BBC launches 3D game for CBBC’s comedy series Strange Hill High
The BBC has launched 3D game The Merchant Of Menace: The Lost Episode, as part of the even more hilarious second series of CBBC’s Strange Hill High. The breakout comedy hit’s lead writer is Simpsons and Futurama showrunner Josh Weinstein, who penned the series alongside a team of top UK writers.
Developed by BAFTA-winning content agency Somethin’ Else, the game is an interactive episode which puts the player at the heart of this outlandish and action-packed story. It is available at the CBBC website (bbc.co.uk/cbbc) on desktop, and features the main cast from the show including BAFTA-winning Richard Ayoade, Ben Bailey Smith, Emma Kennedy, Jon Thomson and Caroline Aherne.
The fast-paced game is also set to launch as an app across iOS and Android to coincide with the season finale of the show on the 21 July.
Storyline
Spend a day with bezzies Mitchell (Ben Bailey Smith), Templeton (Richard Ayoade) and Becky (Emma Kennedy) in the creepy corridors of Strange Hill High as the school is thrown into chaos and mayhem by the release of Elizabethan prankster William Kempe (John Thompson)!
Their bizarre and heroic adventure begins as it’s announced over the tannoy that there will be a special ceremony in the Assembly Hall as the Strange Hill Time Capsule - which was buried 400 years ago - is going to be opened.
Meanwhile, Mitchell is really late handing in a homework assignment, so late he’s going to get detention for the rest of the term. Templeton suggests that if Mitchell could put the homework in the time capsule before it’s opened, then when it’s officially undone, he can prove it wasn’t late but actually 400 years early! “Brilliant!” Mitchell says. If anything, he should get an award for this, not detention…
Game overview
The player finds themself inside an episode of Strange Hill High, and can explore at their own pace and direction. And, as the fourth member of the gang, the player follows Mitchell, Templeton and Becky in a narrative action-adventure that includes hilarious challenges, puzzles and mini-games as they attempt to restore the school to its normally strange self.
The story of the game gives the full immersive experience of ‘playing’ an on-screen episode of the show
The game features two antagonists: Abercrombie and William Kempe, but it’s William Kempe who gains the player’s trust and then creates mayhem in the school! He’s a tricky little jester with bad intentions, and to return the school to normal the player needs to lock him back in the time capsule!
The game features 10 environments inside Strange Hill High and four different mini-games; the player is free to explore the school, and all mini-games are replayable
All the main characters and the environments are in 3D – it’s key for players to pay attention to detail throughout the game
John Kearney, Senior Content Producer for App Commissions, BBC says: “Strange Hill High is a brand we’re really proud of at CBBC and we wanted to deliver a game that does it justice. By keeping the unique look and feel of the show and creating an engaging storyline, we’ve made sure the player is central to this interactive game. The Merchant Of Menace is funny, tongue-in-cheek, and visually stunning in 3D; we hope that our audiences love it as much as they love the show.”
Showrunner Josh Weinstein comments: "I love this game. From the very beginning, we've always said the Strange Hill High building is endlessly explorable - you never know what you'll find when you turn a corner or enter a room. And now our fans get to experience this themselves. Because we've written it like a real episode, you get the surreal and fun experience of actually being in an episode with Mitchell, Becky and Templeton. You get to live Strange Hill High first-hand! Beware! Plus, it's really funny.”
Strange Hill High is co-produced by Factory TM, FremantleMedia Kids & Family Entertainment and CBBC and created by Kat Van Henderson at Factory TM in Cheshire.
Strange Hill High uses ground-breaking animation techniques and innovative Japanese vinyl toy design to produce the fast-paced, action-packed and hilarious adventure series. Factory produced all 3D, CGI versions of the characters, together with the animation cycles for in-game use.
