| Demonschool | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release Date | Gameplay & Story | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
Demonschool Review Overview
What is Demonschool?
Demonschool is an isometric tactical RPG set on a mysterious island that teeters on the edge of the human world and the demon world. Playing as protagonist Faye and accompanied by a cast of like-minded misfits, the unlikely squad try to juggle getting through school and being university students by day, while also uncovering the mysterious phenomena of a demon infestation and the coming of the apocalypse by night.
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Demonschool’s gameplay and story.
Demonschool features:
⚫︎ A New Way To Play Tactics
⚫︎ Light Horror Narrative
⚫︎ Nostalgic Pixel Graphics
⚫︎ Demons, Demons Everywhere
⚫︎ A Glimpse Into A Strange University Life
⚫︎ Relationship Building with the Cast
| Digital Storefronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 PSN |
 Xbox |
 eShop |
| $24.99 | |||
Demonschool Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Vibrant, Stunning Visuals Unique Tactical Gameplay Interesting Characters |
No Text Toggle Challenging Tactics That Might Not Be For Everyone |
Demonschool Story - 8/10
Demonschool’s story sounds cliché—it’s up to a ragtag team of youngsters to save the world from an impending doom, all that jazz, and is admittedly a bit confusing at times. But the storytelling, the colorful cast of characters, and the dialogue injected with a good dose of humor keep it from being stale or just another "doomed world" narrative. It keeps you on your toes, motivating you to keep going and to uncover the real secrets behind this strange island in the middle of nowhere.
Demonschool Gameplay - 8/10
Its unique tactics gameplay stands out with its quirky mechanics of pushing and pulling units to create the perfect scenario to execute, while also balancing between different types of characters and their builds—as a new-style tactical RPG, it does well in adding extra flair to the strategic gameplay. Aside from its stellar combat, its school life-ish gameplay is entertaining as well, such as its selection of mini-games like the fishing and the quizzes, as well as the exploration mechanic and side quests.
Demonschool Visuals - 9/10
Demonschool is aesthetically pleasing, making use of vibrantly colored pixel art to illustrate its world. Gorgeous sprites, charming environments, and interesting character designs that make each character stand out on their own. The visuals really pop, especially during combat, with all the flashy combos and abilities in your arsenal as well as the satisfying exploding animation when eliminating a demon. What sweetened the pot was that the game had no lags whatsoever in my playthrough, smooth as butter from point A all the way to point Z.
Demonschool Audio - 8/10
The music is enchanting, to say the least—strange for a demon-themed light horror game, but it quite is. From the more easy-going exploration music when going about the town to the haunting, choir-featuring tunes of the battle track, its soundtrack is simply delightful—in a good, eerie way. Fitting for a haunted demon island, isn’t it? The animated sound effects also add an extra dimension to it all. There is, sadly, no voice acting, but it doesn’t sour the experience at all—although it would have elevated it to further heights, especially with how hilarious the dialogue is.
Demonschool Value for Money - 9/10
Demonschool is well-worth its $25 price, with a dozen or so endings to discover and collectibles to complete. The main campaign is decently long, clocking in at more than 20 hours, and with a price that doesn’t break the bank, you’ll be sure to be entertained from start to finish.
Demonschool Overall Score - 86/100
Demonschool is a quirky tactics RPG that is sure to entertain players in many different aspects. From odd but lovable characters, stunning visuals, an interesting plot that transcends the human and the demon world, and engaging strategy gameplay with unique mechanics, there’s a lot to like about it. Its complex tactical mechanics may not be for everyone and may not be the best tactical RPG for a newbie, but it’s got charm.
Demonschool Review: Wicked, Tactical Fun
It’s definitely a little late for Halloween, but here comes a spooky, demon-themed (as if it wasn’t obvious) tactical RPG coming fresh off the press, bringing back in the eerie vibes. Demonschool is an isometric tactical RPG set in—you guessed it, a school full of demons. Or rather, an island full of demons.
Frankly, I’m a bit of a coward at anything horror, but the visuals drew me in. Its pixel art, the cartoon-y look, for which I’m an absolute sucker for. There was something really appealing about it, and here I go, diving in, head first, no holds barred, even if my tactical RPG skills could use a bit more polishing.
And boy, was I more than intrigued. Demonschool definitely has its quirks that will keep you coming back for more. It’s already eye-catching visually, but when you delve deeper into it—it gets even better. It wears its Shin Megami Tensei and giallo horror influences proudly on its sleeve, and if you’re a fan of both, you’re in for an extra lovely treat.
Welcome To Hemsk Island
Demonschool is set in the strange island of Hemsk, a ways away from civilization, which…oddly enough, houses a university. You take on the role of Faye, a budding freshman with strong demon hunter blood in her veins. Following a prophecy left to her by her grandfather, who was one of the world’s last demon hunters, she, along with her crew of misfits, explore the demon-infested island that teeters on the center of the human world and the demon world in an ambitious attempt to stop the Apocalypse from happening.
But who said saving the world was that easy? You’re also a university student at the island’s "prestigious" campus. Juggling between fighting demons to oblivion and living the life of a college student is definitely hard work.
Unique Tactical Gameplay and Exploration
The star of Demonschool’s gameplay is its rather unique tactical style of combat. Battle commences on a grid as a playing field, changing size depending on the situation. Sometimes, you’ll have narrower grids as narrow as four squares, while other times, the field is over seven spaces wide. You then deploy your players—a playable squad consisting of four units, each with their own set of skills pertaining to different roles.
For instance, Faye and Destin are hard-hitting damage dealers that push their enemies back in the direction they came from, while debuffer Namako pulls them a spot back. Knute is, as referenced by his firm stance on being a pacifist, is the team healer who cannot attack enemies outright but instead provides support through healing and buffing his teammates.
Using their skills, players must strategically position not only their squad members, but the enemies as well. As specified by the in-game lore, players can only move in a straight line or diagonally because of how the demon world works, so you can’t just run up to the enemy full speed ahead and punch them to the next realm of hell. Make use of their skills and positioning to create lines and rows of enemies for maximum efficiency!
In contrast to the more popular type of tactical combat where you control each and every character per turn and have them play out their actions in real-time, Demonschool instead lets you plan out the execution, moving units to create the perfect sequence, and playing it all out at the end. You’re free to undo and redo as much as you want before pressing the action button, with your moves only limited by the character’s movement range and the Action Points. The more you use a character, the more Action Points needed to make them carry out an action.
And I must say, thank the heavens for the unlimited undo and redo. It’s a godsend for those who like viewing all the possible actions and choices before committing to the bit.
You are given a set number of demons to defeat before they can be fully sealed, ranging from as low as five demons to as much as twenty or more. Fortunately, you don’t need to eliminate every single enemy (that…that will take a while) to clear the battle.
Battling demons is fun and all, but it’s not all you can do in Demonschool—don’t forget about the "school" part of the name! Faye and her friends are college students, still young and wild and free. When you’re not punching the living dead (haha) to smithereens, you’re exploring every nook and cranny of Hemsk Island and having fun—to some extent.
There’s karaoke with your best buds, a fishing mini-game to capture samples of the most hideous-looking fish I’ve ever seen in my life (you guessed it, demon fish), relationship building, and more. College student by day, demon-hunting detective by night.
Stunning Audio-Visual Presentation
From the moment you boot up the game and are introduced to the ferry sequence, you know you’re in for a treat. Demonschool’s pixel art is simply gorgeous and eye-catching, with just the right mix of vibrancy and popping colors that definitely betrays its "horror" theme. Faye’s fiery red hair, Namako’s teal color palette, Knute’s mustard yellow against Destin’s angry red, the eerie fuschia of the demon world’s abyss, all the brightness that should feel out of place in a horror game, and yet it doesn’t. In fact, it echoes another horror-leaning title, Danganronpa, which also has rather outrageous (in a good way) character designs and visuals.
It’s also interesting that the game makes use of both 2D and 3D pixel art. Characters and their sprites are shown in a more 2D-looking visual, outlined in that distinctive black lining, yet the backgrounds are rendered in a more 3D-looking style that adds depth and dimension to its world. The juxtaposition of 2D against 3D backgrounds is not jarring at all, and it all blends in well.
Tying it all together is its haunting and eerie at times, but nevertheless catchy soundtrack, accompanied by animated sound effects that make the world feel more alive and immersive.
Interesting Characters, Intriguing Plot With Humor
Complementing the stunning audio-visual presentation are the characters—quirky, honestly relatable, and oh-so-real. From their character designs to their actual personalities, the main cast are all interesting in their own little ways.
Faye and Destin are, so far, my favorites—knuckleheads whose brawns act faster than their brains, with Faye having more of a working brain cell (I say lovingly). Perhaps that’s why they both have vibrant reds in their designs; fiery, impulsive, but they both have a strong sense of justice and mean well. Namako is an oddball, a worrywart who serves as the most level-headed out of the original squad; she is themed in blue and teal, as calm and serene as she is (in…comparison to her weird friends, at least). Knute, in his signature yellow scarf, is a nerd with a love for lost media, and is a pacifist at heart. His heart is bright, and in the right place.
They have their faults, sure, but that’s the joy of being young, after all. It’s fun to see them get into all these different situations, sometimes brought about by their recklessness and curiosity. This goes for the other characters you’ll be meeting along the way, sometimes allies, sometimes enemies. There’s no lack of interesting personalities here in Demonschool.
These quirky characters also make the storytelling so much more interesting to watch, even if they’re not voiced. The healthy sprinkling of humorous dialogue, despite the whole theme being rather dark and demonic, keeps things fun and somehow lighthearted, even when your enemies explode into red right in front of your very eyes…and the fact that the world will be ending when the semester ends. Youngsters saving the world from a certain destruction—the trope never gets old, but Demonschool spices it up with a good cast, and pretty audio-visual presentation to boot.
Also to add to the humor of it all, the funny anecdotes—there is a plethora of pop culture references scattered throughout the game. The game is set in the 90s, going for the Y2K aesthetic and era with the VHS tapes and all that, so if you’re in that sweet spot of growing up in that period, there will be quite a bit of familiar references, either visually or through way-too-familiar dialogue. Half the fun is finding them in game so I won’t spoil anything, but I suggest you hang around the town’s fountain a few times and see if a certain blond is familiar.
Tactical Gameplay That Challenges Your Brain
Now, I tackled this in an earlier section, but I’d have to say that its tactical gameplay is definitely challenging at first, especially to those who may not be as familiar with the genre. It takes more than a couple combat sequences to really get the hang of it (because I sure did), and it only gets harder, more complex from there as tougher enemies enter the fray, and more people to keep track of.
Those looking for something to stimulate their brain with something new would enjoy it wholeheartedly, but for those who may want to just play for the story or the characters might need to steer clear of this, as there’s no option for a skip button or an easier difficulty setting—and battles are practically a dime a dozen with how often it happens, probably one battle a day especially if you’re the type to do sidequests. It’s not for everyone, but it doesn’t take away its charm.
A Stylistic Text Toggle Would Be Nice
In an earlier patch to the game, the overall text font was changed to something more legible and less fancy, most likely following feedback on how confusing the original font would be for some people. Unfortunately for people who are fans of the first font (aka. me), there is no toggle or option to choose which font to use.
It’s a minor nitpick anyhow, but I believe the original font gave the game’s whole aesthetic a bit more pizzazz, a little more character than just a plain old serif font. It reminds me of when I played Pentiment, a narrative adventure title where there was the option to make the text all gothic and medieval (since it’s set in the Medieval era) or to go with a modern, more readable text. I’d love the option for that in Demonschool as well.
Is Demonschool Worth It?
Worth Getting Haunted For
Demonschool is well-worth it for a game of its genre—interesting strategy mechanics that keep it from growing stale, a nice set of non-combat gameplay to wind down with and to learn more about the characters, multiple endings to discover, over 15 intriguing characters to form friendships with. It may not exactly be a walk in the park to master at first, but the more you get into it, the better it gets.
| Digital Storefronts | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PSN |
Xbox |
eShop |
| $24.99 | |||
Demonschool FAQ
What platforms is Demonschool on?
Demonschool can be played on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.
Game8 Reviews
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Demonschool Product Information
 |
|
| Title | Demonschool |
|---|---|
| Release Date | November 19, 2025 |
| Developer | Necrosoft Games |
| Publisher | Ysbryd Games |
| Supported Platforms | Steam |
| Genre | RPG, Strategy |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| ESRB Rating | T |
| Official Website | Demonschool Official Website |
