Prime On Lifestyles 2 is doing the stuff you’d be expecting this sequel to do – it’s larger, extra full of jokes, much more experimental than the primary sport, and now has a skateboard you’ll be able to use at any time (naturally). However it’s additionally doing one thing we didn’t be expecting: converting the primary sport’s construction basically. Prime On Lifestyles 2 is taking cues from Metroidvania video games, however the use of them to its personal ends.
In an episode of the Professional Xbox Podcast, Squanch Video games’ COO & Government Manufacturer, Matty Studivan, and Ingenious & Artwork Director, Mikey Spano defined – amongst many different issues – about how the staff modified their considering to provide an entire new hub-based design for the sport.
“Our Design Director, Erich Meyr, and I early on made up our minds we would have liked to do one thing that had Metroidvania components to it, however we additionally sought after to fortify telling truly tight tales,” defined Spano. “So, this time round, we attempted to stay all the Metroidvania components within the hubs.”
Whilst the unique Prime On Lifestyles used to be constructed round a unmarried hub, Blim Town, the sequel will take you to a few other hubs, every with much more to them and, in vintage Metroidvania taste, providing increasingly more interactions the extra you play and earn.
“It’s a large step up for us from the primary sport,” mentioned Studivan. “In case you performed it and you recognize Blim Town, it’s a truly cool spot, however beautiful small geographically.”
“We’ve 3 decent-sized hubs in [High On Life 2],” provides Spano, “and every a type of hubs has a large number of little facet issues you’ll be able to do, NPCs you’ll be able to in finding, heaps of collectibles, heaps of unlockable issues. And clearly with the skateboard; there’s a large number of cool stuff associated with the skateboard that you’ll be able to do within the hubs.”
The exchange is successfully about letting Squanch have their cake and devour it – the brand new construction signifies that the staff can pack within the stupendously bizarre moments that made Prime On Lifestyles liked, while not having to derail the core tale to get non-sequitur jokes in there. It’s a sublime combine:
“In relation to the way it all flows in combination, you’ve were given your house base that you simply’re all the time returning to,” defined Spano. “And in there, you’re speaking in your team about what you’re going to do subsequent. After which, you’ll be dropped down into the hub. After which from there, you’re navigating to a goal that you simply’re following. However when you get to a definite level, it triggers a extra linear enjoy the place we will be able to inform the tale in a tighter means. We nonetheless all the time have possible choices that you simply’re making and stuff like that.
“However relating to completing a degree after which coming again with new power-ups, we attempt to stay all that within the hub in order that we will be able to inform an entire tale while not having avid gamers to return again and listen to the similar issues again and again.”
The upshot is that Squanch can inform the tale they wish to, however give avid gamers the liberty to step away and discover simply how atypical the encompassing global is at their recreational. To assist create all that facet content material, Squanch took an excessively a laugh manner:
“One of the crucial tactics we have been ready to do this is that we do sport jams on the studio, as a result of all of the staff is so inventive,” added Studivan. “And so, we had 8 or 9 groups [jam] for every week – and I feel like seven of the sport jams are within the hubs on this sport.”
It must make exploring the hubs rewarding in itself – with complete different sport sorts hidden away, each discovery can develop into one thing new. We’ll get extra of what we discovered to be expecting from the primary sport, too – Prime On Lifestyles incorporated complete, real-life motion pictures to look at, and that can go back (with a film theater to look at them in). We additionally know that Squanch has authorized complete video games (NES sport Bible Adventures shaped a pivotal a part of the demo we lately performed) that can seem alongside the way in which.
“We’re spending much more assets and time on [side content]. It truly makes the arena really feel such as you’re someplace lived-in,” mentioned Studivan.
The massive adjustments to construction also are about catering to other forms of avid gamers. Those that simply need the tale can bounce from primary undertaking to primary undertaking with out friction. Those that wish to do the entirety can achieve this with no need to copy missions, and at their very own tempo. And there also are those that would possibly waver between fast blasts and marathon periods:
“So, with the missions, we attempt to stay them at a definite period in order that in case you’re like, ‘I’m going to head take down this bounty,’ you if truth be told can end it in an evening after which get again to hanging your children to mattress or no matter it’s that it’s important to do,” mentioned Spano. “After which for the players that need a extra free-form enjoy, they know they are able to simply hand around in the hub for some time and do no matter they would like and tackle missions every time they would like.”
For a sport that items itself as unabashedly dumb, there’s a core of good, vintage sport design considering sitting underneath the entire insanity. With that design in position, it permits Squanch to head as wild as they would like with the tips we, as avid gamers, will have interaction with.
Even within the earliest appears on the sport, we’re seeing how a long way they are able to push this – one boss combat unexpectedly sees your enemy hack your sport, sending you navigating your personal menu monitors to combat him off. And, very best of all:
“That’s probably the most extra commonplace portions of the sport,” Spano mentioned. “This demo is early within the sport. Via Act 3 it’s simply so off the rails and insane. I feel individuals are going to be truly stunned.”
I’m very a lot taking a look ahead to seeing how a lot more unusual this will get – Prime on Lifestyles 2 arrives for Xbox Collection X|S and Xbox on PC on February 13, 2026, and will likely be to be had on day one with Recreation Move Final.
If you wish to pay attention a lot, a lot more in regards to the sport, be certain that to try the overall Professional Xbox Podcast episode, which dives into how Squanch grew to become round a sequel so temporarily, the tough artwork of writing comedy for video games, the advantages of switching to Unreal Engine 5 and… the sweetness of Microsoft Excel.
Prime On Lifestyles 2
Squanch Video games, Inc.
You’ve accomplished it. You’ve taken down an intergalactic cartel, introduced humanity again from the edge of extinction, and hunted bad bounties to the a long way corners of the galaxy. Bounty searching has introduced you fortune, popularity and love; but if a mysterious determine out of your previous reappears and places a worth to your sister’s head, your soft lifestyles will get thrown into chaos.
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Prime On Lifestyles RETURNS as you and the one you love rag-tag staff of alien misfits shoot, stab, and skate your means thru stunning, bad worlds all around the galaxy to explode the EVIL pharmaceutical conglomerate hell-bent on hanging worth tags on HUMAN LIFE!
