Demonschool [REVIEW] – A Hellishly Fun Tactical RPG

Demonschool has been on my radar for a long, long time, and now, after finally spending some time with it, I’m happy to report that it delivered on my expectations. This tactical RPG adventure blends puzzle-like strategy, school-life structure, playful horror, and a cast of lovable weirdos, wrapping it all upin a neon-soaked aesthetic that’s easy to love – even IF it’s guilty of being a little repetitive over its meaty adventure.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Demonschool casts players as Faye, a chaotic but friendly teen who arrives on a peculiar island university that quickly reveals itself to be more of a demonic battleground than academic institution… kinda like my old school, really. Within days, teachers are losing memories, students are disappearing, and the apocalypse has been pencilled in for the end of the term, so yeah, sh*t hits the fan pretty fast. The premise is delightfully over-the-top, and the game certainly doesn’t pretend otherwise, but despite the blood, demons, and doomsday clock leading to the imminent end of the world, the tone leans far more toward offbeat comedy and light horror than anything genuinely scary.

The story is entertaining and the writing is fun, with it throwing a lot at you early… you know… mysteries, rival hunters, strange faculties, sudden threats… that sort of thing. That being said, the pacing never feels fully even, with some ideas sticking around a little too long and others coming and going before they’ve fully landed. It feels like it tries to do TOO much at times, all without landing fully on some of the story beats. But still, the cast helps carry things, with the 15-person roster (yeah, you read that right) packed with fun personalities. Not everyone gets enough of the spotlight, especially some of the party members who arrive late, but hanging out with them is always enjoyable.

In a Persona-like style, there’s relationship-building that gives these characters more room to breathe, with things like karaoke nights, cooking sessions, and side quests all helping flesh them out. Sure, the system is more surface-level than emotional, but it’s fun, the chemistry between characters is great, and simply spending time with the team becomes one of the game’s best features.

“Demonschool is a real joy to play, with its clever combat, likeable story, and striking visual style helping it stand out in the tactical RPG genre.”

Where Demonschool really shines is in its turn-based tactical combat. Battles unfold across compact grids, and instead of traditional tactics mechanics, every action is tied to movement. Shove an enemy, slip through them, pull them into place, or chain attacks together… it’s all about positioning and using your limited action points wisely. Each turn has a planning phase where you map out every character’s moves, and an execution phase where your plan plays out in one big stylish burst. You can rewind moves endlessly during planning so nothing is ever fully committed as you plan things out, with each encounter almost feeling like a bite-sized puzzle you can tweak until everything clicks.

There’s a surprising amount of nuance found in combat too, especially with the role that each character players on the battlefield – some characters specialize in disrupting enemy formations, others act as finishers, and a few can slip behind foes to hit from angles that trigger powerful combos, just to name a few. Later abilities add extra mobility to your characters, let you manipulate turn order, or set up multi-character attacks that wipe out entire clusters of demons, with the system constantly evolving to ensure battles always remain fun. Don’t get me wrong, the puzzle-like nature means it never gets TOO challenging, but it’s constantly engaging and has enough fresh ideas to keep players invested.

To push players further, the game grades every battle, and if you want top marks, you’ll need to complete tasks like eliminate a set number of enemies, finish within the turn limit, and get a character to the end of the map to seal the portal… that sort of thing. Hitting all those goals at once becomes a really enjoyable challenge, and believe me, it’s easy to find yourself obsessing over accomplishing each goal to strive for perfection. It adds a whole extra layer to combat that requires skill to thrive in, and with the grading system also feeding into progression, it’s easy to find yourself motivated to succeed. It’s a clever and subtle way to make players further invest in combat.

Check out some screenshots down below:

The downside? There’s a LOT of combat to be found in Demonschool. Nearly every story beat, side mission, and character interaction seems to push you into another fight, and because the campaign is REALLY long (I’m over thirty hours in and still haven’t beaten the game), the repetition eventually catches up to you. Fortunately, when you’re not brawling, the daily structure helps break things up, with each day giving you space for activities, small character moments, and exploration around the island. Mini-games add a cozy rhythm to your day too, and if I’m being honest, simply soaking in the world felt good. There’s just no doubting that Demonschool is a REALLY meaty experience and it doesn’t always have enough going on to make each moment engaging.

Aesthetically, Demonschool is oozing with glorious style, with bold locales, gorgeous pixel-art characters, and striking visual effects giving the game a wonderful sense of identity. You know how some visual styles just click with you? Yeah, I loved how Demonschool looked, with the cool and stylish vibe resonating with me throughout. It ran flawlessly too, with zero issues with performance or any crashes in-game so far.

Developer: Necrosoft Games
Publisher: Ysbryd Games
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1900250/Demonschool/