High on Life: release date, trailers, gameplay, and more

High on Life was revealed by Squanch Games during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase 2022, and it quickly became one of the highlights of Summer Game Fest. Its brief announcement trailer didn’t show off much, but we did see Justin Roiland’s sense of humor on full display, along with a bit of gameplay. Then, during Gamescom 2022, a new gameplay trailer gave fans an extended look at what appears to be an early boss fight, filled with profanity-spewing guns and off-kilter one-liners.

A complete picture of the game is starting to come into focus, and fans of “comedy shooters” should be excited about what’s in store for them later this year. From release date and trailers to multiplayer and more, here’s everything we know about High on Life.

Further reading

Release date

High on Life is expected to release on December 13 for Xbox and PC. The game was previously slated for a November launch, although the team needs a bit of extra time to squash some lingering bugs.

Platforms

Seeing as it was announced during the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase 2022, it should come as no surprise that High on Life is launching on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC via both Steam and the Epic Games Store. It will also be available day one on Xbox Game Pass.

High on Life was introduced as a Console Launch Exclusive, which likely means it’ll never see the light of day on PlayStation 4, PS5, or Switch. However, there’s a tiny chance that this is a timed-exclusivity deal, which would see the game launching on other consoles after a set period of time has elapsed. For now, however, it’s best to think that only Xbox and PC players will get to experience the upcoming adventure.

Trailers

So far, we’ve been treated to three trailers — the one released during the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase 2022, a behind-the-scenes clip in the Extended Showcase, and a gameplay trailer from Gamescom 2022. Clocking in at just under two minutes, the first trailer shows off the game’s eye-catching art style, along with plenty of gameplay footage and an irreverent sense of humor. The Gamescom 2022 gameplay trailer is a bit longer at three minutes, and it gives us an intimate look at a High on Life boss fight.

Meanwhile, the behind-the-scenes trailer gives you a closer look at the development of the game along with plenty of commentary.

And finally, there’s the Gamescom 2022 trailer. This gives us a pretty detailed look at what appears to be an early-game boss fight, and it looks a bit rough around the edges. Thankfully, our hands-on demo revealed a game that plays better than it looks.

Gameplay

High on Life is a first-person shooter driven by an off-the-wall narrative. You’ll play as a high school graduate dealing with an invasion of aliens that “get high off humanity.” Its plotline and ridiculous sense of humor seem to be among the main attractions so far (after all, this is coming from the co-creator of Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites), but that doesn’t mean it won’t offer engaging gameplay.

During the trailer, the developers described High on Life as an “action-adventure comedy Metroidvania first-person shooter.” While we don’t know exactly how important each of those words will be in the final product, it does give us an idea as to how the game will play. For one, the player can expect to unlock new abilities and guns as they progress through the game — ones that will not only help in battle but grant them access to previously restricted areas. And, as expected, comedy should be a focal point of the game.

It’s also confirmed that High on Life won’t be an open world. Instead, you’ll have set stages to work through that offer a fairly linear experience that’ll be driven by its sense of humor and stunning art style. You will, however, be able to pick the order you tackle each of these levels. There are also periodic boss fights (as seen in the Gamescom 2022 trailer), and having different abilities unlocked could be key to surviving these encounters.

Multiplayer

No multiplayer details have been shared for High on Life. For now, it seems the upcoming title will be strictly a solo experience. No multiplayer details are mentioned on its official Xbox page either, so it’s doubtful that cooperative or competitive play will be available in High on Life.

Pre-order

High on Life pre-orders are now available through Squanch Games and on the Xbox Store.

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