Skool Daze Re-Schooled - Reviewed by florinthedwarf!

Skool Daze is back! One of the Speccy greats has finally been given a new lease of life on Android and iOS. That's totally whack! Rad! Cool! Top! Do kids still talk like that? No? I'd better stop then. As you were. I don't know a single person who didn't like Skool Daze on the Spectrum so when I heard a remake was happening, I knew it had to be a damn fine version for die hard fans like myself to appreciate this new take on a Speccy classic. Let's see how it fairs, shall we?

Just another average day in school then.

Well, as we know, originally Skool Daze was released on both the ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 but looking at this version, it can clearly be seen that the Spectrum is the main influence here with nods to the look of the original 48K machine. Menus are decorated with the famous rainbow stripe found in the corner of the Speccy as well as other homages, including the original high pitched noise you hear when you receive lines from various teachers. Excellent! On top of this, you can also change the names of each characters as you could in the originals, so you can bring your teachers home with you, so to speak. Surely there was nothing better than re-naming Mr Wacker as your own headteacher and then running behind him and firing catapult at his backside? Just me? No, thought not!

Says who? Boing! Boing!

So, what improvements have been made to the original game? As you would imagine, animation is a lot slicker with more frames giving it that smooth look as you walk, run, jump and punch other kids in the face, which is what you need to appreciate the latter action. Punches are also emphasised by a classic 'smack' noise, the kind of noise that you may find in a '70's Clint Eastwood film when his fists do the talking to someone who gets on his way, punk. Also, the whole school looks a lot brighter, there's in-game music, and you'll also find added to the top right hand corner a tab that you can slide out which will tell you which, and indeed whose class you need to be in

The school is locked? Greatest day of my life!

What I really like about the game is that all of the original features have been kept in this new incarnation. You can still write on the blackboards, punch kids willy-nilly, jump up and down like a loon (and you still get told you're not a kangaroo - brilliant!), Einstein will still tell lies about you (git) - this really is just an updated version of the original, which is what is needed. So damn near perfect was the original, there was really no need to tweak with it and try to make it a different game, and fans of the original will appreciate that.

The school is open? Worst day of my life!

Of course, there needs to be something a little extra when it comes to new versions of games and with 'Re-Skooled' you are gifted a tutorial level, where you are shown how to use the controls, how to complete tasks and how to ride the scooter....ooh, did I forget to mention that there's a scooter involved this time around?! Yes, there's a scooter for you to ride! Woo! And I'm not talking about one of those kids' ones where you have to use your feet Fred Flintstone style - one with an actual motor. Why do you need access to a scooter whilst you're in school? I don't know! Maybe it's just for a bit of fun or maybe I just haven't got that far in the game yet. I'll go for the latter. Once you've completed the tutorial, you can then go on and play the game... but... did I also forget to tell you that included is a remake of Back to Skool too?! Yes! The sequel to the original game has also been added to this incarnation! It seems Alternative Software are just giving away all the goodies here!

More lines?! I didn't do it! Honest!

Re-Skooled really was worth the wait after seeing many teasers for it over the last few months. Personally, I'm not a massive fan of remakes (I refused to watch the Robocop remake. Ghost Busters - I just can't do it!) but this genuinely is a great version of the classic game. It's not lost any of its' original charm and has kept all the original great touches, which is why I hold this in high regard. If all remakes were like this, I'd be a very happy man. You can still get lost in the game for a good few hours like you could in the original, not caring for actually completing it, and just having fun. There's still an appeal of avoiding bullies, hitting the class swot and the odd random kid, jumping up and down for no good reason and maybe attending class if you feel like it. What more can I say? The game is nothing short of awesome. If you were a fan of the original, you'll love it. If you've never played it before, you'll love it. Time to download, my friends!

Skool Daze Re-Skooled is available on Android here:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.involutionteam.skooldaze

And on iOS here:
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1159402018

Don't forget, you can follow me on Twitter if you feel like! @florinthedwarf

Right, I'm off to the finish lines I got for impersonating a kangaroo. That's so unfaaaairr!