Demonschool just launched — and its “unlimited rewinds” could flip tactics RPGs

Demonschool is out today, and the thing that actually made me sit up wasn’t the Persona-style campus life or the eye-popping giallo palette-it’s the combat twist: planning turns with unlimited rewinds and then watching every action resolve simultaneously. If you’ve ever wished Fire Emblem let you experiment without save-scumming, or if Into the Breach’s “puzzle-box tactics” clicked with you, Necrosoft’s school-life RPG might be your next obsession.

Key Takeaways

• Planning-and-execution combat with unlimited rewinds makes fights feel like solvable puzzles, not coin flips.
• 15 playable allies and path-collision combos hint at real team-building depth (Faye boots, Varka yanks-yes please).
• School-life choices feed into 13 endings; the big question is how much they actually change your run.
• Launches today on PS5/PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and PC (Steam) for $24.99 with multiple language options.

Breaking Down the Combat

Necrosoft calls it a “Planning” and “Action” split: you plot routes on a grid in a quiet, chess-like phase, then flip the switch and watch everything unfold at once. Colliding paths trigger flashy team combos, which makes your turn feel less like micromanaging units and more like choreographing a brawl. The mix of 2D sprites in 3D spaces gives it a board-game-on-a-stage vibe that reads cleanly in motion.

The unlimited rewinds are the design wildcard. That can sound like an “easy mode,” but in practice it nudges the experience toward careful iteration and clever routing. Think Frozen Synapse’s simultaneous turns or Into the Breach’s “one more try” tinkering: you’re encouraged to test sequences until you land that perfect, domino-knocking chain. If you crave ironman stakes, you can always self-impose limits-but I suspect the intended pleasure is in mastery, not punishment.

The roster seems built to reward tinkering. Faye has those exuberant, gap-closing kicks while Varka’s chains yank enemies into danger zones. With 15 allies to befriend and train, the real meta will be discovering who lines up best in a given encounter and how to stage-manage those path collisions for maximum impact. If Necrosoft doles out upgrades thoughtfully, there’s a chance for that glorious “I broke the system on purpose” feeling tactics fans chase.

School-Life Meets Giallo Horror (Without the Homework)

Demonschool’s aesthetic is proudly weird, drawing on Italian horror cinema’s neon psychedelia and Japanese horror manga’s sharp edges. It’s less “grimdark” and more “student film meets midnight movie,” which instantly sets it apart from the usual medieval tactics fare. Between investigations, karaoke hangouts, and even pop quizzes, you’re living out a semester-long mystery as the last heir of a demon-hunting family. Oh, and Pocket the dog is pettable—priorities in order.

The Persona comparisons will be unavoidable, but the interesting bit is how bonds directly power combat combos. If hanging out with a character literally turns into better path-collision payoffs, the social layer won’t just be dialogue wallpaper—it’ll be your buildcraft. The team’s talking up 13 endings tied to your choices. My hope: these aren’t just palette swaps of the final scene, but meaningful branches. We’ll see soon enough if your semester choices ripple throughout missions or mostly color the last act.

Why This Lands Now

We’re in a low-key tactics renaissance—from prestige revivals to slick indies—and Demonschool slides into that space with a distinct vibe and a fresh loop. Ysbryd Games’ track record (VA-11 HALL-A, WORLD OF HORROR) tends to spotlight stylish games that punch above their budget, and Necrosoft’s Brandon Sheffield has never been shy about design swings. “This has been a labor of love (and a little bit of hate) for everyone involved for so long now,” he said. “We made the game we set out to make.” That confidence matters for a system-driven tactics title; if the knobs and dials are tuned, the replay factor could be huge.

The price helps the pitch. At $24.99, Demonschool isn’t pretending to be a 100-hour epic, but it is promising replayable scenarios, a chunky roster, and a style most AA tactics games can’t touch. The worry, if any, is whether unlimited rewinds sand down too much friction or if mission design keeps the pressure on. I’m betting the simultaneous resolution and combo economy will create plenty of “one more try” tension even when you can undo mistakes.

What Gamers Need to Know

• Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Steam Deck, and Windows PC via Steam.
• Price: $24.99 at launch.
• Languages: English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Simplified Chinese.
• Structure: Supernatural investigations, grid battles with planning/action split, social hangouts that fuel combat synergy.
• Tone: Giallo-tinged color blast with manga horror sensibilities—stylish, not dour.

If you’re into Persona or Shin Megami Tensei for the mood and relationships and you love tactics for the satisfying “I solved it” feeling, Demonschool looks like that rare crossover that respects both halves. If you’re a purist who wants high-stakes permadeath, you might have to bring your own discipline. Either way, this launch feels like a smart, confident swing from a studio that’s been quietly building cult favorites.

TL;DR

Demonschool drops today on basically everything for $24.99 with a stylish horror-college vibe and a tactics system built on unlimited rewinds and simultaneous turns. The real test will be mission variety and how much the 13 endings actually diverge, but the combat ideas alone are worth a look.