Should you stab Gene in High on Life?

Stab Gene High on Life — (Image credit: Squanch)

If you're wondering whether to stab Gene in High on Life, then it's likely you've been given an instruction by a talking knife and are deciding whether to go through with it or not. As you'll quickly discover, Knifey really likes to stab things, and this desire extends to inflicting pain on his former master. While Knifey outlines a convincing case for taking this action, you have to wonder what the consequences are of following through this morally dubious choice, and would Gene be seriously injured or even killed if you go ahead with the stabbing?

It goes without saying, but there are some spoilers ahead. However, if you want to know what happens if you stab Gene in High on Life, here’s the answer.

Should you stab Gene in High on Life?

Short answer: stabbing Gene doesn’t kill him. In fact, it doesn’t even anger him, as he’s “lived through worse”. What it does do though, is grant you a secret trophy or achievement: Don’t Hand the Knife that Feeds.

However, it's important to keep in mind that once you hand in the 9 Torg bounty, you can’t stab Gene anymore. The moment when you get home, and Knifey starts pressuring you, really is the only chance to get the achievement.

What is the High on Life stab Gene choice?

Fairly early on in the game, you meet an ex-bounty hunter vagrant named Gene. He sets you up with a mission to kill 9 Torg, a local crime boss. He also asks you to retrieve his beloved knife, which he gambled away.

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So, off you go, into the slums, where you need to fight off a bunch of Torg minions. Keep following the objective until you find a room with two aliens trying to sell Gene’s knife (see picture above). The easiest way to get rid of them is to pretend to be a buyer, and stab the aliens once they hand you the knife.

As it turns out, Gene’s knife is a blood-thirsty maniac who wishes to stab anything and everything, including his former owner. After defeating 9 Torg and dealing with the issue of whether you should kill 5 Torg in High on Life, you need to head home, where Knifey will once again ask you to stab Gene in a rather… suggestive way.

When you get home, Gene will be lying on the couch, utterly defenceless. While we can’t say for certain that there are no long-term consequences for stabbing Gene, it seems highly unlikely that this will come back to haunt you. Later you'll also be asked should Gene leave or stay in High on Life as well, so check that guide out when the moment comes.

And that’s everything we know about the High on Life stab Gene player choice. Listening to a psychotic knife can be the right choice after all. Once all that's done, if you want to find some secret areas in the game then check out the High on Life warp discs and crystals and what they can unlock.