The B-movie inspired shooter 'High On Life 2' is currently sitting at a 'Mixed (62% positive)' rating on Steam, largely due to a chorus of complaints regarding its rather patchy optimisation.

Launched on the 13th, 'High On Life 2' follows our hero—who previously saved humanity from an intergalactic cartel—as they are dragged back into chaos when a bounty is slapped on their sister’s head.

Teaming up with a motley crew of misfits, you’ll take on a massive pharmaceutical corporation intent on commodifying human life. The signature talking guns return, now joined by a skateboard that lets you dash through combat or traverse the battlefield with newfound speed.

Critics have been fairly kind, awarding it a 78 on Metacritic for its distinct sense of humour and snappy combat. However, the mood on Steam is quite different; as of 1:00 PM on the 14th, it stands at 'Mixed (62% positive)', a far cry from the 'Very Positive (89% positive)' rating enjoyed by its predecessor.

The real thorn in the side here is optimisation and stability. Players are venting about excessive shader download times every time they launch, followed by erratic frame rates and stuttering. Many argue that the writing was on the wall, given the developers suggest an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4080 16GB just to get the thing running properly.

To make matters worse, reports of frequent crashes are piling up. Some users claim the game has booted them to the desktop over ten times in a single half-hour session, or even consistently during boss encounters. It seems the game’s shaky technical foundation is causing more than just a few headaches.