5 things to expect from Rick & Morty creator Justin Roiland’s new FPS venture, High on Life

The co-creator of the popular sci-fi animated series Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland, is a creative genius difficult to contain in a box. The man is now spilling his creativity into the gaming arena.

Through his studio Squanch Games, Justin Roiland will be back with his iconic voice and witty humor in the brand-new sci-fi FPS, High on Life.

Set to be launched on December 13, 2022, teaser trailers for the sci-fi shooter were revealed at Gamescom 2022 and Xbox and Bethesda’s showcase events.

As far as gameplay is concerned, High on Life is not an open-world title. Rather, it’s an FPS involving different levels, with each level representing a different alien world altogether.

Players will take on the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter on a mission to hunt down an alien drug cartel. Expect the FPS to be more of an action-packed comedic misadventure with a bit of an occasional mouthful.

One feature that stands out in the recently revealed trailer is the ability to have actual conversations with guns. Yes, Justin Roiland’s High on Life features weapons that can actually talk to the users.

However, there’s a whole lot more to this sci-fi shooter from Justin Roiland than talking guns.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author’s opinion.

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Five standout features of Justin Roiland’s upcoming High on Life

1) Absurd yet riveting sci-fi plots

High on Life will feature many unique alien worlds (Image via Squanch Games)

The Rick and Morty animated series is known for its out-of-the-box, ambiguous space adventures that blend some of the philosophical ponderings of modern physics that are on the fringes of being declared conventional wisdom, such as parallel universes and traveling through wormholes.

Some episodes are so rich in detail and open-ended that entire standalone titles can be carved out from them.

With High on Life, Justin Roiland presents a plot where an alien drug cartel takes complete control over planet Earth and starts gorging on humans. Apparently, human flesh gives many alien species a high.

Now, it’s time for the protagonist to save Earth from this human-munching alien cartel.

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2) Whacky characters and talking guns

Each gun possesses a unique personality (Image via Squanch Games)

The talking gun feature has been the trending topic of discussion about the game so far. And why shouldn’t it be? The idea of a weapon giving first-person shooters some company through witty humor and dark jokes is a simple yet ingenious invention.

The closest contender to something like this introduced in a first-person shooter comes from the Borderlands series. Handsome Jack constantly taunts the Vault Hunters with his dark humor through microphones attached all over Pandora.

FPS often feels lonely and claustrophobic, especially when gamers have to traverse large distances in an open world. It will be interesting to see how deep the conversations with the gun are when the game releases.

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3) Insane amount of violence and bizarre scenes

The game focuses more on fast-paced gun violence with very little cover (Image via Squanch Games)

A recently released gameplay trailer revealed a bunch of talking guns and unique alien worlds that act as different stages in the storyline. Each stage has a unique cartel boss to beat at the end.

The game features plenty of futuristic gun violence. The likes of plasma guns and laser guns are plenty, and it promises to be the kind of shooter-looter that will give an instant dopamine rush every time an alien’s brain is splashed open.

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4) Vibrant and colorful in-game environment

Built around an alien drug cartel, the game offers a rich psychedelic setting (Image via Squanch Games)

Thus far, developers Squanch Games have released quite a few trailers of the biopunk first-person shooter. The recently launched reveal trailer at Gamescom 2022 revealed 25 minutes of actual gameplay footage of the title.

Each level is set in a colorful alien world that offers plenty of fast-paced gun violence and flashy animations.

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5) High on Life could be Squanch Games’ deal-breaker

Established in 2016, Squanch Games is Justin Roiland’s wild dive into the video game industry. It’s an avenue through which Rick and Morty’s co-creator throws his adult humor into the gaming arena.

The previous release, Trover Saves the World, didn’t quite have the success Squanch Games had hoped for. High on Life brings back the popular whinny voice of Morty into a richer world. It might end up becoming Squanch Games and Justin Roiland’s breakthrough title.