Sackbird Studios has announced their chaotic co-op comedy Hijinks High goes third-person and PvE with a new version playable for the first time at gamescom.
Following its original debut trailer earlier this summer, the studio has transformed the game into a third-person co-op PvE comedy for up to six players to play, where the school itself is the enemy. Players will be able to choose how they play, and every school day can unfold differently.
Players attending gamescom will be able to get their hands on Hijinks High (located in the Indie Area, Hall 10.2, Stand F044g – E061g), experiencing a full co-op school day where groups will tackle class periods and their objectives, deal with the game's infamous toilet economy, where "everything you eat and drink eventually has consequences and where it ends up can be worth points, attempt to avoid getting caught and dragged away, and face an end-of-class finale that changes depending on who's in the room."
"The game has changed dramatically since we announced it," said Adam Hafez, CEO of Sackbird Studios. "Moving to third-person completely changed what Hijinks High could be. You're not just doing something ridiculous anymore, you're watching your friends do it. Then we pushed the game towards PvE, and the school itself became the thing you're fighting against. That's where it really started to click."
As explained by the developers, each session plays out as a complete school day. Class periods give
players absurd objectives and faculty NPCs enforce the rules. If you get
caught, you'll earn strikes, rack up naughtiness, and maybe even attract the
attention of the janitor, who will happily drag you to detention.
Once the final bell rings, every player must make a run for the bus
while the faculty gives chase, turning the end of every school day into
an all-out extraction.
But who you play as also matters just as much as what you do.
Players are able to choose their playstyle before the day begins, with the first
alternative being the wheelchair student. This is a full gameplay
choice, with unique traversal, objectives, and moments rather than simply
a cosmetic option.
The developer Sackbird Studios stated that they have built the school around
that philosophy, too. One of the studio's original The Elder Scrolls
Online world builders designed the entire school to be ADA compliant—a level of detail not typically seen in video games.
As explained by Sackbird Studios: During the studio's first
external playtest, testers independently came up with an idea for a
physics-class finale involving sacrificing the wheelchair student before
they had even been shown that such a possibility existed. It
subsequently became one of the group's favourite moments.
"That
playtest told us we were onto something," said Hafez. "They came up with
exactly the kind of terrible idea we'd hoped players would come up
with. Then, when the organised session ended, they went off to Discord
and kept playing on their own. That's the loop we're building Hijinks
High around."
The player roster is the game's replay button. Objectives
and class finales can change depending on who's in the session, while
session modifiers can further alter the rules of the next school day,
including the ability to assign the wheelchair to an unsuspecting friend. The game also features persistent progression and leaderboards, with players' records following them between sessions.
Outside of the school itself, players will begin and end their days in The Cul-de-Sac, a social
hub neighbourhood where every player already has their own house. Player
housing customisation, seasonal leaderboards, larger social lobbies and
additional playstyles are also all in development according to Sackbird Studios.
Key Features:
- Six-Player Co-op PvE: Team up with up to five friends and take on a school that absolutely does not want you there.
- Third-Person Chaos: See your character, your friends and every physics-driven disaster unfold around you.
- Choose How You Play: Different playstyles change traversal, objectives and how you experience the school day.
- The Wheelchair Student: A fully realized alternative playstyle with unique traversal and objectives.
- The School Is the Enemy: Faculty enforce the rules, the janitor hunts you down, and getting caught is part of the fun.
- Classroom Chaos: Objectives and finales can change depending on who is playing.
- Warp the Rules: Buy session modifiers and prepare for the unexpected.
- Escape Before the Bell: Survive the school day and make a desperate run for the bus.
- Persistent Progression: Your records follow you between sessions.
- The Cul-de-Sac: A social neighborhood where every player has their own house.
Hijinks High is currently in development for PC via Steam and Epic Games Store, as well as consoles.
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