Dead or School Reviews

Dead or School is ranked in the 25th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
79 / 100
Mar 13, 2020

Dead or School it's 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 crazyness layer, and you've got a simple but enjoyable game.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

6.5 / 10.0
Mar 15, 2020

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

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PlayStation Universe
Adrian Bromfield
Top Critic
7 / 10.0
Mar 21, 2020

Despite some concessions, the game is fun and humorous and packed with varied, satisfying combat. If that's your jam and appreciate an original plot, Dead or School belongs in your collection.

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Mar 13, 2020

Dead or School exceeds in delivering a fast pace hack and slash adventure that will keep players engrossed. There's enough extra content away from the main story to keep perfectionist playing till they completed 100% of the game. The weapon customisation and Skill tree is enough to keep players wanting to revisit levels and try out different combinations. However Dead or School does suffer from repetitive and dull enemies, even when attacking in hordes they don't prove much of a threat.

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7 / 10
Apr 30, 2020

Dead or School on the Nintendo Switch is more ambitious than it suggests. This RPG with hack and slash elements has a very interesting story line and a combat that is fun and engaging. It does less well when it comes to its technical performance, which is where its limitations stand out the most, but this a work that is certain to appeal to RPG fans.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

6 / 10
Apr 13, 2020

Dead or School is a pretty good game with a strange and artisanal design, but quite deducive after all.

Review in French | Read full review

8 / 10
Mar 16, 2020

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.

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7.3 / 10.0
Mar 18, 2020

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.

Review in Italian | Read full review

7.5 / 10.0
Mar 18, 2020

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.

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2 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2020

Visually ugly with inelegant, outdated gameplay, Dead or School is flunking all of its classes.

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7 / 10.0
Mar 15, 2020

Dead or School is a surprisingly fun, polished hack-and-slash side-scroller with ridiculous fanservice that might turn some people off and a spotty script that struggles to make up for the repetitiveness of the combat.

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Mar 13, 2020

As something of a budget entry into the same genre occupied by Onechanbara, Dead or School is decent fun. Being a budget game it struggles to maintain a consistency in tone and experience, but a solid loot and upgrade system, some great boss fights, and a good sense of humour, all help to see it through.

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Mar 13, 2020

Overall, I do find it hard to recommend Dead or School. While I love how fast and frantic the gameplay can be, the presentation really lets it down. If you’re going into this hoping for a well-told and exciting story with nice cutscenes you might be let down.

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6.5 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2020

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.

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7.2 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2020

On several levels this game seems to be incredibly set for success...

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Recommended
Apr 15, 2020

Does this paradoxical, naive-yet-suggestive Metroidvania stick the landing as a potential best indie of early 2020?

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Gaming Fyx
Eric Gettinger
May 23, 2020

If you can make it past some of the surface issues with the visuals and the combat being repetitive, there is a pretty interesting story to be told here.

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6 / 10.0
Mar 13, 2020

Dead or School is a fun romp for those seeking tight game play. However, don’t expect to be immersed. It’s marred by horrible localization, preventing any investment. The mystery that appears is decent though. Worth keeping in mind that Dead or School will start slow. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do enough for me to comfortably recommend purchasing it at full price

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7.2 / 10.0
Mar 16, 2020

Dead or School offers an enjoyable and action-packed adventure, but some technical issues and a strong focus on grinding do hold it back a little. The variety of weapons and deep levelling up mechanics will certainly do enough to keep you invested in the game though, and there it certainly has a lot more pros than cons – it’s just a shame that the (sometimes repetitive) action can be a little bit too janky to fully appreciate on the Nintendo Switch at times.

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CFG Games
Bunneh 3000
Mar 24, 2020

While light on the platforming, Dead Or School is an indie gem that leans on hack n slash combat and loot to pull you in and keep you.

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