Picture this: extraterrestrial beings have invaded Earth not for resources or conquest, but because humans happen to be an incredibly potent recreational drug. This bizarre premise forms the foundation of High on Life’s narrative, where an ordinary gaming enthusiast becomes humanity’s unlikely savior through an arsenal of sentient alien weaponry and advanced combat gear.
The adventure begins when the G3 Cartel, commanded by the repulsive slug-like entity Garmantuous, launches their assault on Earth. This intergalactic criminal organization has discovered that human beings produce an extraordinary high when consumed by various alien species – making our planet a prime target for enslavement and harvesting operations.
During the initial chaos, the protagonist encounters Kenny, a living firearm from the planet Gatlus. The Gatlians represent an entire species of sentient weapons who have suffered under the cartel’s oppression, victims of biological warfare and forced conscription into the organization’s military arsenal.
Kenny devises an escape plan that involves transporting the protagonist’s entire residence to Blim City, a sprawling alien metropolis that serves as a hub for bounty hunting activities. Here, they meet Gene Zaroothian, a former celebrity bounty hunter who has fallen on hard times but still possesses valuable connections and equipment.
Gene provides the protagonist with advanced power armor and access to the Bounty-5000 system, establishing them as a licensed bounty hunter. The mission becomes clear: systematically eliminate the G3 Cartel’s leadership structure to cripple their operations and free humanity from their grasp.
The First Elimination: Krubis
The initial target is Krubis, who oversees mining operations on Zephyr Paradise. His facilities extract Furgles, another sentient species that serves as a narcotic substance for alien consumption. Krubis employs enslaved Moplets to maintain his underground mining networks, but his position within the cartel becomes precarious as human trafficking proves more profitable than Furgle harvesting.
After eliminating Krubis, the protagonist acquires Gus, a shotgun-like Gatlian with unique abilities including projectile platforms and vacuum functionality. This marks the beginning of a growing arsenal of living weapons, each with distinct personalities and combat capabilities.
Confronting Douglas
The second major target is Douglas, who manages recruitment and training for the cartel while indulging in excessive cruelty that undermines organizational efficiency. His poor management style and sadistic tendencies have made him expendable in Garmantuous’s eyes.
Douglas attempts deception by disguising himself as Dr. Joopy, but his ruse fails and he meets his end. This encounter yields Sweezy, another Gatlian companion with time manipulation abilities that prove useful for accessing restricted areas.
The Giblets Incident
Doctor Giblets represents the cartel’s scientific division, conducting horrific experiments on various species including Gatlians. When the protagonist reaches his hidden laboratory, they discover a severely damaged Gatlian that has been subjected to extensive torture and experimentation.
Giblets accidentally meets his demise before any confrontation can occur, but his death triggers automated defense systems that create a challenging combat scenario. The damaged Gatlian, later identified as Lezduit, becomes a crucial element in the ongoing struggle against the cartel.
Laboratory Horrors: The Skrendel Brothers
The Skrendel Brothers operate a massive research facility where human subjects undergo enhancement procedures to increase their narcotic potency. During this mission, the protagonist rescues Creature, a Gatlian who has been grotesquely modified through experimentation.
The brothers’ defeat attracts direct attention from Garmantuous, who threatens retaliation against the protagonist’s family. However, this threat proves to be misdirection, as the cartel leader actually holds celebrity hostages rather than the protagonist’s relatives.
Urban Warfare
The conflict escalates when Lizzie, the protagonist’s sister, disappears after becoming involved with Tweeg, who is revealed as a cartel infiltrator. The subsequent investigation leads to Space Applebees, where Kenny reveals his tragic backstory involving the downfall of the Gatlian civilization.
Kenny’s confession about inadvertently leading the cartel to his homeworld adds emotional depth to the narrative, as he seeks redemption through humanity’s salvation. The cartel’s assault on Blim City forces another relocation, this time to the devastated remains of Gatlus.
The Nipulon Challenge
Nipulon serves as Garmantuous’s lieutenant and operates a major distribution center for the cartel’s narcotic products. His personal addiction to the substances he traffics creates vulnerabilities that the protagonist can exploit.
The confrontation with Nipulon involves psychedelic combat scenarios that test both combat skills and mental resilience, representing one of the most challenging encounters in the campaign.
Final Confrontation
The climactic battle against Garmantuous requires the combined firepower of all acquired Gatlian weapons, including the restored Lezduit. Gene devises an unconventional strategy involving explosive devices and close-quarters combat that ultimately proves successful.
The resolution involves a dramatic sacrifice that appears permanent but ultimately proves temporary, as the chosen Gatlian companion survives the explosive conclusion. This victory seemingly ends the immediate threat to humanity, though post-credit revelations suggest larger conspiracies remain active.
Ongoing Mysteries
The game’s additional content reveals that the G3 Cartel’s elimination does not guarantee humanity’s safety from the broader intergalactic drug trade. Dr. Gurgula emerges as a shadowy figure orchestrating events from behind the scenes, working with corrupt officials like Magistrate Clugg to continue human exploitation through seemingly legitimate rescue operations.
These revelations establish the groundwork for future adventures, positioning the protagonist and their allies as fugitives who must navigate an even more complex web of galactic criminal enterprises while protecting humanity from continued exploitation.
Photo by JC Gellidon on Unsplash
Originally published at IGN
