FROM the creator behind Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland, High on Life is Xbox Game Pass’ surprise hit of the year.
When it came to reviews, High on Life caused controversy. Both very high and low scores were recorded, giving a middling 65 overall.
In High on Life your gun talks to you.
This is due to the game’s particular sense of humour, something that Rick and Morty is well-known and loved for.
While critics were often fans of the show, they could find the constant quips from the game’s talking weapons a little overwhelming at times.
Others loved it, with one of the highest-scoring reviews calling it “genuinely hilarious” and giving High on Life a remarkable 9/10.
Despite the love or hate it nature of the game, it ended up being Xbox’s biggest hit of the year, with the most hours played by Game Pass subscribers following its release.
Not only was High on Life Game Pass’ most-played game of 2022, but it is also the most-played single-player game in the subscription service’s history.
Matt Percy, general content manager at Xbox, was pleased to have High on Life as a Microsoft exclusive.
He wrote: “High On Life is an incredibly unique title that we’ve been excited about for a long time.
“It’s fantastic to see so many Game Pass members jump into it at launch to experience Squanch’s story for themselves ahead of the holidays.”
High on Life is a surprise hit of 2022, a year where new IPs have notoriously struggled.
The only new IP that made it onto the best-selling games of the year was Elden Ring, which is backed by the legacy of Dark Souls and Bloodborne.
Despite Elden Ring’s success, winning the title Game of the Year at The Game Awards, its sales couldn’t compete with long-established series like Call of Duty and FIFA.
Games like Stray were also critically acclaimed, but failed to break into the best-sellers list.
High on Life gives hope to developers working on new properties that fresh ideas can still find success.
High on Life is available on Xbox Game Pass, and can also be purchased for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC.
Written by Georgina Young on behalf of GLHF.