Last September, 13-year-old Danielle Bregoli captured the hearts of Americans everywhere on a very special episode of Dr. Phil.
Out-of-control teenagers have been a standby of daytime talk shows for years, but Bregoli’s cries of “cash me ousside how bow dah” have resonated far longer than any “Whatever. I do what I want” that came before. She’s inspired memes, merch, and now, some iOS games.
Of the five or so games populating the App Store at the moment, only two are worth your time: Cash me outside and Cash Me Outside How Bout Dat?. While all of the games follow a basic run-and-jump style, these two titles, in particular, stand out for their quality and riffs on the Bregoli’s viral moment. .
Image via iTunes
The first, Cash me outside, is almost a low-budget take on Super Mario Run, following Bregoli as she hurtles herself through the ever-changing landscape of her life. Each game includes our “heroine’s” signature voice over clips from the show. Along the way, she must collect gems and try not to die, although the ground seems to be falling out from beneath her with every step she takes. It almost seems like a metaphor for the life of an out-of-control child, down to the insane amount of commercial breaks that pop up during their life.
Seriously, this game has out-of-control ads which take $2.99 to turn off. For $9.99 you can go ahead and unlock all the levels, but the mechanics stay the same. It’s not worth $13 to prove it for yourself. Still, as a fun free game, this one is surprisingly better than you’d anticipate.
Image via iTunes
In Cash Me Outside — How Bout Dat? the pathos gets dialed down, but the gameplay is considerably better. In this title, Danielle jumps to avoid a serious of obstacles from spikes to cops, and she descends through a series of spinning wheels. It’s a simple single button jumping game, but there’s more variety in the level design, and the randomized nature of the traps makes the game feel like it’s getting harder with each passing death.
These titles—and their clones—will surely go the way of the Flappy Bird. But in the meantime, we should take a moment to appreciate these lovely cash-ins and their accidentally thoughtful designs.