Slordak: Initial draft.
{{Infobox VG
|title = Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!
|image =
|developer =
|publisher = Mousechief
|distributor =
|designer = Keith Nemitz
|engine =
|version = 1.0.10
|released = 2008
|genre =
|modes = [[Single player]]
|ratings = {{vgratings|ESRB=T}}
|platforms = [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]], [[Mac OS X]]
|media = Download
|requirements = OS: Win 98/NT/ME/XP, Memory: 256 MB RAM, Graphics: DirectX 7.0 (minimum 800×600), Processor: 400 MHz.
|input = [[Computer mouse|Mouse]]
}}
””’Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!””’ is a [video game] by [[independent video game development|independent developer]] Mousechief. After a series of beta releases and demos in 2007 and 2008, the finished title was released in mid-2008, with versions for both Windows and Mac OS X.
The game is set in [[1920s]] Brigiton, a fictional community in small-town America, and involves the player guiding the activities of a group of high school girls as they explore its intrigues. Highlighting social rebellion in an era where women had only limited freedom, the title describes itself as, ‘This is the game where good girls get better by being bad!’.
==Gameplay==
”Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!” begins with the player selecting one of twelve different girls to be the ‘queen’ (leader) of the ‘gang’. Afterwards, basic gameplay mechanics are revealed as the player recruits three additional girls to assist her. Each girl has different scores in four different attributes: Popularity, Rebellion, Glamor, and Savvy. The game makes heavy use of the [[suit (cards)|suits]] from a traditional deck of playing cards, representing each in-game attribute as one of the suits.
The four attributes correspond to ability in four different actions which the girls can use when interacting with others. In turn, each of the four actions, ‘Taunt’, ‘Expose’, ‘Fib’, and ‘Gambit’, has a unique mini-game associated with it. After a given girl wins a certain number of mini-games, the player is able to increase one of her attributes. In contrast, losing a mini-game can result in a girl being unavailable for a period of time, or possibly even expelled from school (causing her to be lost forever).
In-game navigation involves selecting different locations on a stylized game board. The girls then travel to that location and interact with one of the individuals who is revealed to currently be present. While in some cases, the girls simply converse (‘Parley’) with the person, in general, the girls seek to manipulate individuals in order to obtain information or to ‘get away’ with something. This is done by selecting an action suggested by one of the girls (e.g. ‘Expose’ to try and reveal the truth), and then playing the corresponding mini-game. Success often advances the game plot, but can also result in other benefits, such as temporary ability bonuses.
==Development==
In a November 2006 interview with [[Gamasutra]], Keith Nemitz, the game’s designer, revealed that it had been actively in production for 10 months, with an estimated 6 more until completion.<ref name=’gamasutra’>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11676 | title=Gamasutra – Road To The IGF: Mousechief Co.’s Keith Nemitz | last=Wallis | first=Alistair | publisher=[[Gamasutra]] | date=2006-11-13}}</ref> The inspiration for the game came from an evening of Nemitz playing an unspecified card game which attempted to distill the key features of a [[role-playing game]] down into a simpler card game. Nemitz explained, ‘The card game reduced entire battles down to a single dice roll, but it was really fun! The bigger idea struck me later, that you could swap out combat in RPGs with different kinds of conflict resolution mechanisms’.<ref name=’gamasutra’ />
Describing the look and feel of the title, Nemitz noted that the user interface metaphor was that of a 1920s [[parlour game]]. David Cherry, the lead artist, deliberately made elements look worn or faded with time. In terms of trying to capture as many potential players as possible, Nemitz commented, ‘Our expectation is to offer a game that will tempt both experienced, casual gamers, and core gamers who like variety and novelty in their games. It is definitely a light-hearted experience, a sit-back, relax and laugh experience. The challenges should never frustrate a player, but some solutions can be very difficult’.<ref name=’gamasutra’ />
==Reception==
Noting that ”Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!” was difficult to describe, the game reviewers at ‘Game Tunnel’ complimented the game’s style and uniqueness, as well as its engrossing story. The average review score from the panel was a 8.3 out of 10, resulting in it automatically being granted a ‘Gold Award’.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gametunnel.com/articles.php?id=702 | title=Indie Game Panel Reviews – July Edition | publisher=Game Tunnel | date=2008-07-22}}</ref>
”Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!” was awarded a $3000 (USD) prize for ‘Most Innovative Game’ by the Casual Games Association, and was also selected as a finalist for the 2008 IndieCade Festival of Independent Games.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rpgrank.com/role-playing-games-565-news.html | title=A Prize Winning Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble | publisher=RPGRank | date=2008-09-26}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
* [http://www.mousechief.com/dhsg/index.html Official ”Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble!” website]
[[Category:2008 video games]]
[[Category:Indie video games]]
[[Category:Mac OS games]]
[[Category:Windows games]]