Expelled! is a unique gem of a game. It’s part of the Overboard! series—I haven’t played the first one yet, but Expelled! caught my eye after launch because of its interesting premise. You play as a student who’s about to get kicked out of boarding school and has to figure out how to stop it. The game plays like a Groundhog Day-style mystery where events keep repeating until your actions change the outcome. That means there are multiple ways to handle each situation, but usually only one “right” solution.
Your main goal is to avoid expulsion, but as the story unfolds, more objectives open up—like becoming head girl. The game makes you think carefully about what to do next. Replaying the same day might sound repetitive, but it actually unlocks new choices, and some of them are really fun to discover.
The story is set in 1922 at an English boarding school. You play as Verity Amersham, who’s accused of trying to kill the hockey team captain, Louisia Hardcastle. Verity wakes up to a note on her bed—supposedly from Louisia—inviting her to the library. But when she gets there, it turns out to be a setup: Louisia plans to frame her for breaking a sacred relic. Things go wrong, though, and Louisia ends up taking a bad fall. Now you’re left trying to piece together how things went so wrong.
The game’s story is told from Verity’s perspective as she explains to her father how she got expelled. The clever part? At first, we have no idea why she’s talking to him or what really happened. Since Verity could easily lie or twist the truth, it’s up to us to figure out what’s real. The game also has a unique morality system—Verity starts as a regular student, but making shady decisions or rude dialogue choices earns points in this system, unlocking new options. To get anywhere, you first need to max out this system, and then, if you want to become head girl, you have to pick your words and actions carefully to leave the best impression.
Every time you replay the day, the clock is ticking. Moving between the game’s half-dozen locations eats up time, and so does talking to other characters. Verity has a tight schedule, including classes, and these are key to building relationships with teachers and students.
Honestly, Expelled! is so smart it blew me away at times. Some choices unlock in such unexpected ways that I have to give the developers serious credit. Every character lives their own daily life in this Groundhog Day-meets-nested-doll setup. As you slowly make progress, layers peel away, revealing more clues that help you reach the true ending. And speaking of endings, there are multiple—like one where you ditch school life entirely to work at a pub, or another where you willingly get expelled.
The game keeps the mystery alive right until the very end. Even though you replay the same scenarios multiple times, it stays fresh because each run reveals new information based on what you’ve learned. Every time the loop resets, your progress is saved in Verity’s “filth book”—her personal diary. The boarding school itself is packed with interesting characters and locations to explore, almost like a labyrinth that stretches beyond the school grounds.
At first glance, Expelled! might seem lighthearted, but it tackles some heavy themes—religious beliefs, pregnancy, even sexual assault. There’s also a profanity filter (off by default) that you can toggle in the options if you prefer.
It took me over 10 hours to reach the ending, so while it’s not a long game, I’d absolutely recommend it for how unique it is. Playing it even made me curious about Overboard!, which seems to follow a similar style. I’ve always loved murder mysteries, but Expelled! takes a simple premise and turns it into something truly special.
Expelled! Game Information
- Price: $14.99
- Publisher: inkle
- Developer: inkle
- Platform: PC (Reviewed)
- Disclaimer: A review code was given by the publisher
