High on Life 2 Turns Skateboard Into a Lethal Weapon — Grind, Launch and Dominate
Squanch Games showed a 45-minute gameplay demo of High on Life 2 at Gamescom, and the session highlighted a bigger focus on movement options — notably a playable skateboard — alongside new levels, weapons, and a bizarre inventory encounter with a boss. The demo covered several convention-themed arenas, new and returning guns, puzzle sections, and a multi-stage boss sequence that temporarily altered the player’s inventory interface.
- What the Gamescom demo included and where it took place.
- How the skateboard and other movement options work in gameplay.
- Weapons, abilities, and notable set pieces shown in the demo.
- Details on the Senator boss encounter and the inventory sequence.
- Release date and platforms.
What the Gamescom demo showed
The demo ran for about 45 minutes and took place across several convention-themed areas: ParkingCon, PoliCon, and MurderCon. During the session the player was given two guns from the original game — Gus and Sweezy — plus access to a new playable gun made from a fellow bounty hunter named Sheath. Moreover, the demo included parkour, puzzle segments, arena-style fighting, and a multi-stage boss fight against a character named Senator Muppy Doo.
Skateboard and movement
The demo emphasized a new skateboard mechanic for traversal and combat. For example, the player used the skateboard to move quickly around maps, bump into enemies, and even launch the board as a projectile to hit targets. The presenter reported spending most of the 45-minute demo using the skateboard during gameplay, and the skateboard was used in combination with parkour elements such as wall rides and rail grinding.
How skateboard ties into combat
In addition to movement, the skateboard functioned as a close-range and environmental weapon. Players could collide with enemies to stagger or damage them, and also shoot the skateboard away to strike foes at a distance. Furthermore, the demo showed the skateboard working alongside other melee options like the return of Knifey and large throwable objects called Hammerbirds.
Weapons, abilities, and puzzles
The demo reused guns from the first game while adding new weapon conversions. For instance, the bounty hunter Sheath was transformed into a gun with a three-shot burst and a spike ability that could connect electrical sources. Additionally, Sweezy retained a time-slowing ability that the player used to pass hazards, and Gus provided wall-disc abilities for vertical movement.
There were also short puzzle sequences that required using those abilities together. Concretely, the demo required using Sweezy to slow down a fan, Gus to place wall discs for higher platforms, and collecting objects called lugblobs to power doors.
MurderCon, arena combat, and set pieces
One section of the demo took place in a neon multi-level arena called MurderCon. There, the objective was to be the last contestant standing. The demo showed chaotic multiplayer-style combat with multiple weapons and the skateboard used for both mobility and attacks. In other set pieces the demo included falling elevators and sequences that dropped the player onto NPC workers, as well as platforming across floating cars in a convention district.
Senator boss fight and the inventory sequence
The final portion of the demo presented a boss fight with Senator Muppy Doo. Early in the fight the player shot replicated decoys, and then the Senator appeared to affect the player’s inventory in real time. Specifically, the Senator’s presence invaded the inventory interface, which required the player to interact with the inventory to remove the Senator’s influence. After that, the demo transitioned into a 2D arcade-style section that played as part of the boss encounter.
Release info
High on Life 2 is scheduled to launch on Feb. 13, 2026. The game will release on PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. Additionally, the title will be available on Game Pass on day one.
