Demonschool - tactical RPG about taking classes and fighting big weirdos

[Infinitron]

https://necrosoftgames.com/demonschool/

 

[Night Goat]

This obviously isn't made by Japanese people, and you retards define JRPG as any RPG made by Japanese people, so even by your own standards this shouldn't be here.

 

[Viata]

So, finally some non-japanese Persona clone.

 

[Sarkile]

This obviously isn't made by Japanese people, and you retards define JRPG as any RPG made by Japanese people, so even by your own standards this shouldn't be here.

There are plenty of games in the JRPG forums that are not made in Japan, but still conform to the style and tropes of the genre.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/demonschool-is-a-game-where-3d-demons-invade-the-2d-human-world/

Demonschool is a game where 3D demons invade the 2D human world
This is one to keep a disembodied eye on.

Announced at today's blockbuster PC Gaming Show, Demonschool is a tactics RPG that combines several familiar elements into something that looks completely new. The hook is that movement equals action, which is a new one on me when it comes to isometric turn-based combat—you select a character, choose a direction, and they'll interact with whatever's on that path, attacking enemies and buffing friendlies.

But a clever new combat system is just one of the elements Demonschool is bringing to the table. You begin the game as Faye, a new student at a 'university' for malcontents, and also heir to a famous lineage of demon hunters. You'll soon have four characters in your party, each with their own class and movement techniques, and the combat system is streamlined and focused on combo-ing your characters' moves to destroy foes more efficiently.

The game's visual style is a real treat: the majority of the action is isometric, but there are perspective shifts and camera tricks that see the world shift between 2D and 3D. Developer Necrosoft Games says the visual influences are "classic Italian horror films of the ‘60s and ‘70s, drenched in strange visuals and hellish grotesquery driven by a funky bassline."

The combat is one thing, but aside from that Faye's a student. If some of the character models give off Persona vibes that's not the only similarity, because part of the game is living through a school semester: choosing what to study, who your friends are, developing your team's skills through class schedules, and acquiring new allies with side quests. You can "Foster friendships or fiery romances between them all", says the developer, with various different endings depending on the path you choose.

Mix-and-match
I spoke to Brandon Sheffield, who's the creative director at Necrosoft Games, about the game's many inspirations.

"So in the case of Persona and Into the Breach, we just know people will make the comparisons, but they're not actually the touchstones we were going for," writes Sheffield. "It's funny because we actually developed our battle system before Into the Breach was even announced, and then our programmer Shane played it as an IGF judge and was like "...uh oh!" The similarity is a total coincidence, we were actually inspired more by Valkyria Chronicles, but using a totally different visualization and approach.

"The goal was to reduce the number of clicks required to perform in a traditional tactics space, so you're not doing the ole—choose your character, choose your spot, hit confirm, choose your action, hit confirm, choose your enemy, etc etc. With our thing, motion equals action. It just so happens that lined up quite well with what Into the Breach was doing."

Sheffield says Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor on DS was a bigger influence than Persona (both are Atlus-developed series), but that the visual similarities are more to do with the fact that "there are only so many ways you can make realistically proportioned human characters in this kind of isometric space. And of course with demons and relationship building it all gets a bit Persona-y. But really, it's more of a Shin Megami Tensei offshoot than anything."

Another of the names thrown into the mix is Yakuza, which Sheffield says is all to do with how Sega's series treats time. You always have a main objective but there's no time limit on it within the world: "Until then, you're free to do whatever sidequests you want, goof around with minigames, just wander, whatever," writes Sheffield. "We take that and simplify it, in that we have certain events that move time forward every day—the game takes place across a weekly schedule by the way—but you can freely do any other events that may come up, as you desire. It gives you a nice pacing and the ability to really play it at your leisure. My main thing in games is I want to be hanging out in a space, even if that space is weird and has demons in it."

One of the aspects of the game that made it appeal to me is the otherworldly vibe that Necrosoft has managed to create. This place is vibrant-but-sinister, smooshing together things that don't look like they should fit and, with the perspective shifts, making it all feel a little unreal.

"Demonschool is a different kind of place," writes Sheffield. "If you've ever seen Italian horror films from the '70s, they feel as though they take place beyond time, in another universe that's nearly identical to ours. I feel like that's what games are, they've got all these hints of the familiar, but they're ultimately fantastical. I get that also out of manga like Dorohedoro, where you've got people who are going through absolutely horrific stuff, but they're quite accustomed to it. Things are going wild all around them, but they have to go through it, find humor where they can, and that sort of thing."

Devilish good looks
I end by asking Sheffield about the way that the 2D and 3D worlds rub up against and almost bleed-through into one another, and some of the specific influences going into this effect.

"There are a few major touchstones... some I would love for people to try and guess, so I won't get into the actual specifics, but we take lighting cues from the Italian horror and giallo pictures of the 70s, so your Bavas and Argentos and Fulcis of the world," Sheffield writes. "An obvious game one is Grandia, with the way they treat 2D and 3D, and the almost diorama-like construction of their environments. Then there's our character avatars, which are all done by one of our artists, Catherine Menabde, which are very horror manga influenced. Suehiro Maruo is an influence, among others. Junji Ito is the one everyone thinks of, but he's a bit less of an influence on this other than popularizing the art. You can see the horror manga influence in the way we use lines for shading, the emphasis on eyelashes, the occasionally maniacal faces, and so on."

As for why the game's look is unique, turns out the team put some self-imposed restrictions on itself that have ended up contributing to the overall coherence of the aesthetic. "We also make use of dithering, and 'physical' visual effects that are made up out of polygons," writes Sheffield. "We made up a bunch of rules that we (mostly!) stuck to, as though we were creating this game for a game console that never existed, but which had particular things it could and couldn't do. That's why most animations are 8 frames, or multiples thereof, and why the effects are constructed from polygons, and we heavily use dither for 3D, even though 2D can be transparent. It should also hopefully help give you that sense that the 2D and 3D worlds are fighting with each other for primacy."

That last line's something of a tease: part of Demonschool's idea is that the human world is 2D, and represented visually as such, while the demons trying to pour into it are 3D. If you look at the trailer again, notice how much more the boss character models and grids are made to 'pop' into the world.

Demonschool is due on PC and Steam Deck in 2023, and here's the official site(opens in new tab).

 

[rusty_shackleford]

This is a clone of a jrpg if you were unaware, infinitron.

 

[lightbane]

But with niggers and ugly broads, both of which are infesting gaming and movies lately.

 

[karoliner]

We have ghost and alien but we need a demon rating for cases like this.

 

[Modron]

This obviously isn't made by Japanese people, and you retards define JRPG as any RPG made by Japanese people, so even by your own standards this shouldn't be here.

For all your DESUDESUDESU needs, where everything released in an asian language or from an asian developer can be discussed. If it remotely smells Japanese, put it in here.

Granted it's not a hard and fast rule plenty of asian stuff outside of this forum but it is good form to reach the target audience here.

 

[Endemic]

Oh hey, a Persona clone.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/demonschool-is-a-slick-persona-like-that-revels-in-the-beauty-of-simplicity/

Demonschool is a Persona-like tactical RPG about fast, frantic combat​

School gets extra hellish in a dazzling horror tactics RPG.

My time at university was a mixture of wasted lectures and too many nights out, but at least I can say I didn't have to fight shrieking monsters or risk getting dragged into a demonic realm. Though perhaps that would've been preferable given how slickly entertaining Demonschool(opens in new tab) makes it.

The game streamlines the combat of tactics RPGs and wraps it up in a story of students navigating the perils (supernatural or otherwise) of university life. Speaking with Creative Director Brandon Sheffield, it's clear that it's a game with a wealth of influence. "People compare it to Persona, Shin Megami Tensei and stuff… there was like Devil Survivor which was an SMT game, that was influential, a little bit with the relationship system… but the influences were much further flung and more from the cinematic and music sides. So it's great that this grab bag of things I like has come together into something that people actually wanna look at."

You play as Faye, who comes from a family of the last demon hunters, which essentially makes her a Belmont. Basically, she just loves to punch things and that makes her a girl after my own heart. Faye has begun university on a mysterious island along with a party of friends. Together they'll need to balance the demands of higher education with the danger of higher powers.

Cue possessed students, mysterious memory loss and...Yakuza?

Gameplay Demo-n​

The demo I played featured a handful of combat encounters and a bit of the downtime between, both of which are very promising. Even just aesthetically it's such a pleasing world to be in, with lovingly detailed environments and enchanting transitions. The human world is represented in 2D, with your characters and NPCs as sprites; the demon world and its most monstrous inhabitants are 3D. Eerily, the school itself is somewhere between the two, a 3D space presented as 2D, a sign of its supernatural corruption. As a visual effect it's eye-catching as hell, but that there's some meaning to the stylistic flair really gives Demonschool some teeth.

What a world it is too. Its demon inhabitants are lurid creations that can explode into gore and viscera. The game is never out-and-out horror but there's a genuinely unsettling quality to its monsters, and atmosphere that gives it an edge. A sense of danger that heightens the stakes for your team, a party of four but with 15 characters to recruit, and makes each mystery they confront feel life or death. Demonschool draws on horror manga like the works of Suehiro Maruo and Junjji Ito, but also Italian horror cinema—and it's a truly potent blend.

"The films of Lucio Fulci are a big influence, so like City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, Psychic and all those have music by Fabio Frizzi who is a big music influence on us...There's also touchstones like Suspiria."

The demo didn't offer a long look of how the Persona-esque downtime will play out, but the sampling was promising. You explore the titular school as well as the surrounding island, traipsing through everything from classrooms to graveyards. There's even a customisable clubhouse where you and your team can hang out, with an unlockable mini-game. Brandon also mentioned the final game will have fishing too, so you know this is a good and proper RPG.

Side quests litter the world, with progression tied to certain times of day, but only main quests push time forward (with a slick title card and blast of lighting). There doesn't seem to be a lot of tension in choosing how to spend your time, as far as I was shown, but certainly, a more relaxed and less time-sensitive pace will suit many. However, there are dialogue choices to be made, where you can side with one of your companions over another, which levels up your relationship with that character. You'll have to choose carefully too, since I'm told the game's endings are determined by those relationships. Brandon says the game will contain around 15-20 hours of main quests, with the overall playtime likely to double if you chase down all the side quests. Which is quite the satanic offering.

"[We are] making a tactics game that is efficient with players' time. Reducing the number of clicks and making all choices really clear—making you able to fast forward or rewind."


The mission statement of Demonschool, then, is to get into the action faster, and that's true for its story as well as its combat. It strips out the faff and fuss—a goal with a surprising inspiration.

"In terms of pacing, [mangas] Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen are also influences, because I like how they just get straight in to action and story. They make really excellent use of character tropes," says Brandon. "Writers have a tendency to feel the need to explain everything before it even happens. So I'm using those as touchstones to force myself to not do that."

The primary showcase of all this was the demo's boss fight, with a screeching, giant 3D skeleton whose brain explodes from its skull as an attack. While it deploys minions to fight you, it also smashes down with fingers and swipes with its arms, meaning you need to keep your party clear of those incoming attacks while you dish out the damage. It teeters on the edge of overwhelming, in the best way, as you scramble to come up with the perfect set of moves to keep you ahead. Mitigating the stress is a generous undo button, letting you easily tinker with a strategy and then bail if you realise a better move is possible. It can't roll back an entire phase, but it gives you plenty of breathing room while you plan each turn.

Once you've made your choices, you're rewarded by getting to see it all play out in one go, and there's a lovely rhythm to that. It's like setting up a movie scene and then shouting 'action!'. Get two characters working as a combo and you're even treated to special, stylish cutaway before you watch them explode a demon in a shower of ichor.

Demonschool revels in simplicity, making the most out of everything it's doing instead of adding on the illusion of depth with menu screens full of options. Things are kept slick and clear. I finished the demo eager to play more, and I just know that this is going to grab people as the perfect thing to luxuriate in over a month, one lunchtime battle or two at a time—like Into the Breach with spooky teens. School is in, and today, class, we'll be learning all about kicking demon ass.

 

[normie]

demo out on Steam
edit: it's trash lol

 

[SerratedBiz]

You could tell that was the case because Infinitron was pushing it.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/pe...o-shenanigans-in-supernatural-rpg-demonschool

Persona meets teen Scooby-Doo shenanigans in supernatural RPG Demonschool​

After playing the the demo at last year's PAX West, then playing the same demo again at this year’s PAX East, and then playing it a third time from the comfort of my own home as part of this year’s LudoNarraCon, I think I’m slightly obsessed with Demonschool.

I’ve had a blast beating up supernatural weirdos with a group of misfit college teens. Together with its soundtrack of absolute bangers that combines dramatic church choir chorus with pulsing synth wave beats (please put the OST on Spotify, Ysbryd), and a slick art style that makes me dribble like a brain-hungry zombie every time I see it, I’m thinking that Demonschool might very well be on its way to being be one of my favourite games of 2023 when it releases sometime this year. What can I say? I love punching freaky demons in the face.

At its core, Demonschool is a turn-based tactical RPG where you play as demon hunter Faye and her gang as they try and protect their island from becoming prime real estate for a demon takeover. There are horror elements, naturally, but it's spooky rather than scary. Playing as the rag-tag teens, you’re tasked with investigating and then stopping a whole bunch of supernatural nonsense from slipping into the human dimension.

The demo’s story is centered around the teens investigating a group of possessed kids who’ve been performing rituals at night, which is a big no-no. After obtaining photo evidence, the group finds out that it’s not just the local gangsters that are behind the rituals, but the school’s dean and potentially the peppy school president, too. Oh, snap! I love this kind of drama. It feels like the campy mysteries you see in Scooby-Doo or Buffy The Vampire Slayer. It’s fun and a little bit goofy, and it means that Demonschool doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is great.


I'm a big fan of the 2D character art with the thick outlines. Makes it look like everyone is rocking black eyeliner.

As part of your investigation, each in-game day is split into daytime and nighttime sections. During the day you get to chat with your group in cute character events, complete mini-investigatory side quests, plan your gang’s school schedule to enhance their skills and snoop around the school and the surrounding town looking for clues to progress the story. Then, nighttime is when you get to throw down with the ghoulish nightmares that haunt the island.

Demonschool is very Persona-like in this way. I like the daytime busywork of exploring each area, chatting with locals to find leads, and getting to know members of the group with character events. During one such event with buff boy Dustin, I found out that he actually likes his milk warm and lumpy, which would be totally unforgivable if he wasn’t such a dumb, loveable himbo, bless him. The banter between the characters is funny and playful, and although you can gain new teammates in the game’s full release, I’m actually really feeling the current squad in these demos. Balancing your school life with your demon-hunting side gig is all part of helping your team grow into an all-kicking, all-punching demon-busting machine that's so efficient it would make Devil May Cry's Dante sweat.


Often you’ll be thrown into Demonschool’s brawls, a common occurrence as you’re dealing with creatures of the underworld. These encounters have all the hallmarks of classic turn-based fights - action points, area attacks, party combos, buffs, debuffs, etc - but everything looks and feels very slick. The music is a glorious chorus of upbeat synth, environments are bathed in a luminous pinky, purply glow, and the 2D sprites in an isometric 3D space really make the characters and enemies pop within it.

There are also moments of wonderful flair during these fights. When you use a combo attack - like how I used Namako’s switcheroo move to swap places with a demon, stunning them but also placing them in the perfect position to be met with Faye’s powerful roundhouse kick - two comic book portraits of the characters will slap onto the screen before the characters unleash their moves.

The demo only has a handful of enemy types, but they’re all kinds of nasty abominations. There are your classic zombies and gangsters, sure, but also disembodied humanoid torsos that pull themselves across the floor and fleshy monsters with giant, toothy maws. There's a parade of gloriously grotesque creatures that look like they’ve just slithered out of a Junji Ito manga.


I have a soft spot for Faye whose solution for every problem are her fists.

Speaking of those horrible nasties, one thing that wasn’t in the recent LudoNarraCon demo (but was in the PAX builds) is the boss fight with a giant, chompy skeleton. Its arms wrap around the entire arena as it tries to crush your squad with its huge boney fingers. I didn't defeat it during my playthrough back then, but if you do manage to whack its health down to zero, the skull opens up and a gross brain flops onto the ground, blood spurting everywhere like some gory firework celebration.

I want more of Demonschool. More fun characters, more supernatural shenanigans, more hideous bosses, and more slick fights. There’s currently no release date according to the game's Steam page, but after chatting to the Necrosoft team at PAX East (which is now available to all), it should be out sometime this year.

 

[Jermu]

main cast talking about their sexual orientations

 

[Modron]

Yeah this was disappointing I guess I didn't look too closely at it before, I thought it was an RPG inspired by Persona instead of just a Puzzle game inspired by Persona.

 

[lightbane]

Why do all modern indie game characters look like the same hideous abomination.

 

[Modron]

CALarts and Tumblr.

 

[KIss My Ass]

If this is in the JRPG subforum because it appears to be Japanese then From Software's games need to be moved to General RPG because they appear western.

 

[Lord of Riva]

Seriously, I know people hate anime but who looked at that art and thought: "yeah that looks like quality"

 

[Tweed]

The humans look creepy and not in wholesome Kazuma Kaneko way.

 

[SerratedBiz]

Seriously, I know people hate anime but who looked at that art and thought: "yeah that looks like quality"

Time to unknow them.

 

[kaisergeddon]

This is the kind of art style that makes you check the tags on Steam so you know to avoid spending money on a Tumblr lecture.

 

[Nifft Batuff]

This obviously isn't made by Japanese people, and you retards define JRPG as any RPG made by Japanese people, so even by your own standards this shouldn't be here.

There are plenty of games in the JRPG forums that are not made in Japan, but still conform to the style and tropes of the genre.

Like Elden Ring.

 

[Infinitron]

New trailer: