High on Lifefeatures some surprisingly involved boss encounters. In each arena, the player is forced to conquer a compelling foe with a varied moveset in order to claim a bounty and get one step closer to saving the universe from the G3. These fights push the limits of the bounty hunter’s abilities and challenge the player to use their arsenal to their full advantage.
Douglas is a boss encounter that comes in the front half ofHigh on Life’s story, but that does not mean he isn’t a challenge. Afterconquering some bizarre puzzles, it quickly becomes clear that the adorable Dr. Joopy is actually Douglas. This reveal initiates a dramatic boss fight that will test the bounty hunter’s skills with a delicate balance of timing, accuracy, and knowing when to get out of the way.
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Fight Douglas
Once Douglas enters his suit and initiates the boss fight, the best method for beating him is going to be to move constantly. He fires rapid shots of purple pins, but they’re relatively easy to maneuver around so long as the player does not get caught idle.
Keep the pressure on and anticipate Douglas’s strafing side to side when he is on the ground. As he moves, time a glob shot that can briefly stun him to allow some additional damage.
At this point in the game, the player should also have access to Gus. Douglas will begin leaping sporadically from the four pillars in the room. He will eventually pause to fire some shots at the bounty hunter. Jump over the attacks and use Gus’s razor to drop Douglas and inflict more damage.
At a certain point,Douglas will begin calling in minions for backup. These are fodder enemies that can quickly be taken out, but ignoring them can work just as effectively because the floor will begin to spark with electricity.
The panels below the player’s feet will ignite in different patterns indicating that they are about to be harmful if someone is caught standing on them. Not to mention, the bounty suit will also indicate if the bounty hunter is standing in danger by flashing a quick warning onscreen.
Keep moving and be wary of the electrical floor which will now add a challenge to the boss arena. There’s a hook bug directly above in the center of the room that can be used for a quick escape if needed. Keep Douglas under constant fire and remember touse Gus and Kenny’sspecial shots liberally.
As Douglas gets more wounded, his moveset will grow more erratic. Just keep to the strategy of being constantly evasive and time the shots carefully whether he is on the ground or aloft on a pillar. Eventually, Douglas will fall, andtheHigh on Lifebounty is ready to be claimed.
Secret Boss Fight
There is a small secretwithin this fight that can be incredibly fun for returning players. As the bounty hunter is no doubt aware at this point, Dr. Joopy was deceiving the bounty hunter in order to get to his suit to take them down. There is a way to foil Douglas’ plan, however, and the secret is well worth entertaining.
Once introduced to Dr. Joopy, verify Gus is the gun used to solve all the pipe puzzles. Eventually, Gus will catch on to the holes in Joopy’s story and in the final puzzle, he’ll encourage the player to shoot him. This then allows the player the ability to fire at Dr. Joopy, revealing the facade.
Dr. Joopy collapses dead inside his suit, and the secret boss fight will begin not against Douglas but against Douglas’ Suit. This hilarious reversal of the situation demonstrates the surprising waysHigh on Lifeintends to subvert expectations. The strategy of this fight is entirely the same as the original Douglas fight, but the in-game dialogue within it is completely different and rewarding for any player that has become a fan ofHigh on Life’s unique form of storytelling.
High on Lifeis available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
