High On Life’s DLC Is Out Today – Let’s Talk About Horror!

Hi, I’m Alec Robbins, head writer on Squanch Games’ High On LifeIt is High On Knife – DLC (out today!) It’s kind of like a mini-sequel that bridges between the base game and whatever else we do next. It’s not ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? We like to call it a bonus, or an epilogue. It’s not entirely a horror experience, but it definitely leans into the genre in ways that we didn’t fully explore with High On Life. So let’s talk about horror!

I have some aversions to horror movies and I almost never seek them out – but my partner loves them so I do watch them all the time. Since my training is in comedy I’ve always said that horror and comedy are the same, but with a different context. If you’re building comedy, or you’re building horror, you’re doing the exact same labor. The whole concept of trying to create a setup that flows into a punchline that surprises people and makes them laugh – that’s identical to the structure and horror; you’re trying to set up some tension that you then release, but instead of a punchline, it’s a scare. 

Hi, I’m Alec Robbins, head writer on Squanch Games’ High on LifeIt is High On Knife – DLC (out today!) It’s kind of like a mini-sequel that bridges between the base game and whatever else we do next. It’s not ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? We like to call it a bonus, or an epilogue. It’s not entirely a horror experience, but it definitely leans into the genre in ways that we didn’t fully explore with High On Life. So let’s talk about horror!

I have some aversions to horror movies and I almost never seek them out – but my partner loves them so I do watch them all the time. Since my training is in comedy I’ve always said that horror and comedy are the same, but with a different context. If you’re building comedy, or you’re building horror, you’re doing the exact same labor. The whole concept of trying to create a setup that flows into a punchline that surprises people and makes them laugh – that’s identical to the structure and horror; you’re trying to set up some tension that you then release, but instead of a punchline, it’s a scare. 

The first half of the High On Knife DLC is goofy, where you’re exploring this bright place called Peroxis. You’re there because Knifey (one of High on Life’s talking weapons) got a missed-package slip, and he convinces you to travel there to pick it up yourself. Salt Lick City is home to a group of aliens that look like slugs. It’s packed with side missions and funny moments and weird things to explore. And then that kind of leads into the stark change halfway through the DLC where you’re suddenly in what we describe internally as a haunted shipping warehouse, Muxxalon, which was absolutely not inspired by any real-life companies. The lighting was made darker, and we added a torch. These are both horror staples.

Although horror and comedy have many similarities, it was difficult for me to write those particular horror moments at first since I am a comedian. Although I’m confident that the jokes will land, I initially was worried about horror. In both cases, you really can’t tell for sure until it’s built up enough that you can actually play through it when the voice acting is in and see if it’s timed correctly. That’s when you can really tell if it’s gonna get a laugh. But there was horror stuff where the lighting wasn’t in yet and the sound design wasn’t quite there so sometimes we couldn’t tell if it was going to be scary until much later in the process. The horror part was harder to nail this time. But that’s pretty natural because we’ve Clearly, Perfected the Art of Comedy

The following are some of the ways to get in touch with us High on LifeWe have characters who are always making jokes, and this can ruin the horror vibe. The first section in which the player enters the Muxxalon Warehouse is full of dialog and jokes. After playing it through, we decided to remove all of the dialogue in order to give it a more frightening feel. With the dialogue it just didn’t feel scary. It wasn’t working. If the characters are talking and making jokes then they’re not scared so why should I be scared as a player? The first area of the DLC’s second half was our biggest challenge because we were forced to take a hard decision to back off. One line out of place could ruin the moment.

I like it when comedy turns into horror and vice versa, where it’s hard to separate them. My premise for Muxxalon and how it operates is essentially “What if your boss was always over your shoulder? How would you feel if your boss was literally on top of you? attached to your shoulder?” What if instead of like, just having a boss in an office who comes by and walks the floor… they’re a parasite attached to your shoulder telling you to get back to work. It’s absurd and funny but also? It’s absurd and funny but also? Maybe?

Gabourey, who played Mux, the head of the operation, brought these ideas to life. She could be funny but also incredibly menacing. So it’s the reality of like, what if your boss was this evil glob that has taken over every square inch of this facility and could appear at any moment from any wall? It’s the ultimate surveillance.

High On Knife, despite its horrific content, is a hilarious movie. I’m a huge fan of Ken Marino, and he plays your parasite. He was a great partner. There’s a whole branching path, almost dating-sim part of the game, where most players are gonna go through it one way, but there’s like, probably five or six completely different routes you can take through this. It was a long recording session. There’s so much more to talk about, but I only have so much space. It’s funny and spooky, and I’m really proud of our team at Squanch and what we were able to accomplish with the DLC. 

High On Life’s High On Knife DLC is now available for $14.99 on PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. Xbox Game Pass Subscribers can get the game base, but we have an exclusive Xbox Game Pass bundle, including both High On Life & High On Knife at $19.99.

High On Life: High On Knife

Squanch Games, Inc.

☆☆☆☆☆
7

★★★★★

$14.99

Get it on October 3rd

It’s been 2 years since the Bounty Hunter defeated the G3 cartel. Knifey now needs assistance in tracking down a mystery package sent from his homeworld. They will have to deal with an intergalactic shipping firm, a giant friend, a poaching ring, and pinball guns. Yeah. Sure.