When it comes to adult animated shows, there's not many that are as popular as Rick and Morty. Despite a troublesome period a few years ago regarding some McDonald's Szechwan sauce, Rick and Morty has generally been viewed as one of the best animated comedies of the last decade, with its cynical, dark humor being one of the show's greatest selling points. Just before the peak of Rick and Morty popularity - right before its 3rd season aired in 2016 - Justin Roiland, the voice actor behind both Rick and Morty as well as one of the lead creators of the show, founded his own game company. Originally called Squanchtendo, Roiland would rebrand the developer in 2017, renaming the studio Squanch Games. Though the studio is still pretty fresh-faced, its upcoming game High On Life has gained quite a bit of attention since its announcement.
Revealed at Xbox and Bethesda's June Showcase, High On Life is a first-person shooter with a unique comedic twist. Players take on the role of an intergalactic bounty hunter equipped with an arsenal of talking guns. For fans of Rick and Morty, High On Life's irreverent tone and humor is sure to tick all the boxes, and for those who have played Squanch Games' previous works, High On Life seems like a natural next step for the developer.
How Squanch Games' Past Works Could Be Influencing High On Life
Each one of Squanch Games' titles carries over the same bizarre, outlandish humor that can be found throughout Rick and Morty, but the developer tends to make its adventures a little less cynical. Instead, Squanch Games' works feel more like the "Interdimensional Cable" episodes of Rick and Morty than the ones with heavier subject matter, with wacky characters being the focal point of the developer's games.
Nowhere is this more obvious than Squanch Games' first ever title, Accounting. Released in 2016, Accounting is a short but wild VR game which sees the player descend into the depths of virtual reality, Inception-style. All the while the player is berated repeatedly by Justin Roiland, voicing a cast of characters, each one more crude and crass than the last. Accounting is violent, gratuitous, and nasty, but for those who enjoy Roiland's distinct brand of humor, it's also pretty hilarious.
In 2018, Squanch Games released its next full title, Trover Saves the Universe. Another VR game later changed to work on flat screens, Trover Saves the Universe takes Accounting and actually adds some real gameplay mechanics. Playing similarly to Moss, the player takes control of a purple alien named Trover who exists between the player-character and the background. While Trover Saves the Universe still carries over that same unique brand of humor, it's a little more toned down when compared to Accounting.
Squanch Games is still clearly finding its footing in the development industry, and slowly but surely it's getting there. In just six years, Squanch Games has gone from a surprisingly funny but exceptionally simplistic stationary VR game to a game with a much wider scope, a refined sense of humor, and some actual gameplay. So now, three years later, it seems likely that Squanch Games is ready to produce the culmination of all its hard work so far. Though only one High On Life trailer has been released right now, it certainly seems to be that game.
Coming out of the gate as a traditional, flat screen game, and an Xbox Game Pass title no less, High On Life has the potential to reach a much wider audience than Squanch Games' past works. Based on the trailer, it seems as though High On Life actually has some surprisingly impressive visuals and unique gameplay concepts. It might be too early to judge, but it seems as though Squanch Games has taken the lessons learned from its previous titles and applied them all to High On Life.
High on Life is set to be released on October 25 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.