Gaming On-The-Go is a weekly series that explores the mobile gaming industry, as well as uncovering the current trends, with hands-on guides for the latest smartphone and tablet games.
Ever wonder what clique you would be part of at North Shore High, the fictional high school in the cult classic movie Mean Girls? Well, you can now find out because Pocket Gems just released Mean Girls: Senior Year, the mobile game that allows you to walk the halls alongside Cady, Janis and Damian.
"Mean Girls is a classic film that has entertained audiences for over a decade," Jameel Khalfan, who oversees licensing partnerships at Pocket Gems, told Tech Times. "We are thrilled to be creating fun new ways for fans to interact with the movie, whether they love the Plastics or Art Freaks."
Mean Girls: Senior Year is the latest story arc featured within the popular interactive storytelling game Episode that allows the player to create their own customized character that is introduced as the new kid at North Shore High School.
Seriously, how fetch?
For those who haven't seen the 2004 movie, Mean Girls (screenplay by Tina Fey) is the ultimate high school movie starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. Lohan's character Cady transfers to North Shore High, the first time she ever attended a public school since moving from Africa. She learns that high school is just as cutthroat as the wild, and plots to take down McAdam's character Regina George, the leader of a clique of girls called the Plastics.
In bringing the Plastics back together again—to either your delight or horror—the game takes elements from the movie while also allowing the player to participate in all the cattiness and drama.
Of course, there are lots of cameos from the major characters in the movie such as former Plastics members Gretchen and Karen, Cady, and a few other familiar faces, including the character we love to hate, Regina George.
"We've worked very closely with Paramount to ensure the story has the same tone and feel of the movie," Khalfan said.
This means the player really feels like they have entered the wild world of high school life that is ruled by the Plastics.
"In the story you compete head-to-head with the Plastics," Khalfan said. "After abruptly transferring to North Shore High for your senior year, you pour your energy into your lifelong dream of getting into a prestigious college."
However, there is only one spot open, and there is already someone gunning for it—Regina George.
Written by Marcy Kelly and Kirsten Smith, the co-writer of Legally Blonde and 10 Things I Hate About You, Mean Girls: Senior Year is pretty much a choose-your-own-adventure type of game, where the player is given options during the story that influence the outcome of the chapters.
Mean Girls: Senior Year consists of seven chapters at its launch, with new chapters expected to be released each week. Each chapter takes about 5 to 10 minutes to complete, perfect for playing during brief periods of free time during the day.
But let me warn you, if you're a fan of Mean Girls then you will probably want to indulge in as much action as you can get.
"Episode stories are accessed using passes. Players are given new passes each day, so it's possible to read as much as you want without ever having to buy a pass," Khalfan said. "For those who like to read more in a given day, passes are available as in-app purchases. It's also possible to access some exclusive content using our in-app currency, gems."
The game to me is like a story version of The Sims. The player creates the character, and gets to frequently change their clothes, but unlike The Sims where you are controlling them to do certain tasks, Episode is focused on telling stories in a fun way. It's pretty much a soap opera that you can watch on your phone, starring you.
Since launching in 2014, Episode has seen more than 1.8 million downloads and over 800 million chapters have been played.
Mean Girls: Senior Year launched on Wednesday, and is now available to download for free on iOS and Android.
