Common Sense Media Review
By Christy Matte
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Jocks, nerds, and you star in this positive teen drama sim.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
High School Story
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 20 kid reviews
Kids say the game is fun and addictive yet comes with issues like heavy reliance on in-app purchases and stereotypical representations of school cliques. While some enjoy the story and character diversity, others find it lacking in creative options for character customization and criticize the sexual innuendos and minor language used throughout.
- fun gameplay
- stereotypes present
- in-app purchases
- family-friendly themes
- character customization limitations
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
You want to start your own school where everyone will be welcome. First, you get to customize your character (skin color, hair, face, clothes, and name), then begin adding people and buildings to your school community. You'll spend time (and coins) recruiting other students, choosing what kind of people they'll be, then helping them solve their social problems. In the beginning, there are Nerds, Preps, and Jocks, but you have the option to recruit a diverse student body including Actors, Musicians, Cheerleaders, Dancers, Gamers, Wallflowers, Vampires, and Artists. The game progresses through a series of quests that create a storyline for its characters. Often, you'll need to decide on a response to a scenario similar to a choose-your-own-adventure story. In the meantime, you'll decorate campus, set up characters for dates, host parties, battle bullies, take part in the school play, help a struggling pal with his studies, and save the homecoming celebrations from ruin.
Is It Any Good?
HIGH SCHOOL STORY is a clever twist on the familiar "build things and collect coins" app model. Although many of the quest plots are silly, it's still fun to see how they play out, especially when you get to make really specific choices, such as the name of a band or the theme of the homecoming dance. As the game progresses, however, quests become longer and longer; it can be tedious to wait 10 hours for a quest to complete before starting any others. Some quests requires in-game currency (class rings) which can be earned slowly in the game or purchased with real cash. It's frustrating to get a fun quest and realize that there's no way to complete it without purchasing class rings. High School Story, although sometimes pretty stereotypical (boxing characters into their cliques), ends up offering a lot of positive messages about making good choices and helping others. Note: Kids may find that, although some scenarios might hit close to home (feeling like an outsider, bullying), everything always works out in the end, which isn't the case in real life.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
If you could switch schools, would you? Why? What would your ideal school look like?
Does your school have "groups" similar to the Preps, Jocks, and Nerds? How do the groups get along?
How could you help a friend who's being bullied?
Who could you talk to if you had a friend with an eating disorder? What advice would you give that friends? What would you do if you thought you had an eating disorder?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Skills : Self-Direction : achieving goals , Emotional Development : empathy , perspective taking , Responsibility & Ethics : embracing differences , respect for others
- Pricing structure : Free (In-app purchases are available.)
- Release date : March 27, 2014
- Genre : Simulation Games
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Publisher : Pixelberry Studios
- Version : 1.7.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 5.0
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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