The Princi-Pals is an online game based on The Amazing World of Gumball.
Story
In an alternative take on the events of "The Fraud," after Gumball and Darwin discover that Principal Brown's diploma is fake, they decide to take advantage of it and trick Nigel into confessing his farce to the entire school by using the intercom. After Brown resigns to get an actual diploma, the Watterson brothers take over as principals (or Princi-Pals, as they call themselves) and assume control over Elmore Junior High.
Gameplay
The game's primary gameplay mechanic is making decisions to resolve problems with the students, school staff and other characters. The player either has to click Gumball (who most of the time will give irresponsible answers) or Darwin (who more often than not will be more sensible than Gumball). Depending on which one of the Watterson brothers is chosen, at least one of four meters will increase or decrease: the Confidence meter (which shows how much the two brothers feel confident on their position), the Students meter (how much Gumball and Darwin's friends like them), the Teachers meter (how long the staff will endure the Wattersons brothers' leadership) and Money (the school budget). If one of the meters becomes empty, the game is over.
Each problem that is solved costs an hour on the school day. Once one day ends, another one begins, with brand-new problems to be solved. They also award the player with stickers on the Yearbook, which can be seen on the main menu. There are a total of sixty-one stickers: sixteen of students, six school staff members, eight random people, thirteen stories and eighteen photographs.
Every once in a while, a story will be unlocked, which will follow a set group of events featuring a certain character that takes course during multiple hours. There are also mini-games that the player can compete to win certain awards such as power-ups.
Anais, Molly and Carrie can all be recruited through dialogue interactions to temporarily help the player and provide unique perks.
- Anais will use her foresight to show the player exactly how each decision will affect the meters for three turns.
- Molly will, out of gratitude for being saved from the Void, save the player if they lose for five turns.
- Carrie will use her ghostly powers to freeze a random meter for 5 turns, nullifying any effects decisions would have on it.
Characters
Playable
Non-playable
- Anais
- Carrie
- Teri
- Clayton
- Penny
- Carmen
- Jamie
- Molly
- Colin and Felix
- Leslie
- Tobias
- William
- Anton
- Hector
- Juke
- Julius
- Gumwin
- Darball
- Ocho
- Banana Joe
- Sarah
- Alan
- Masami
- Idaho
- Mr. Cornielle
- Coach
- Miss Simian
- Mr. Small
- Librarian
- Principal Brown
- Ms. Markham
- Nicole
- Donut Cop
- Felicity
- Billy
- Grizz
- Panda
- Ice Bear
- Rob
- Sal Left Thumb
- Chi Chi
- Ribbit
- Shape family
- Rachel (mentioned)
- Richard (mentioned)
Trivia
- The Princi-Pals' gameplay mechanics are quite similar to the 2016 video game Reigns. In which the player governs a medieval kingdom by addressing scenarios by choosing an option to the left or right, making sure to keep 4 bars (Money, People, Army, Church) from maxing out or depleting. However, The Princi-Pals adds separate "mini-games" as an addition to the base gameplay.
- Various dialogue interactions have interesting details or oddities:
- Grizz, Panda and Ice Bear from We Bare Bears make a cameo appearance as a dialogue interaction.
- One dialogue interaction in the game with Idaho references Darwin's potato addiction from "The Potato," with him suggesting turning the former into french fries whilst salivating.
- Principal Brown's hip kid persona from "The Fraud," known as "Strange Student" in the game, appears in a few dialogue options.
- Gumball reveals to the school, after being forced to do so by Jamie over the PA system, that he loves the taste of his own toenails.
- According to a dialogue interaction with Juke, Principal Brown and Miss Simian are planning to get married.
- A dialogue option with William references his otherwise unused character trait, where he was intended to be Miss Simian's personal snitch.
- Billy is referred to by his full name, William, thus meaning there are two different characters in the game with the same name.
- The fourth wall is broken multiple times through Gumball and Darwin's responses to some dialogue interactions:
- Darwin responds to a joke from Banana Joe about a fish wanting to be a TV presenter by saying that he is "a fish on TV and I think I'm very funny thank you!"
- During a story line where Gumball and Darwin host a teacher's beauty contest, Miss Simian gets upset and complains. Gumball is delighted, stating "That's the attitude, more drama increases our TV viewers!"
- Masami offers to have her father invest in the school if Gumball and Darwin admit something shameful. Gumball's response has him state "I confess, I don't exist! I'm a flat, unreal, animated creation of some people who wasted their childhood drawing!"
- When Julius threatens Gumball and Darwin, the former states with awe "Look at this majestic terrifying creature! Maybe we should include him in the show as well?"
- One story line sees Principal Brown offer to pay the boys to become principal again. If Darwin agrees, the game will ask him "Are you sure? This game is all about being Elmore Junior High Principals..."
- One dialogue interaction will allow the player to have Juke play heavy metal music for two turns.
- One story line sees Carrie form a metal band whose music summons dark forces from the underworld.
Goofs/errors
- Various dialogue options in the game contain mistakes:
- Masami asks for an expensive present for her birthday. In "The Gift" she says the exact opposite, stating that something small like a pair of socks would make her happy.
- Mr. Small claims he is vegan. However in the show he is only vegetarian, and even then he only pretends to be.
- Carmen claims Jamie and Rachel are fighting in the hallway. "Darwin's Yearbook: Clayton" revealed that Rachel has gone to college, and thus no longer attends the school.
- Gumball is surprised that Coach Russo is female when she brings up lying about being a man on her resume. He found out in "The Coach" that she was female, and was present when she revealed she lied on her resume in "The Fraud."
- The librarian that appears in the game is the earlier tree librarian from the first three seasons of the show, rather than the Tree librarian that replaced her as of "The Blame."
- Chi-Chi and Ribbit appear, despite presumably becoming disfigured at the end of "The Copycats."
- Donut Cop is referred to with the UK spelling of "doughnut" in the game, and is also incorrectly referred to as the Sheriff.
- Nurse Markham is referred to as "School Nurse" rather than her actual name.
- A quest in the game has the player rescue Molly from the Void. Rob is already in his post-void glitched form and is Gumball's nemesis, meaning this game takes place after Molly had already been rescued in "The Void."
Gallery
External links