DEMONSCHOOL

To say that I feel conflicted on reviewing DEMONSCHOOL is an understatement.

DEMONSCHOOL was something I was very excited to play as soon as I found out about it. Everything in its presentation- grid based combat, environments dripping with horror influence, character designs that had that certain Kazuma Kaneko tinge as if it was created specifically to draw me in and get me to play the game.

And I did play it. I played it for over 40 hours, making sure I squeezed out every last iota of story, character interaction, anything I could get my hands on. The beginning was what I wanted, the combat was, even for a grid based strategy-action game, explosive and fun. But as it continued there was something missing from the game that I had been thirsting for. Something missing that caused that thirst to only grow stronger until it overpowered any other thoughts or feelings I had towards the game.

WHAT'S ENJOYABLE?

Visually, the game is spectacular. The human realm and demon realm intersect with a 2D/3D style that massive companies still struggle to capture with their latest titles, AND are able to use the two dimensions to reinforce the difference between the human and demon world beautifully. The polygons making up these solid structures break apart and twist into grotesque new shapes when demonic influence enters the scene, taking the familiar locations your characters were just in and creating something alien for the oncoming bloodbath.

Character sprites are also outstanding. The characters mesh perfectly with their 3D world, and the designs are really top notch for both the portraits and the in-game sprites sprinting around the board, pulverizing meaty monstrosities into a geyser of blood. When it comes to spectacle, they understood exactly how to combine tactical-RPG gameplay and high-octane action into something special. Good party synergy, effective decision making and hard hitting characters create a system where putting your actions in motions plays out like a reward for figuring out the best way to annihilate the enemy.

The combat is great. Really just fantastic. The thing that kept me seeking out sidequests, fulfilling every mission, trying to clear out every board in the most effective and efficient way was the fun in the push and pull of organizing units and having them devastate demons as quickly and horrifically as possible.

Combat is also your reward for just about every sidequest in the game. Strengthening your bond with a friend, doing random tasks around the town, just about anything marked with an exclamation point will result in a battle.

Outside of that, there is a newspaper in the game that updates weekly. Although it mainly serves to remind you of what happened in the last week in-game, there is a column that I always enjoyed reading. You can rent a VHS of a REAL (usually horror/giallo/"B-movies") film from a man in a van at the end of each week, which will then have a REAL review in said newspaper. Those reviews always had a true love for the medium of film and desire to showcase these movies to the player that I really enjoyed.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

Too much of a good thing will make you sick of it, of course. The random battles I would seek out ended up feeling like a slog after discovering the team composition that could do the most damage as quickly as possible, and since I had no incentive to ever switch out the team members, they stayed. Each victory was guaranteed, and each sidequest became a check off the checklist. Combat went from thoughtful and interesting to, essentially, a cutscene. If you have a completionist's mindset, you may unfortunately fall victim to the same fate.

Even so, the combat IS the highlight, and something I enjoyed greatly. There was one thing that persisted throughout that constantly siphoned my desire to love the game:

It's the characters. Despite taking place in a college setting, the characters in the game act with the emotional maturity and depth of middle schoolers. It's honestly jarring and takes away from my ability to enjoy the game or the story.

The story itself is not profoundly innovative, but I do not think that keeps the characters from having the room to grow and act in ways fitting their scenario. Why is it that, with the apocalypse hanging over the heads of each of these characters from their first scene of the game, they all act with less emotional depth and maturity than any of the characters from Persona? Why do they have no interests outside of a romance with Faye (our protagonist) after their introduction?

More characters join the game. Their existence is sadly meaningless. The way they act in combat gives me no reason to use them over the characters I've already grown accustomed to using, and the way they act in their interactions gives me no reason to use them out of personal preference. This happens repeatedly until the end of the game.

NOW I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I REALLY THINK...

Honestly, I feel guilty writing anything negative about DEMONSCHOOL. And not just because I received a review key to play it.

My soul is tearing down the middle: one side says this goes against my philosophy to support indie games and the teams that create them to not bolster and support this endeavor just because it did not perfectly satisfy my expectations. Who am I to criticize when I cannot create? This is born from an impotent rage, the classic "entitled gamer" mindset that consumers demand everything from a developer regardless of size and never feel satisfied. In speaking negatively about DEMONSCHOOL, am I not the same as the eternally unsatisfied gluttons who plague this hobby?

The other side says this is all constructive and necessary. At the end of the day, I wanted to like DEMONSCHOOL. I don't think anything could have made me happier than if I had outright LOVED DEMONSCHOOL. But that did not happen. There are flashes in there of the game that I was anticipating, the game I expected to love. The look of it, the style, the gameplay. Sadly, for an experience stretching more than twenty hours, style and violence cannot carry it alone.

WOULD I RECOMMEND DEMONSCHOOL?

Yes. I think that, despite the elements of the game that did not appeal to me, it is still a unique experience that is worth playing. At the end of the day, it will always be worth it to play a game that provides something new to me.

WILL I PLAY ANY GAMES THAT NECROSOFT DEVELOPS IN THE FUTURE?

Absolutely.