Demonschool PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, Steam Deck, Switch 1, and PC impressions
Ysbryd Games and Necrosoft Games are launching their tactics RPG Demonschool tomorrow for consoles and PC platforms worldwide after multiple delays. Ahead of its launch, I've had a chance to play the Steam, PS5, and Nintendo Switch versions. While this isn't a demanding game that would require a lot of comparing and tweaking, I know there are many who are curious about the console versions, how the Switch port plays on Switch 2 via backward compatibility, and also the PC version on Steam Deck. I'm going to cover all of that and also the load times and what I think the developers need to fix in patches.
Demonschool PC features and graphics options
Demonschool on Steam runs at an uncapped frame rate with support for both controllers and keyboard & mouse inputs. It can automatically detect what button prompts to display or you can force any across Switch Pro Controller, PlayStation, Xbox, and keyboard & mouse. As for display options, it supports 960 x 540 to 4K with both 16:9 and 16:10 aspect ratios.
It works on 21:9 displays, but the ultrawide support is not ready yet with the left and right portions of the screen either not having art or with assets flickering. I recommend setting the game to 16:9 even if you play on an ultrawide monitor right now. I'm not sure if ultrawide support was even promised, but keep in mind that you should play at 16:9 for now.
Beyond the ultrawide issues, Demonschool is excellent on PC and runs without issues on Steam Deck, Steam Deck OLED, and even ROG Ally as I will cover below.
Demonschool Switch 2 and Switch impressions
Demonschool is a Nintendo Switch 1 game so it runs via backward compatibility on Switch 2. Given this game's aesthetic, I think it looks better on the Switch OLED rather than the Switch 2 for handheld play, but it suffers in load times. Docked will be similar on Switch and Switch 2 since it will still have the same docked resolution target on both. I want to note that the load times are much faster on Switch 2 via backward compatibility. I hope a native Switch 2 version is in the works because this aesthetic shines when it is running at the display's native res.
Demonschool Steam Deck and ROG Ally impressions
Demonschool is already Steam Deck Verified, and while it works perfectly with 16:10 support in handheld mode, I recommend making one change to improve the combat experience. By default, the right trackpad is set to joystick. If you change this to mouse cursor, it feels a lot better during combat when moving around the grid. You can also use the touchscreen this way and it makes Demonschool on Steam Deck by far my favorite way to play it.
On ROG Ally Z1 Extreme, everything works as it should with 120fps support and fast loading. If you have access to both handhelds, this is definitely one to play on Steam Deck OLED with how good the game looks on the OLED screen. If you only play on ROG Ally, you will get a smooth experience with no issues so far.
Demonschool PS5 impressions
Demonschool on PS5 is fantastic with 120hz support, PS5 Activity Card support for tracking progress, and the fastest load times on any platform I tested so far. I also played a bit of it via PS Portal. If you play on TV, the PS5 version is absolutely the way to go. If a physical copy is in the works, I'll definitely grab it for PS5 with how good this version has been so far.
Demonschool PS5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC load times compared
For testing load times in Demonschool, I measured the time to get to the title screen from the dashboard, loading an early game save, and the time to load a battle. I had Demonschool installed to the internal SSD on PS5 for the PS5 version, the internal SSD on Steam Deck, internal SSD on ROG Ally, internal storage on Switch 2 for the Switch 1 version, and the micro SD card on my Switch OLED for the Switch 1 version. The results are below with all times measured in seconds.
| Platform | Dashboard to title | Loading a save | Battle |
| Switch 1 | 22-23 | 20 | 7-8 |
| Switch 1 on Switch 2 | 14 | 9-10 | 3 |
| PlayStation 5 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Steam Deck | 14 | 9 | 1 |
| ROG Ally | 12 | 5-6 | 1 |
The Switch 1, while great visually on the OLED mode, takes the longest to load across the board. Even on the Switch 2's faster internal storage, you can't escape some of the loading, but it does help a lot. The PS5 is the fastest while you won't have any issues in-game across PS5 or PC. I hope a native Switch 2 version happens to get the loading and visuals sorted on Switch 2.
Which version of Demonschool should you buy?
If you want to play in handheld mode, I think the Steam Deck OLED followed by the ROG Ally is the best way to play Demonschool right now. On the Nintendo side, the Switch 2 backward compatible experience is good, but I'm not a fan of how the system scales the game's visuals handheld. Nintendo needs to add support for better upscaling or give players an option for how to play 720p games in handheld mode to have proper pixel perfect scaling if required.
For playing on TV or at home, the PS5 is my favorite way to play Demonschool with its super fast loading, crisp visuals with 120hz support, and even PS5 Activity Card support for tracking progress.
What I want fixed in Demonschool patches
I hope to see patches that improve Demonschool's ultrawide experience and also let players disable the character shake or vibration effect with the accompanying sound effects. As much as I love Demonschool so far with its superb aesthetic and also the combat and music, the character shake (not portrait shake) and accompanying sound effects really bother me. They feel out of place in an otherwise great game.
The Silver Case has a simialr issue with its typewriter sound effects which remain the only part of that game I don't like. I also recommend turning off screen shake and portrait shake in Demonschool immediately because I ended up getting motion sickness with them enabled. You might be fine with them, but I thought they happen too often in the game's current state. If a patch around launch addresses any of this, I will update this article.
I look forward to playing more Demonschool later this week because I'm enjoying it a lot so far.