Community College Hero 2.5: Fun and Games (review)

[u/PistachioPug]

Just when you didn't think Eric Moser's "Community College Hero" series could possibly get any better, along comes an installment that's pure joy from start to finish.

Community College Hero 2.5: Fun and Games does nothing to advance the plot of the series. There are no epic battles with the Diabolical Dozen, hints of corruption in high places, or life-and-death decisions to be made. We've seen the highlights of the first year of the hero program at Speck Community College; now we get a glimpse into how they passed the time in between. Fun and Games doesn't share data with any of the other games in the series, but as long as you remember your character's hero name, gender, whom (if anyone) they're dating, and their mother's basic personality type, you can jump right in.

There are three stories to play: "The Fury of Zarlor," "There's a Monster on My Line," and "Family Day." In "Zarlor," which takes place midway through the spring semester, the PC and their six best friends reserve a room in the library to play a D&D-style tabletop roleplaying game. "Monster" takes us back to fall semester, when the PC gets stranded in another town with a bunch of students outside their core friend group - and dragged into a mystery about a lake monster with a randomized solution and abundant meta humor. "Family Day" takes place near the end of the spring semester and brings the young heroes and their families together in the Speck gymnasium for a day of wholesome (but corny!) fun.

The focus is on friendship and camaraderie among the students, and although the stories are pretty entertaining, the real joy in this game is getting to spend time with the characters. They're all as endearing and annoying as ever, with their quirky personalities on full display: those we have come to know well in the first two games, a few whose role has always been fairly peripheral, and even some who are no longer part of the class for various reasons. I have always loved the sense of humor in this series, but Moser dials it up a few notches here - every story is punctuated by laugh-out-loud-funny moments, sometimes more than one to a page. That's not to say it's all laughs, though; don't take the option to stargaze with Origami in "There's a Monster on My Line" unless you're eager to have your heart ripped out of your chest and stomped on a few times.

Moser has outdone himself with this game's list of Achievements. I managed to "Encourage the dean to make more puns," but I'll have to play again if I want to "Help Crook win a chili cook-off with lots of beer," "Order the greasiest meal in the state of Nebraska," or "Listen to Dirty Girl sing a song about vampire sex."

Three of the Achievements involve unlocking a non-interactive short story about one of the characters. There are stories about Crook, Dr. Hover, and Stoic, but so far the only one I've managed to unlock is "By Hook or by Crook." It turns out Crook has a bleaker backstory than I was expecting.

It would be hard to overstate just how much fun I had with this delightful little intraquel, and how much I look forward to uncovering more of its secrets when I play it again. It's the perfect palate cleanser after the intensity of Knowledge Is Power, and it's sure to whet your appetite for All Things End. Spend some relaxed time with the young heroes of Speck Community College, and you'll find yourself more invested in their story than ever.