Demonschool (Review)
Ah, college… There’s nothing like it, really. Young adults starting fresh, ready to begin the rest of their lives, solve mysteries and, stop the apocalypse.
Wait, what? It’s all part of the experience in Demonschool, the fresh, chaotic new title from Necrosoft Games and publisher Ysbryd.
Meet Faye – inheritor of a long line of demon hunters. She doesn’t have much in the way of social skills, but she does have a lot of energy and a haphazard prophecy about demons ushering in the end of the world. For most new students, the point of university is to study and get good grades. For Faye and her friends, once they’re spotted fighting some demons by one of the school’s uncomfortably mysterious professors, the point is to solve increasingly weird supernatural mysteries, like killer video tapes and uncovering demonic rituals.
Demonschool’s primary inspiration comes from 70s Italian horror cinema (think classics like Suspiria), with touches of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei. The result is a fun, quirky, mysterious adventure filled with grotesque visuals and imaginative-yet-classic monsters. From the first step into Hemsk College, it’s clear that something isn’t quite right. The teachers are weird, abandoned wings are being guarded by police, and instead of having normal homework assignments, Faye and co keep getting sent on strange supernatural quests. Even worse, it’s not long before the island is cut off from the outside world.
Although Demonschool is framed by looming catastrophe, unexplained deaths, and the unnerving disappearance of students, it’s also perfectly comedic. Destin’s slapstick moments and the colorful ensemble of reluctant protagonists inject humor into an otherwise grim tale of destruction. It’s impossible not to feel like part of the gang as you go on karaoke dates and argue about your next steps in the weird, gross bathroom.
For me, the biggest surprise of Demonschool is the combat. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to check out an early demo at PAX West, and promptly got completely wrecked – it turned out the developer had been considering adjusting the difficulty already. I’m here to tell you that the Demonschool combat is actually still kind of hard, but it’s been polished into something I really enjoy struggling at.
The battle system in Demonschool is based around planning a strategy. Each turn, your characters get a set amount of AP that you can use however you like. Using the same character multiple times will increase the amount of AP needed, so you’ll have to think carefully about who you want to move where. Messed up? It’s quick and easy to undo your move and choose a different option. You’ll get a preview of how the turn will go before you put it into action. Really, really messed up? Lost characters you need to win the fight? You can reset the whole battle with no fuss. There’s no going back to a save point or having to make your way back to the fight – it just starts over. The end result is a battle system that’s challenging and will require you to strategize, but which doesn’t punish you for trying things out.
As you continue through the game, you’ll have to consider how to move around debuffs like poison, curse, or tether, and can even have fun thinking of how to use boss AOEs against your foes.
And if you’re really struggling? Demonschool also offers an “almost invincible” mode, which keeps you from taking damage (outside of some special attacks such as standing in a boss’s instant kill AOE). This can be turned on right from the battle menu and toggled on and off at any time, meaning whether you just want to enjoy the story or are ready for a fun challenge again, it’s easy to adjust your game to whatever feels right to you.
I will say there’s a lot of combat in the game, and sometimes I wish there were longer stretches between minion fights, because while I enjoy the combat, the biggest draw for me is the story and exploring the weird little details of the island.
Hemsk might be small, but there are a lot of areas to explore – and a lot of places to interact. On the side of the main story, you can chat with the strange bellringer who keeps forgetting their own cryptic comments, or go visit the dog who needs some pets. There’s a mysterious small shrine that seems to appreciate your daily offering, and even the wishing fountain occasionally talks back. In-between mystery-solving, you can build a relationship with your team members by participating in activities like karaoke. It even has a rather unhinged fishing experience, if you feel like collecting demonic fish from the cursed harbor.
Overall, Demonschool is a genuinely fun experience for any horror fan, and I’ve been impressed with how well it plays. I’ve been doing my mystery-solving on the Nintendo Switch version, which runs smoothly and performs flawlessly. It feels great in handheld mode and looks fantastic, with vibrant colors and fluid animation during battles. If you like comedy-horror and turn-based tactical battles, it’s worth picking up.
See you in class!
Overall Score: 9/10