Winner: Demonschool
Writeup by Jerry Williams
Demonschool’s puzzle-like combat design uses its several systems incredibly well to make even the most innocuous battles engaging. Combined with the stylish visuals and gore-flick fountains of blood, think of it like an Italian horror Yoshi’s Cookie meets Persona. What makes Demonschool particularly stand out isn’t just its incredibly well-balanced battles, but its reliance on delivering a feast for the eyes.
One might assume the exhausting amount of encounters would grow tiresome and the animated delivery would prolong gameplay needlessly—quite the opposite! I found it to be what kept me going. On top of its combat, Demonschool does a fantastic job complementing tactics with exploration, hilarious writing, and a sense of place. The dominant thread linking all of these emotions is the soundtrack Kurt Feldman composed. In a year with absolute blockbusters, I’m relieved that this endearing indie hit has made it onto one of our awards.
Runner-Up: The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy
Writeup by Pete Leavitt
Crafting a story with 100 endings from one starting point seems like one of those exercises a writer or writing team would undertake to sharpen their craft without any intention to publish. It’s doubtless that some endings would be more satisfying, sensible, or “good” (whatever that means) than others, as one would figure that the challenge would be to maintain the same level of care for each ending. It would be a tremendous test of focus and endurance. The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy manages this better than could be expected. Even most of the “bad endings” or negative outcomes have a weighty meaningfulness to them.
And just look at that number. I mean, wow! 100 endings? You’re probably going to want to see some of those at least. The fact that so many are so well done is quite the feat. Nestle all of this in a good turn-based tactical RPG, and you’re left with a very compelling package.
