Excessive On Life 2 is doing the stuff you’d count on this sequel to do – it’s larger, extra full of jokes, much more experimental than the primary sport, and now has a skateboard you should use at any time (naturally). Nevertheless it’s additionally doing one thing we didn’t count on: altering the primary sport’s construction basically. Excessive On Life 2 is taking cues from Metroidvania video games, however utilizing them to its personal ends.
In an episode of the Official Xbox Podcast, Squanch Video games’ COO & Government Producer, Matty Studivan, and Artistic & Artwork Director, Mikey Spano defined – amongst many different issues – about how the group modified their considering to supply a complete new hub-based design for the sport.
“Our Design Director, Erich Meyr, and I early on determined we wished to do one thing that had Metroidvania components to it, however we additionally wished to assist telling actually tight tales,” defined Spano. “So, this time round, we tried to maintain the entire Metroidvania components within the hubs.”
Whereas the unique Excessive On Life was constructed round a single hub, Blim Metropolis, the sequel will take you to a few totally different hubs, every with much more to them and, in basic Metroidvania model, providing increasingly interactions the extra you play and earn.
“It’s an enormous step up for us from the primary sport,” mentioned Studivan. “In case you performed it and you understand Blim Metropolis, it’s a very cool spot, however fairly small geographically.”
“We have now three decent-sized hubs in [High On Life 2],” provides Spano, “and every a type of hubs has numerous little aspect issues you are able to do, NPCs you’ll find, tons of collectibles, tons of unlockable issues. And clearly with the skateboard; there’s numerous cool stuff associated to the skateboard that you are able to do within the hubs.”
The change is successfully about letting Squanch have their cake and eat it – the brand new construction implies that the group can pack within the stupendously bizarre moments that made Excessive On Life beloved, with no need to derail the core story to get non-sequitur jokes in there. It’s a sublime combine:
“When it comes to the way it all flows collectively, you’ve obtained your house base that you simply’re all the time returning to,” defined Spano. “And in there, you’re speaking to your crew about what you’re going to do subsequent. After which, you’ll be dropped down into the hub. After which from there, you’re navigating to a goal that you simply’re following. However when you get to a sure level, it triggers a extra linear expertise the place we are able to inform the story in a tighter approach. We nonetheless all the time have selections that you simply’re making and stuff like that.
“However by way of ending a stage after which coming again with new power-ups, we attempt to maintain all that within the hub in order that we are able to inform an entire story with no need gamers to come back again and listen to the identical issues time and again.”
The upshot is that Squanch can inform the story they wish to, however give gamers the liberty to step away and discover simply how odd the encircling world is at their leisure. To assist create all that aspect content material, Squanch took a really enjoyable strategy:
“One of many methods we had been in a position to try this is that we do sport jams on the studio, as a result of all the group is so inventive,” added Studivan. “And so, we had eight or 9 groups [jam] for every week – and I believe like seven of the sport jams are within the hubs on this sport.”
It ought to make exploring the hubs rewarding in itself – with complete different sport sorts hidden away, each discovery can turn out to be one thing new. We’ll get extra of what we discovered to count on from the primary sport, too – Excessive On Life included complete, real-life films to observe, and that may return (with a movie show to observe them in). We additionally know that Squanch has licensed full video games (NES sport Bible Adventures shaped a pivotal a part of the demo we lately performed) that may seem alongside the best way.
“We’re spending much more assets and time on [side content]. It actually makes the world really feel such as you’re someplace lived-in,” mentioned Studivan.
The massive modifications to construction are additionally about catering to totally different sorts of gamers. Those that simply need the story can leap from important mission to important mission with out friction. Those that wish to do all the things can accomplish that with out having to repeat missions, and at their very own tempo. And there are additionally those that may waver between fast blasts and marathon classes:
“So, with the missions, we attempt to maintain them at a sure size in order that for those who’re like, ‘I’m going to go take down this bounty,’ you truly can end it in an evening after which get again to placing your youngsters to mattress or no matter it’s that you need to do,” mentioned Spano. “After which for the avid gamers that desire a extra free-form expertise, they know they’ll simply hand around in the hub for some time and do no matter they need and tackle missions each time they need.”
For a sport that presents itself as unabashedly dumb, there’s a core of good, basic sport design considering sitting beneath all of the insanity. With that design in place, it permits Squanch to go as wild as they need with the concepts we, as gamers, will work together with.
Even within the earliest appears to be like on the sport, we’re seeing how far they’ll push this – one boss struggle instantly sees your enemy hack your sport, sending you navigating your individual menu screens to struggle him off. And, better of all:
“That’s one of many extra regular elements of the sport,” Spano mentioned. “This demo is early within the sport. By Act Three it’s simply so off the rails and insane. I believe persons are going to be actually stunned.”
I’m very a lot wanting ahead to seeing how a lot weirder this may get – Excessive on Life 2 arrives for Xbox Sequence X|S and Xbox on PC on February 13, 2026, and will likely be out there on day one with Recreation Cross Final.
If you wish to hear a lot, way more in regards to the sport, make certain to take a look at the total Official Xbox Podcast episode, which dives into how Squanch rotated a sequel so shortly, the tough artwork of writing comedy for video games, the advantages of switching to Unreal Engine 5 and… the surprise of Microsoft Excel.
Excessive On Life 2
Squanch Video games, Inc.
You’ve carried out it. You’ve taken down an intergalactic cartel, introduced humanity again from the brink of extinction, and hunted harmful bounties to the far corners of the galaxy. Bounty searching has introduced you fortune, fame and love; however when a mysterious determine out of your previous reappears and places a value in your sister’s head, your soft life will get thrown into chaos.
Do you could have what it takes to threat all of it and convey down an intergalactic conspiracy that after once more threatens your favourite species (people)?
Excessive On Life RETURNS as you and the one you love rag-tag group of alien misfits shoot, stab, and skate your approach via attractive, harmful worlds all throughout the galaxy to explode the EVIL pharmaceutical conglomerate hell-bent on placing value tags on HUMAN LIFE!
