High School Hero review

Many of us seemed to hate high school, but what if you could relive the experience…the way you wanted? Zhurosoft wants to give you that chance with their new RPG app, High School Hero. No, you don’t have to break out in song (unless you want to) or fight a war for your father-who-is-actually-a-god…all the activities are normal, everyday high school activities, involved with and against other people in a huge online multiplayer game. (Obviously, you would need an Internet connection to play.) Choose a gender and a high school stereotype (jock, brainiac, etc.) to begin. The tutorial will show you the first few steps, and then you will be free to build and level up your character. There are three areas in which you can improve: strength, charm, and smarts, signified by a flexing arm, a heart, and a brain, respectively. Other things to consider are your Energy (lightning bolt) and Popularity (star), which can run out while you’re doing activities, but will replenish in time; you can also earn money and Extra Credit (medal). All these icons can be found on the status bar on top, no matter which tab you are in.

To build up strength, charm, and smarts, go to the School tab on the bottom and complete activities shown there. They will indicate how much energy each activity takes and how much it’ll add to your character’s attributes. You can go to the Work tab to earn money; each job will also list how much energy will be deducted, how much of an attribute is needed to complete the job, and a range of how much you’ll earn. In the last tab, Battle, you will pit yourself against other players and basically bully them for money; two stronger attributes are needed to win. However, picking fights decreases your popularity, and will decrease your winnings and your chances of winning. Once you feel like you’ve built up enough popularity, you can run for student council by bidding your popularity for leadership positions (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?). You can also build up your popularity by outfitting your character with items from the Shop, which is found on the Home screen.

Almost everything about High School Hero is hilariously exaggerated–the item/job descriptions, the prices, the bullying–but that just adds to the charm. The cartoonish graphics mask quite a slick interface and clever design, as a game with this much going on should be confusing to navigate…but isn’t. It’s a bit like Mafia Wars, in fact, but easier and a tad more stream-lined. It’s easy to get caught up in leveling up your character, and like a lot of the farming applications, you’ll have to wait for your bars to recharge before you can do anything more, so you’ll be familiar with the waiting game it demands. The beauty is in the customizations: you can outfit your character however you see fit, and build him or her up to be extremely smart, strong, or a well-rounded individual. The program does a great job of choosing a good mix of students for you to battle, as well, so there are always both characters who are stronger and weaker than you. Unlike a lot of things about education, High School Hero is free, and a great way to while away any random spots of free time, so what are you waiting for? Time to relive your high school experience, but a better version of it.

This 3rd Party App is available at the Apple iTunes AppStore. Browse the full list of all AppStore apps filed under the AppStore category.

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