other hazardous substance, you will take damage, just not from the fall itself.
It's a tiny part of the game, but knowing this is necessary, so you don't feel pressured to take the safe route back. It won't help you in combat or anything, but it will make things quicker.
6 The Info Scanner Is Your Best Friend
Press, press, press. Press that Info Scanner button all day long because it'll be your only way of finding the objective. If you're looking for Lugloxes, press it. If you're searching for a quest giver, press it. And if you're just in the habit of pressing it by this point, why not press it again? It won't harm anything.
Your Info Scanner is there to be used, and that's what you'll need to do unless you're planning to lose your way in these unsafe environments.
5 Explore The Worlds
After defeating either Krubis in Zephyr Paradise or Douglas in Port Terrine, you're free to explore the worlds you've unlocked to your heart's content. You won't be able to unlock everything only because you won't have every weapon by this point, but you can open Lugloxes for loot and use Kenny and Knifey to reach new areas.
Zephyr Paradise has a ton to see that you should check out before continuing the story, especially if you want to open up more of those valuable Lugloxes.
4 Use Knifey's Traversal For Lugloxes
If there's anything you should be doing, it's spending all your spare time prying open Lugloxes with handy Knifey. This bloodthirsty buddy wants nothing more than to dig into people's organs and taste their blood, but he can settle for tearing open a Luglox.
Most often, they contain currency to spend at the Pawn Shop, although you can also find various upgrades and game collectibles from time to time. Your Info Scanner can help you find the locations of these chests, but you'll have to find your way there.
3 Humor and Bosses Like Borderlands
Of course, comparisons can be drawn to Rick and Morty since a co-creator of the show worked on High on Life; however, there are also a lot of similarities to Borderlands, from the humor to the characters, the game world, and even the gunplay in a few ways. The talking guns are much more annoying than Borderlands characters, but it's all a part of their annoyingly lovable charm.
The bosses are also quite similar to Borderlands, with a big striking text appearing on the screen next to them during their big fight. Whether you prefer this or Borderlands, there are definitely similarities between the two.
2 Check The Pawn Shop Often
There are more shops than just Mr. Keeps Pawn Shop; however, this is the one with the most content to buy. As you progress through the story, the Pawn Shop will introduce new upgrades and items to buy, which you can purchase using the currency gained from Lugloxes.
When you return to Blip City, check out the Pawn Shop to see what new items Mr. Keep is peddling. Even if it's the same as the last time you checked, it's still worth going in to look around whenever you get the chance. You never know what valuable goodies you might find on sale.
1 Get Ready For A Short, Concise Experience
Including extra content and with completionists in mind, the runtime still won't exceed far over the 15-hour runtime, so you'll want to make the most of the concise experience. As gamers, we're used to most recent releases being packed with additional side quests or new game plus content that will sate our taste for weeks to come. Here you won't get this.
Be prepared for a short and concise experience that doesn't overstay its welcome and knows more gameplay doesn't necessarily make a better game. After the credits roll, you might want more of these charming characters, but in that case, you can always replay.