PAX EAST 2023 | "Demonschool"
On a mysterious island, strangeness reigns supreme. For many, that’s a problem; for Faye, the main heroine of Necrosoft’s Demonschool, that’s perfect! At PAX East, the latest demo was on display at the Ysbryd Games booth, as players have the opportunity to play a bit of what the story has in store. After seeing what Demonschool has to offer, it’s safe to say that we’ve got a real dark horse in the RPG realm!
There were two options to choose from regarding my demo: a boss fight and a story mode. As I wanted to get a feel of what these characters were like, I decided to give the latter a go. There I was transported to a part involving mysterious photos of demons. But before Faye and her crew could start snooping around, trouble arrived to throw up into battle.
Taking a tactics-like style of battle, players can plot their moves and attacks in advance to see what sort of damage they can create. With every move, the game showcases how an enemy will react, and if it might result in damaging your characters during the run. Thankfully, you can go back and re-plot your plan until you’re fully satisfied with the results. However, after your turn is over, seeing how the demons retaliate might make you want to come up with new ideas in order to take care of them.
During each of these battles, I witnessed demons (and even my own characters) explode into chunky waves of blood! It’s a cool visual, so long as it’s an enemy who’s biting the dust and not one of your crewmates. Thankfully, one only needs to fulfill certain conditions in order to move onto the victory tiles and continue the story, a good thing if you find yourself down to one character! (Don’t fret: your crew comes back, even after dying!)
One of the things I love most about Demonschool is its atmosphere. It’s clear that Necrosoft has a big love for the likes of Shin Megami Tensei and Disgaea, as the battles feel akin to those classics. On top of that, there’s a color scheme that brings to mind classic Hammer Films horror movies, especially when it comes to the blood and gore factors. (The game also has a banger of a soundtrack, one that sounds like something you’d hear in an early Sam Raimi/Wes Craven horror film.)
The demo also gave me a good idea of what these characters will be like in the narrative. Faye is very eager to break spines, with a intimidating stare that made me think of the titular Neuro: Supernatural Detective. Namako is the reasonable one, who sets out to find the truth about everything before taking action. However, it’s dumb friend Destin who’ll more than likely be the source of this story’s best zingers. (Wait till you get to the milk discussion.)
Thus far, Demonschool is shaping to be an impressive RPG. With mini-games, character relationship-building, and plenty of evil to smite, Necrosoft’s upcoming RPG could become one of this year’s most talked-about in its genre. As someone who sometimes has a hard time getting into RPGs, Necrosoft managed to gain my attention thanks to the style, attitude, and all-around fun this spooky game aims to deliver!
Demonschool arrives on PC and (most) consoles later this year, with a demo set to be released in May.
