New RPG With "Very Positive" Reviews Channels Classic Persona Games

A new one Persona-inspired tactics RPG is called Demon school is now available on PC and consoles. Set on a mysterious island, the indie title tasks players with balancing university life and demon hunting, positioning their Persona affects the front and center.

Developed by Oakland, California-based Necrosoft Games, Demon school bills itself as a modern tactical RPG “where movement equals action.” Its combat meets reward efficiency, encouraging players to clear grid-based battlefields in as few turns as possible. True to its name, Demon school follows protagonist Faye and a group of university students as they hunt down demons in interdimensional spaces while maintaining university life. As such, it is conceptually similar to a Persona games with adults, something a vocal segment of Atlus' fandom has long called for.

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Demonschool is coming to PC and consoles with a launch discount

Demon school was originally targeted for a September 3rd release but was delayed due to Hollow Knight: Silk Song effect, along with several other indie titles. The strategy RPG officially launched on November 19 and is coming to PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch and PC. Although it is slated to retail for $24.99, Demon school is currently available at a small launch discount of 10%, bringing the price down to $22.49. The promotional offer comes without restrictions on all platforms except the PlayStation Store, where a PS Plus subscription is required to take advantage of it. Launch sales will end in early December 2025, with the exact date varying by platform.

Early Demonschool reviews are encouraging

Demon school has received largely positive early reviews and received a “strong” rating on OpenCritic with an average score of 75, with two out of three critics recommending the game. Reviewers have praised its distinct tone, which mixes light horror with whimsical elements to deliver a unique experience. The game's time management system – which requires players to balance university life, demon hunting and befriending characters – has also been well received, with reviewers praising it as appealing to all modern fans. Persona games that revolve around similar mechanics. Its art style, which Necrosoft describes as evocative of '70s Italian horror films, has also been praised for its memorable mix of 2D sprites, 3D backgrounds and neon lights.

Demonschool's unique SRPG combat throws stats and grinds out the window

One of the more polarizing aspects of Demon school is its combat system, which visually remembers Revelations: Persona due to its use of an isometric grid, although the similarity is largely superficial. In practice, developer Necrosoft makes a bold design choice by toning down stats: all characters have low HP pools and damage calculations are greatly simplified. As a result, grinding is virtually non-existent, with success in combat dependent on smart positioning, effective combos and strategic use of status effects. Some reviewers praised this approach for making the game highly accessible and potentially broadening the appeal of the strategy RPG genre. Others claimed that it sometimes does Demon school feels more like a puzzle game than a tactical RPG. This argument begs yet another Persona comparison, against which similar criticisms were leveled Persona 5 Tactics by some reviewers in 2023.

Early player impressions of Demon school seems consistent with its critical reception. On Steam, the tactical RPG currently has a “Highly Positive” rating, based on more than 500 user reviews. The PS4 and PS5 versions have been equally well received, with a rating of 4.72 stars on the PlayStation Store. The Xbox Store has yet to show an aggregate score due to a low number of submissions, but as of November 30, its only user review gives the game a perfect five-star rating.

As Atlus continues to stick to concrete details Persona 6 under wraps, Demon school serves as a timely reminder that smaller teams with modest budgets can still meaningfully explore the core ideas that made Persona series so popular in the first place. In this case, Necrosoft delivered a tactics-heavy version of Atlus' signature combination of school life, socializing, and JRPG combat, while streamlining the overall experience with some bold design decisions.