Dangeous High School Girls in Trouble (DHSGiT) is an amazing game. It is a delightful, empowering, realistic, dark, entertaining and captivating adventure that you can play for 15 minutes or for hours. The two areas where this casual game from Mousechief really shines are the vibrant characters and the witty script, but the whole game is really just phenomenal.
In fact, DHSGiT is easily one of the best games I’ve played in 2008. Sure, there are some quirks which may irritate me from time to time but most of those are caused by my own failings at certain mini-games (like Gambit or Flirt) and are not the fault of DHSGiT. Gamers of all skill levels and 13 (there are some mature issues in the game) or older will find something to love about DHSGiT.
Dangerous High School Girls Don’t Find Trouble. Trouble Finds Them.
Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble stars a group of dangerous high school girls who attend Daniel Gerard Ross High School in Brigiton, USA, in the 1920s. After you pick one of 12 girls as your clique’s leader, you set out to recruit three other girls for your group. Then you decide to investigate the weird happenings at the high school.
There was a fire in the cafeteria and the school nurse is covering up accidents. The only way to discover what’s truly going on is to use their popularity, rebellious nature, savvy and glamour to taunt other characters, fib about your true intentions, expose people’s secrets, flirt with boys and gambit like adults.
Fusion of Casual, Strategy, RPG and Mini-Games.
Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble is also interesting because it doesn’t really fit perfectly into any one genre. Sure, it can easily be declared casual but it also possesses adventure, strategic and RPG elements.
Most conversations with NPC characters bring up mini-games (Taunt, Fib, Expose, Flirt and Gambit) to play, adding to the casual atmosphere. However, characters can acquire items to use, boyfriends to boost stats and even level up after successfully managing a certain number of encounters. Also mini-games, Flirt and Gambit especially, require you to think and plan before acting. Plus there is lots of dialogue and you’ll find yourself investigating quite a bit.
It also has amazing characters. The dangerous high school girls of DHSGiT are the most fun and interesting but even NPCs like Liar Girl, Dapper Boy, Miss Fox and Miriam have individual personalities which make you pay attention to every conversation.
The cast is incredibly diverse and each of the twelve has an interesting little bio and personality, which is revealed through the beginning, conversations and pow-wows among your group. Personally, I like Eleanor – a dangerous high school girl in a wheelchair who’s anything but handicapped. At one point in the game, when revolting over a wheelchair ramp, she reveals the following secret, “Lately, various cute boys fancy to carry me like Cleopatra. This stupid ramp will ruin my one thrill!”
The presentation for DHSGiT is also quite unique. The game is designed to look like a board game. NPCs are indicated by silver pieces reminiscent of Monopoly figures. Prizes, actions and parley conversations take place on what appear to be cards. Even the environments for each area look like game boards, complete with the DHSGiT logo. It, and the sepia tones for some of the menu boxes, help create an ambiance which really make the game feel like it takes place in the 1920′s.
“Well-behaved women rarely make history.” – Laurel Thatcher Ulrich
Even if you only take the time to sample the Mac or PC demo of Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble, you’ll have no trouble seeing why it was named Most Innovative at Casual Games Association Innovate 2007. I don’t think I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering a PC title like DHSGiT before, and it provides a memorable experience for anyone who plays it.
This independent game deserves a large audience, and Mousechief should be commended for creating such a wonderful game. It is mostly positive, entertaining, affordable and well-crafted. Kudos to Mousechief for all of their hard work on Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble.
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