High on Life had a much bigger impact than fans initially thought. Xbox Wire posted today how the comedic first-person shooter created a much bigger splash on Xbox Game Pass by having one of the largest launches ever on the platform. Surprisingly, the High on Life launch was big enough to shake up the regular standings by knocking Minecraft and Forza Horizon 5 from the Game Pass top spots.
High on Life was developed by Squanch Games, and created by the voice behind Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland. The game features multiple weapons with faces that actively speak with the main protagonist, providing insight into particular situations or guiding players through the main story. These characters also reflect on the many choices players can select while playing the game, which Roiland pushes players to explore off the beaten path and find unique secrets and hidden pathways away from the main story.
Related: The 5 funniest moments in High On Life
Roiland credits the depth the team went to developing these smaller hidden paths to several RPGs he’s played in the past, such as Fallout 3. In a recent interview with Xbox’s Major Nelson, Roiland discussed his inspiration for High on Life and is excited for players to discover more secrets and hidden jokes throughout the game for the next few months. Although High on Life does not have as in-depth storytelling or RPG elements as other games like the Fallout series, fans enjoy the light-hearted humor highlighted in the adventure.
Although the crude humor in the dialogue and story may not have hit it off with everyone, players appear to be having a good time with it and the various paths they can explore while playing. In our review, we praised High on Life’s unique gameplay and character designs, and while the novelties of something new were nice, they quickly wore off and became stale as we continued playing.
Beyond the game itself, High on Life’s success further highlights the importance of Xbox Game Pass to developers and Microsoft looking to get their games out there. The way the Game Pass service is structured in bringing day-one titles to subscribers from indie and triple-A developers alike, anyone who regularly plays games would find this hard to pass up on, and there’s only more to come with future games from Bethesda, Obsidian, and potentially, Activision, from the Xbox Game Studios.
