As a gamer, I’ve had my fair share of moving into other genres to see what they’re all about, but the one that hadn’t seemed to break me was the JRPGs, such as Persona of Shin Megami Tensei. I’ve only recently in my life begun to get into anime, and just last year actually played my very first Persona game with Persona 3 Reload.

So when I heard about Demonschool, a Persona-like game that’s both a turn-based combat style gameplay and is also a bit of a life simulator in a way, set in a 90s timeline with monsters reminiscent of Yu-Gi-Oh’s, I was hooked. And after having played it, I am definitely a new JRPG fan.

Story and Gameplay

Right off the bat, this title lets you know that its main protagonist, Faye, is a force to be reckoned with. She’s cool, quippy, and incredibly confident in her abilities. She’s a really fun character to follow along the story set around her as she enters a new, mysterious university with an abundance of characters and enemies to engage with.

The story kept me thoroughly entertained from the first moment, as Faye and her friends engage in good, meaningful dialogue that truly helps flesh out who each of them is. And I must give credit to Necrosoft Games for creating a story with Queer characters within it, set in the 1990s. Though we face quite a bit of discrimination now, back then was even more commonplace to find discrimination against us.

As far as gameplay goes, it’s incredibly smooth and I actually found this game’s take on turn-based combat to be a lot more likeable and easy to master as opposed to games that it’s being compared to. It has its challenging moments, but the style and mercy it shows you as a player is totally appreciated by a girl like me who’s just testing the waters of the genre. I’d honestly say that my favorite aspects of the game, though, do come from the daily activities and just getting to know all of the wonderful characters within this world.

Graphics and Sound

It’s plain to see that this really is a gorgeous game to look at. All of the characters are illustrated so beautifully. And even the dimly-lit pixelated world that Demonschool takes place in is a beauty. The hues of pinks and purples make my heart sing. The lighting also perfectly lends itself to the demonic enemies that the game pushes at you. It manages to make the horrid seem pretty. Audio is great too, giving you a retro feel yet still managing to deliver some more modernism to its fantasy-like world.

Feedback and Conclusion

I had a fantastic time with Demonschool, and it may have finally given me my in into JRPGs! My only critique would be that the combat can become repetitive at times. But in all honesty, I think that if you’re someone looking for an empowering woman-led title, you love spooky vibes, you’re a goth/punk/emo, or you’re Queer, then playing this game is a must for you.