Dead or School Critic Reviews

For some, the technical jank may be enough to put them off engaging with Dead or School fully. That’d be a real shame, though; allow yourself to get wrapped up in the narrative, the mechanics, the piles of loot, the beautifully designed stages and the game’s wonderful sense of style, and there’s something truly special to enjoy here; an honest-to-goodness hidden gem if ever there was one.

Dead or School is a game with limited budget, and that sings from afar: animations, videos, repetitive backgrounds... lots of things could be better. But the important, its metroidvania gameplay it's fun and systems like the weapon upgrade are deep and works better. Add a craziness layer, and you've got a simple but enjoyable game.

Dead or School provides a surprisingly long side-scrolling action campaign that’s sure to please fans of Castlevania-style games, especially those who’ve grown tired of countless retro-graphic homages. The action is tight, the story is fun, and the rewards are big.

Dead or School is a bit of a hidden and unpolished gem on the Nintendo Switch, but we found that its pros (battle system, level design and loads of contents) far outweigh the cons.

Dead or School is an interesting and ambitious RPG with hack and slash elements that features a surprisingly interesting plot and a good, sharp, fun combat system. The game's limitations are obvious, however, and the game's performance isn't always the sharpest but fans of RPGs will appreciate this effort.

The gameplay and exploration of Dead or School are surprisingly addictive, but enough small issues give me pause in fully recommending it. Grinding for levels, constantly upgrading your equipment, and completing sidequests for stat boosts are all practically required. It's very likely you'll encounter multiple final bosses that you simply aren't prepared for. Fortunately, many enemies respawn and save points refill your health and ammo, in addition to functioning as waypoints. Fanservice images pop up from time to time, but they aren't overly egregious and shouldn't dissuade you from a purchase. If you can look past its numerous imperfections, Dead or School is a satisfying and compelling albeit janky action-platformer that may be worth getting a hall pass for.

If you enjoy gameplay focused experiences and can tolerate some jank, Dead or School will be worth getting when it drops in price.

Dead or School’s combat can be fun in (very) short bursts, but it all ultimately falls flat hard and fast. It has the pacing of a freemium mobile game that’s dragging itself thin, begging you to spend money to speed it up. Except you can’t even do that to shorten your own suffering. With a larger budget and community feedback, I’m sure this team can deliver an excellent experience, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find that here.

Dead or School often intrigues in appearance, but never quite capitalises on the unique blend of the mundane. Technical issues bog down the core experience, and the lack of restriction or respect for the rest of the content sours what could have been a thoroughly enjoyable romp through the underground.