High on Life Proves Reviews Don’t Matter so Much on Game Pass

Despite the lukewarm critical reception, High on Life is a massive hit on Xbox Game Pass. In fact, it was touted as Game Pass’s biggest launch in 2022. Does this prove that reviews are not that important if the game is available on Game Pass? I think so.

A Quirky Game, No Doubt

Back in June, High on Life was considered a gem from the Xbox Showcase. It showed an interesting and quirky premise, solid shooting mechanics, and more importantly, Rick and Morty-style dark humor. The last feature shouldn’t be a surprise since the show’s creator also helmed the game’s writing and development. However, not all were taken by High on Life’s humor.

High on Life Tromps Over the Reviews

As of writing, High on Life is currently sitting at 64% on Metacritic for Xbox Series X/S, 68% on PC, and 69% on Open Critic. Critics cited the game’s simplistic mechanics and lewd humor as a source of contention. It’s likely that people who didn’t enjoy Rick and Morty probably won’t vibe with High on Life. But that doesn’t matter. Players are loving the game.

In fact, it dethroned Minecraft and Forza Horizon 5 as the most-played game on Xbox Game Pass. And that’s not an easy feat to accomplish.

Subscribers Are Their Own Critics

This goes to show that Game Pass allows subscribers to be their own critics. With no sunk cost to fear, Game Pass subscribers can simply try out a game and see if they like it enough to continue or not. It’s brilliantly simple but effective.

This access bypasses the need to read a review for a game that you might be on the fence about. You can just try it out yourself and come up with your own conclusion about whether the game is worth your time or not.

Though a review of a game available on Game Pass might help filter out games to add to your download queue. At the end of the day, High on Life shows that Game Pass is not only disrupting the industry, but also game reviews as well.