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High on Life is a shooter that follows the exploits of a random hero swept up into an intergalactic syndicate. They must work together with Kenny, a sentient gun, to save Earth from becoming a drug zone. It’s a wild story, but an easy-to-pick-up shooter with these tips in mind.
8 Use Headphones
The main reason to play this game is for the humor and not the challenge, so the Story level of difficulty is recommended. There is a way to turn down the chatter of the enemies and the guns in the menu, but players should refrain from doing that.
It may get a bit much at times, but there’s a lot of good dialogue in High on Life too. That’s why it is important to wear headphones. This will help clue players in on where enemies are coming from too.
7 Who To Fight First
The first mission will have players go after a mob boss by the name of 9-Torg. After that players get to choose between two new bounties: Krubis and Douglas. One bounty is not stronger than the other but they each have benefits in the form of new guns that players should be aware of.
Defeating Douglas will grant players access to Sweezy who acts a lot like the Needler from the Halo series. Defeating Krubis will net players Gus who is like the shotgun of the game and is the better of the two choices for now.
6 Yes, You Can Watch Tammy And The T-Rex
Tammy and the T-Rex is a classic cult movie of the good but bad variety. Those familiar with Red Letter Media will know exactly why this movie is worth watching. It can be viewed in its entirety at the player’s house.
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That’s not the only weird movie players can watch either. The second movie to get unlocked will be Blood Harvest followed by Vampire Hookers. Watching these three movies in High on Life is not the best way to experience them, but it’s good to know it is possible.
5 Use The Environment To Your Advantage
High on Life is set up like an arena shooter wherein monsters will pop out of designated areas. Each arena will be open and full of things to aid players, which they should take advantage of. There will be grapple points, for example, which allow players to zip around the battlefield.
There are also exploding barrels to hit or caged creatures that will attack enemies too. It is reminiscent of Shadow Warrior 3, which is the closest and most recent shooter example.
4 Take Your Time
At its core, this game is a shooter and one with a sound control scheme. However, it’s also a comedy game and wants players to soak in the world. Don’t play High on Life like an ordinary shooter, going from one bounty to the next at breakneck speeds.
Take the time to talk to NPCs, look at posters, watch things on monitors, and so on. Not all of the humor will land like the weapon chatter but there is plenty of good stuff too. The ability to watch those cult classics movies is one example.
3 Upgrade Preferences
There is a central shop where players will go back to often on the main planet. Every time players unlock a gun, the store will get new inventory for weapon upgrades. The most important upgrade for all four guns is increasing ammo capacity which is a good upgrade to have in most shooters. Reducing the cooldown for the secondary fire is also a good upgrade for most weapons.
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If players do choose the Story difficulty, health upgrades will not be necessary. They are recommended if players choose to play High on Life on any other difficulty though. Overall, don’t spend every cent in the main store as other planets will have pop-up shops with missable upgrades.
2 Take Notes
High on Life is not quite a Metroidvania, but it does have elements of one. Every gun in the game has a secondary fire option. Kenny can knock over certain platforms, Gus can shoot a blade that can be jumped on, and so on. Knifey, the melee weapon of the game, can unlock chests.
Whenever some sort of barrier prevents players from passing, make a note of that. There is no map in the game, making backtracking a tricky business. That’s why taking notes is more important than ever.
1 Never Go Back To Your House
Players will unlock an ability to warp back to the house on either Douglas’, or Krubis’ mission. Do not take advantage of this new portal even if it is tempting to go purchase some new upgrades before the boss fight. Players will not be able to return to this portal door the next time they go back.
Progress will be saved in the mission, but players have to start at the beginning of the stage. Eventually, there will be a way to warp to specific spots on each planet but that is a mechanic unlocked toward the end.
High on Life was released on December 13, 2022, and is available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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