There are many choices to be made in High on Life. Should the player listen to a murderous knife and stab their mentor? Should the player destroy a town of seemingly harmless critters? Should the player ask Gene to leave after he’s been essentially freeloading on the couch watching Tammy and the T-Rex and who knows what else?
These may appear to be daunting moral queries for players concerned about larger consequences or implications to come, but High on Life is expert at putting the joke first and allowing the rest to brush off. The satire of High on Life makes it apparent that every choice made is still going to lead to something, but dire consequences don’t fit into this game’s idea of a fun time. All of that to say, Gene leaving or staying may not be the agonizing decision one would expect.
Which Option Should You Choose?
At this point in the game, Gene and Lizzie have been coexisting in the same home for longer than would seem comfortable for two strangers of entirely different species. While the player character has at this point successfully completed two bounties and returned home, Lizzie and Gene have started to bicker.
It may seem an obvious question when posed by Lizzie, but the choice of whether the player should ask Gene to leave or stay is nerve wracking considering it could hypothetically change the course of the narrative. After all, what would the player be without Gene’s steady, strange guidance?
The truth is that it does not actually matter which option is selected here. If the player tells Gene he can stay, Lizzie will lament the situation, but Gene will be grateful. If the player tells Gene to leave, he threatens to take his bounty hunting equipment with him before affirming that it is clear he is still needed even if he isn’t wanted. Either way, Gene stays. The only change is the dialogue that will come from the decision.
In terms of consequences of this scene, there do not seem to be any. Mercifully, characters are pretty generous in forgiving the player’s transgressions against them, so grudges are hard to find. Unless, of course, a grudge could result in a good joke or two. The conversation will veer into 2 other dialogue options after this. They are exactly as consequential as the first decision, which is to say not at all, but whatever is chosen will reflect in the dialogue between Lizzie and Gene which is quite entertaining.
The next choice will come after Lizzie and Gene begin bickering about Lizzie’s new boyfriend, Tweeg. The player can either accuse Gene of being a space racist or tell Lizzie she should listen to Gene’s cautions. Either way, Gene is going to admit he is a space racist.
The final choice in this scene will be to side with either Lizzie or Gene about how frequently Gene–er–entertains himself. Again, the choice here has no bearing on anything other than which dialogue the player thinks may be more fun.
High on Life is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.