Honestly, nobody thought it would actually happen. When Squanch Games first dropped High on Life as a major Xbox and PC exclusive, the general consensus was that the Nintendo Switch would probably melt if it even tried to load the main menu. The game is loud. It's vibrant. It's packed with physics-heavy combat and constant, babbling dialogue from sentient, swearing guns.
Then, out of nowhere, it just appeared.
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The High on Life Switch port is a bit of a technical miracle, or maybe just a testament to how far developers can push the aging Tegra X1 chip when they're sufficiently motivated. It isn't perfect. You’re not getting the crisp 4K textures or the buttery frame rates of a Series X. But if you want to take Kenny, Knifey, and the rest of the Gatlian gang on a bus ride, it’s remarkably playable.
The Reality of Performance on Nintendo’s Hardware
Let's talk specs. Because that’s where things get interesting.
Running High on Life on Switch means accepting some visual debt. The game targets 30 frames per second. Most of the time, it hits it. However, when you’re in the middle of a massive firefight in Blim City or navigating the dense, neon jungles of Zephyr Paradise, you will see dips. It’s unavoidable. The resolution scales dynamically, which is a fancy way of saying the image gets a little blurry when the screen gets busy so the game doesn’t turn into a slideshow.
It’s a compromise.
The textures have been dialed back significantly. If you look closely at the walls in the protagonist’s house, things look a bit "smudgy" compared to the PC version. Does it matter? Not really. The art style is so stylized and cartoonish that it hides the technical flaws better than a photorealistic game like The Witcher 3 ever could. The colors still pop. The humor still lands. The guns still scream at you for missing your shots.
Handheld vs. Docked Mode
Playing in handheld is, weirdly enough, the superior way to experience this specific port. The smaller 6.2-inch or 7-inch OLED screen masks a lot of the resolution drops. When you dock it and blow that image up on a 55-inch 4K TV, the jagged edges (aliasing) become much more apparent. It looks "crunchy."
If you're an OLED owner, the neon highlights of the alien worlds look fantastic. The deep blacks of space and the glowing goo of the G3 Cartel bases really shine. It feels like the game was almost designed for this screen, even if the hardware underneath is sweating.
What’s Actually Included?
The Switch version isn't some "Lite" edition. You're getting the full experience. This includes the entire base game where you play as a loser-turned-bounty-hunter trying to stop an alien cartel from turning humanity into drugs.
You also get the High on Knife DLC if you buy the bundle.
The DLC is actually a bit of a standout on the Switch. It feels slightly better optimized, likely because the developers had more time to understand the hardware constraints by the time they were finishing the expansion. It’s got a bit of a horror-comedy vibe and features Sarah Sherman from Saturday Night Live, who brings a chaotic energy that fits the Switch's "pick up and play" nature perfectly.
Why People Thought It Would Fail
Porting a game like this isn't just about graphics. It's about CPU. High on Life has a ton of "logic" running in the background. The guns aren't just tools; they are NPCs. They react to the environment, they comment on your progress, and they have complex animation trees that trigger based on specific combat actions.
Managing that AI logic alongside enemy pathfinding on a mobile processor from 2017 is a nightmare.
Most critics pointed to the "pop-in" as the biggest issue. You’ll be walking through an environment and a bush or a rock will just... appear. It’s a bit jarring. But compared to the disastrous launch of something like Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch, High on Life is a polished masterpiece. Squanch Games worked with seasoned porting experts to ensure the "feel" of the gunplay remained snappy. If the input lag was high, the game would be unplayable. Thankfully, it’s tight.
The Controversy of the Voice Acting
We have to address the elephant in the room. Justin Roiland, the co-founder of the studio and the original voice of the main guns, was removed from the project following legal issues and allegations. While he still voices the characters in the base game on Switch (because that dialogue was recorded years ago), the DLC and future updates have moved in a different direction.
Some players find this distracting. Others don't care. In the Switch version, the experience remains consistent with the original release, but the "vibe" of the studio has clearly shifted. The game still retains that Rick and Morty style of improvisational humor, which is polarizing. You either love the constant chatter or you find the "mute guns" setting in the menu very quickly.
Technical Triumphs and Pitfalls
- Loading Times: They are longer. Prepare for that. Moving between the portal in your house to a different planet takes about 30 to 45 seconds. On a PS5, it’s nearly instant.
- Battery Life: This game eats battery. If you’re on a standard V2 Switch or an OLED, expect maybe 2.5 to 3 hours of playtime before you’re hunting for a charger.
- Sound Quality: Surprisingly, the audio isn't heavily compressed. The music and the voice acting sound crisp, which is vital for a game where the dialogue is 50% of the appeal.
- Controls: The Joy-Cons can be a bit finicky for a fast-paced shooter. If you have a Pro Controller, use it. The gyroscopic aiming (gyro aim) is included, and it’s a lifesaver for fine-tuning your headshots when the thumbsticks feel too twitchy.
Is It Worth the Price Tag?
Usually, Switch ports come with a "Switch Tax," meaning they stay at full price long after other platforms have seen discounts. However, High on Life has been frequently spotted in eShop sales.
If you have a powerful PC or a Series X, you should probably play it there. The visual fidelity and 60 FPS make a difference in a fast-paced shooter. But that’s not the point of the Switch version. The point is the portability. Being able to do a bounty mission while sitting in a doctor's office is a novelty that hasn't worn off yet.
It’s a "good" port, not a "perfect" one. It sits in the same category as Doom Eternal or Wolfenstein II on the Switch—games that shouldn't work but somehow do through sheer engineering wizardry and a lot of lowered graphical settings.
Actionable Steps for New Players
If you’ve just picked up the High on Life Switch version, there are a few things you should do immediately to improve your experience.
First, go into the settings and turn on Gyro Aiming. It takes a few minutes to get used to, but it compensates for the lack of precision in the Joy-Con sticks. Second, adjust the "Talkative" setting for your guns. If you find the constant banter annoying, you can set it to "Occasional" or "None" without losing the story beats.
Third, make sure the game is installed on your System Memory rather than a slow microSD card. The Switch’s internal flash memory is slightly faster, which can help shave a few seconds off those long loading screens.
Finally, keep your expectations in check regarding the visuals. This is a "miracle port." Enjoy it for the fact that a game this chaotic is running on a tablet from nearly a decade ago. Don't spend your time pixel-peeping the bushes; focus on the hilarious writing and the inventive boss fights. The game is best enjoyed when you lean into the absurdity and stop worrying about the resolution.