Well it finally happened. After years of cheating, fighting and swirly-giving, you've been expelled, and your parents aren't happy. The only thing standing between you and juvenile detention is St. Frost's School for Slackers, Troublemakers and Idiots. The students are a bunch of violent sadists and amiable dunces, the teachers aren't much better, and the last new student had a nervous breakdown two months in. But hey, you ruled one school before didn't you? How different can this one be? It's all about doing the right things for the right people, right?... Such is the premise of Wasted Youth Part One, the new sandbox adventure-RPG from GPStudios.
Presented in a slightly-isometric top-down perspective, you walk around St. Frost's using the [WASD] or [arrow] keys, holding down the [shift] key to run. When you wish to interact with something, or talk to someone, hit the [spacebar]. [P] brings up the pause menu, where many of the games functions can be found, including the inventory screen, the mission screen, your map, and the "Pigglymon" cards that are the game's secret collectible. Generally, gameplay consists of receiving missions from people, then solving puzzles or retrieving items to complete them to progress the story. There are a number of optional classes and side-missions, not to mention a host of unlockables, easter eggs, and elements that serve no purpose other than to present you with a snarky comment. Will you climb to the head of the class, or will your life be naught but an unending series of wedgies?
Analysis: Let's get something out of the way: even if Wasted Youth wasn't directly inspired by Bully, there are some distinct similarities that can't be ignored. Indeed, Wasted Youth might accurately be described as Bully for the casual audience... as written by a typical 1999 message board. By the standards of flash gaming, there's a distinctly classical feel to proceedings, and not just in its slightly-MSPainty graphics: Wasted Youth revels in a misanthropy that I recall from my youthful interactions with the web. Is it strange that I feel a sort of nostalgia for a time when the internet consisted mainly of complaining about teachers and using java applets to do harm unto Barney the Dinosaur? I don't know, but this game manages to capture a certain sense of immaturity the web once had, and I mean that as a compliment.
I can imagine that Wasted Youth will divide opinion, mainly due to its sense of humor. It is a game that is decidedly juvenile. I don't mean that to be a positive or a negative, merely a statement of fact. After all, to paraphrase Ferris Beuller, Wasted Youth might be childish, but then again, so is high school. The characters in this game are profane in speech, with a distinct preference for toilet humor... In other words, they're high school students. There's nothing wrong with liking your humor a little crude: if you do, you might like Wasted Youth, but if you don't, this game probably won't be for you. In addition, the tone is quite abrasive, even insulting to the player. Personally, I always find it kind of hilarious when a narrator seems to hold you in contempt (especially when, as in this game, the player-character seems to deserve it), but others may find it tiring.
Humor concerns aside, there's a lot to like. The developers have succeeded in crafting a setting that's open and active and worth exploring. They've filled it with characters that, while not realistic, are at least varied in their archetypes. I personally liked Xerxes, the slightly-insane, darkness-spewing goth. The dude just cracked me up every time he made an appearance. The story that holds this open-world together is loose, but intriguing enough to have kept me playing (if only to see what jerk would be getting what comeuppance.) Really though, the appeal here is the massive amount of content to explore... even if said content-mass did cause a little browser slowdown from time to time.
I think it'll only take a couple of minutes to figure out whether or not Wasted Youth is for you. Me? I liked it, and I'm glad that the developers put together such a large world to play in. According to the makers, this is only part one... I hope that there's not too much of a summer break before the next installment
Walkthrough Guide
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Wasted Youth Part 1 walkthrough
Tips
Holding in [shift] lets you run.
Talk to characters and interact with unusual objects (that which you don't see more than once).
Missions
The First Meal (in Cafeteria)
Eugene wants a second helping of pudding.
Leave the chair by pushing into any direction.
Head up to the Cafeteria dinner lady and ask for more pudding.
Go back to the table.
Sickly Entrails (top floor of main building, to the far left)
Talk to the janitor.
Head left into Biology.
Activate the tray of frogs to start a mini game.
Choose a frog and draw a line between the two points.
The key is most likely in the top-left frog.
Return the key to the janitor.
The First Night
Find Dave in the Recreation Room.
Head upstairs at the dorm. The Rec room is towards the left bottom corner.
After talking to Dave, use the computer in the room.
Head out of the Rec room.
Head downstairs and to the right of the dorm.
Enter the top door just past the hall entrance to reach your bed.
Bad Reputation (Ground floor of Library)
Talk to Ulrika. She needs a photo back.
Head to the lockers, at the far right of the main building's ground floor.
Talk to the three guys with the magazine.
Talk to Nate twice.
Once he leaves, look inside his locker.
Return the photo to Ulrika.
The Goth-Father (On the playground, top left corner)
Talk to Xerxes. He'll meet you later that night.
He needs school records. You will have to break in.
Head to the playground and find the open window. Enter through it.
Head upstairs and to the Staff Room, located at the far right.
Find the three filing cabinets in the staff room. Use each.
After finding the login details, use the computer.
Once logged in, click on the school records icons.
Take a look at Xerxes' record.
Head back to the dorm and talk to Xerxes.
Defacing The King And Queen (In the assembly hall)
Talk to the head boy and head girl in the assembly hall.
You have to recover ten posters.
Ground Foor:
In the assembly hall.
In the hallway outside the assembly hall.
In the cafeteria.
In the hallway outside the library.
In the Geography classroom.
First Floor:
In the hallway outside thw Chemistry classroom.
In the biology classroom.
In the IT classroom.
In the Sick Bay.
Outside the toilets on the far right.
Return the posters to the couple in the assembly role.
Parting Words Of A Goth (In the Playground)
Talk to Dave.
At the dorm, click on the strange panel.
To unlock the panel, get rid of all the dotted green areas. Shift the blocks until they are all covered.
Get the piece of paper.
Lost And Found (Main Entrance)
Talk to the girls. You need to find the missing wallet.
Talk to random kids inside the school until someone gives you a name.
Find Kevin behind the shed on the sports field.
Talk to Kevin.
Terrorist Alert: Imminent (Outside the dorm)
Talk to Guy. He'll lead you to the door.
You need to find a paperclip.
Head to the main building.
Go to the Geography class to find the paperclips.
Return to Guy and talk to him.
When you return later that night, interact with the door.
Unlock the door.
To beat the puzzle, hit [space] just as the gaps intersect.
Suspicious Activity (Outside the janitor's office)
Talk to Mr. Ross.
Get the key and enter the headmaster's office.
Interact with the safe.
To crack the safe, push in the direction indicated until the direction changes, then turn it in the new direction. Repeat this until the door opens.
Find the paper and give it to the janitor.
Identification
Take the paper and head to the English classroom.
Click on the stack of papers on the desk.
Compare the papers to find the right one. Click on the things that don't match:
Janet: The Capital J.
Fred: The writing or picture.
Harold: The 'teh'.
Queenie: The spaces between the words.
Kevin: 'Dumps' or the picture.
Chris: The 'u.
Dave: The beginning of the sentence.
Brian: The lower cases.
William: The text.
Pippa: The long stems on g, j or y.
Irene: The smudges.
Vicky: The gap between 'the' and 'dog'.
Zena: The 'z'.
Return to Patrick and talk to him.
WRC For Children (the sports field)
Talk to the group.
Race the remote control car and beat Nate's record (01:20.420).
Bringing Home The Booze (first floor toilets)
Talk to Lilly.
Once you are in the cellar, solve the grid puzzle. Switch to Lilly to change the laser colors.
Solution
Flip the switch next to the door.
Talk to Lilly.
Freedom! (the small room outside the Storage room)
Talk to Dave.
You need the key. Talk to random teachers downstairs.
Talk to the janitor at the bike shed.
Head to the main entrance and find the key in the fountain.
Use the key to unlock the small room's door.
Photogenic (far right of first floor in the main building)
Talk to Nate.
Meet him outside the dorm.
Go to the storage room in the main building and fetch the rope.
Return to the dorm and talk to Nate.
Take photos of six girls. Go for the pretty ones.
The Party (outside your bedroom)
Talk to Faye.
Go to bed.
Wake up and head to the assembly hall.
Chat to Zena on the dance floor.
Complete the dance challenge. Press the directional key when it hits the relevant symbol hits the highlighted area.
Talk to Nate.
Talk to Lilly.
It's a drinking contest. Alternate the directional keys as quickly as you can.
Talk to Nate on the dance floor.
Time for a fight! Hit the directional key as soon as it appears.
After talking to Dave, you will be at the shed.
You need a lighter. Head to the main entrance, where the smokers are.
Ask them for a lighter.
Head back to the shed and use the lighter.
Get the spade inside the shed.
Side Missions
Behind The Door #1
Activate the mission by completing the Terrorist Alert mission.
Note the numbers on the table.
Use the numbers on the locker. The / is a missing number. cycle through it until the locker unlocks.
The code is 1742.
Eugene is Greedy (outside the cafeteria)
Talk to Eugene.
Head to the cafeteria kitchen.
Pick up the lettuce, burger baps, tomatoes and burger meat.
Return to Eugene.
R()d3 W0rd5
Get the calculator in the Maths classroom.
Talk to Fred.
Type 55378008 in and rotate the display.
A Letter From The Godfather
Find the letter in a dustbin in front of the school (top left).
Give Michael the letter. He's by the bike shed.
Swap Shop
Talk to Monica, standing in the furthest right hall of the main building's first floor. Get the jellybean.
Give the jellybean to Roger, outside the main building. You'll get a comb.
Give Heather the comb, in the playground. She'll give you cigarettes.
Give the cigarettes to the smokers, behind the bike shed.
Boring
Talk to Mr. Dull in the History classroom.
Keep talking to him until you get a card.
Smelly Frog Business
Go to the Biology classroom and talk to the teacher.
Pick up and discard all the dead frogs.
Card Locations
Fluffy: Finish The First Meal mission.
Princess Angelina: On the couch in the staff room.
Twiglet: In the pile of leaves behind the shed on the Sports Field.
Sasquatch: On the bench at the sports field.
Little Miss Piggy: In the ball catch of the pool table in the Rec room.
Ozzy: On the desk in the private study.
Smokey: Inside the locker in the mystery room of the dorm.
Spanky: On the headmaster's desk.
Zippy: On the window ledge of the top-left boys bedroom.
Fuzzbucket: in the Math classroom's trash can.
Crumpet: In the cafeteria toaster.
Biscuit: On the shelf in the Library first floor. Use the stepladder.
Rusty: In the washing machine in the Laundry room, next to the girls bedrooms.
Honeysuckle: Under the tile in the far right hall of the main building's first floor.
Ugly: Under the fire extinguisher in the girls dorm hallway.
Wednesday: On the calendar in the Sick Bay.
Wuggy: Inside the mouse hole in the Music classroom.
Brownie: Complete the Eugene Is Greedy side mission.
Oink: Crack the safe in the bedroom across from yours.
Pancake: By the bike shed.
Pacino: Complete the A Letter From The Godfather side mission.
Baby Jesus: In the storage room, on top of a shelf. Use the stepladder to reach it.
Spunkbubble: In the safe in the girls' dorm.
Smeg: On a chest in the girls dorm.
Shithead: In the sink of the upstairs toilet in the main building.
Herbie: Water the plant in your room with the watering can.
Ambrosia: Turn on the tap in the playground. Find the card in the fountain.
Jellybean: Finish the Swap Shop side mission.
Bacon Bit: Complete the R()d3 W0rd5 side mission.
Zsa Zsa: Complete the Boring side missions.
Tidy Bowl: Complete the Smelly Frog Business mission.
Misc
Main Building Key: On the table in the staff room.
Watering Can: Outside the shed on the sports field.
Hammer: Behind the bike shed.
Crowbar: In the storage room.
Posted by: James Francis
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June 2, 2011 9:36 AM