Following the ID@Xbox stream hosted by IGN. There is a whole slew of demos for Xbox players to engage in. Ranging from more well-known gems like Sea of Stars to some more obscure yet interesting titles like Demonschool. Which is an isometric tactics game with a story that is focused on a school that is corrupted by demonic influence as the name implies. The story follows a gang of four teens as they investigate the source of the corruption and duke it out in very challenging encounters.
Demonschool Demo Impressions
Demonschool has a lot of Persona vibes that I picked up on the more I played the demo. The expressive character designs and how the characters act are incredibly well down. I loved Faye as the main character since she never felt one note or “safe” in terms of attitude. Her companions are a little underwhelming in comparison. As they only feel like they play off of Faye rather than add to interactions in more meaningful ways. However in the very small slice of content available in the demo. I was not able to fully understand the side characters, but I am very eager to learn more about the story and this gang.
The combat on the other hand is very simple yet challenging. One thing I am never a fan of in RPGs is when damage numbers get ludicrously high. Demonschool at least in the demo has a very simple singular-digit approach to damage numbers and health pools. This allowed me to figure out strategies better for the absolutely engaging combat encounters.
When taking action during your turns. The game plays out each attack as you move characters and use their attacks. This allowed me to see if my turn would be impactful instead of having to imagine if it would. But just as I was pulling off combinations with characters, enemies would strike back with equal and at times more than devastating attacks. From poison, to area-of-effect knockbacks and rooting characters in place and rendering them useless made so many encounters challenging and engaging.
Demonschool is going to be a very good tactics game with a lot of style and a very interesting story with simple navigation in zones and a stylish map. Keep your eyes on this game by following them on their Twitter and maybe play the demo to get a taste of it!
