PC Critic Reviews

High Times delivers exactly what players are expecting based on the title. Plenty of donuts get cooked, then iced, and potentially sprinkled. Because of the mysterious mood-altering ingredients used by The Hotbox, all of them have the power to help customers have a better day or deal with a particular situation. All clients have storylines that progress as players deliver the right doughnut. Those who can be romanced get more conversations and reveal more of themselves. High Times is enjoyable and at times touching, even when it tries too hard to be funny or when its characters are weird for the sake of weirdness.

The joy in High Times comes from the story arcs and the references, even when the donut creation making becomes a bit repetitive. Sure, by day 125, I was feeling a bit over creating donuts and wished there was a way to just select the recipes and have it be automatically made. Of course, that isn’t the fault of the game, but probably some of my choices, and my marathon game play sessions that lasted for quite a few hours. High Times is enjoyed when you don’t over indulge but instead reward yourself with this sweet treat.

There is a lot to admire here. High Times swings for the fences with its ideas. A gender-neutral protagonist, meaningful romance choices, fully voiced characters, an enjoyable cooking system, and over fifty hours of content are all things I never expected to find together in one indie game. I do wish the writing reached the same level as the game’s ambition. The first couple of weeks drag, the emotional depth arrives much later than it should, and a few quality-of-life improvements would smooth over the rough edges. Even so, I kept wanting to come back. The gameplay loop is satisfying, the world is wonderfully weird, and once the relationships finally start paying off, they become genuinely engaging.