Dangerous High School Girls In Trouble is an indie PC game that bills itself as a classic board game.

You start out by choosing who will be the queen of your gang. The graphics are fake “vintage” and excellent. The amount of choices you have between potential queens is also satisfying, without being overwhelming (12.) Each has a ‘quip’ and a set of personal attributes like popularity and rebellion, and therefore you’ve got a wide range of choice when building your team. (I’ll refer to that again later in the review.)

The music is spot on. Alternatively moody and upbeat with a decidedly 1920’s feel, it perfectly offsets the antique aesthetic the game is going for.

After choosing the queen of your gang, you’re presented with a list of goals to accomplish and a small bit of back story on your current situation. When you are given control, you’re on an “antique” board-game board of exquisite design. Those with high-res monitors will appreciate the aesthetic of the textures in this game, as it really does look like a very old, very interesting board game.

Each of the girls are represented by player pieces on the board, and clicking on one allows you to interact with that girl. It’s then mini-game time. One particularly fun game is the ‘taunting’ game, which reminds me greatly of the first Monkey Island’s sword-fighting game-of-wits. If you’re clever enough to win, you’ll be rewarded with a potential teammate in your former opponent. High school indeed.

As you click through the various girls and their short games or puzzles, the plot slowly begins to unravel a mystery, a scandal, and some good opportunity for mini-games.

It’s the mini games that really make this title stand out. They run the gamut from simple card game variants to word guessing games to the aforementioned verbal sparring. They contribute to each of your teammates experience levels, which eventually allow each character to level up and increase attributes RPG style. This is a great addition to the typical board-game scenario.

There are actually quite a few great additions in this game. The characters are lifted straight from an early 1900’s high school filled with all sorts of ridiculous old stereotypes. It’s great. The girls all have their own personalities, and you can ‘pow wow’ with your gang at any time. “Pow-wowing” really only serves to recap what you already know, but it’s a great way to get some extra character dialog. I found myself hitting the pow-wow button more than was required by the gameplay, just to enjoy some more dialog.

There are also more than just the standard high-school board layout. As you earn levels and beat major quests and play-through, additional areas will be unlocked. There’s honestly a surprising amount of content for a “board game”. And did I mention the replay factor? It’s high. Every play-through is a little different, and you’ll enjoy boosting your character stats and taking on tougher opponents.

And there’s also a surprising amount of polish for an indie game. It’s an easy recommendation at it’s often-discounted price of 5$. You can also find it everyday for 20$, and if you’ve got the cash it’s well worth it. I’d rate Dangerous High School Girls In Trouble! 91%, excellent. Though it’s not a perfect or big-budget experience, it is an extremely polished, humongous, and fun game that you’ll not soon forget playing.