You All Missed This RPG From 2025 That Feels Like Old-School Persona

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Fortunately, this is changing slightly, with the release of a handful of seriously underrated JRPGs that attempt to ape the success of modern Persona one way or another. However, what interests me more are the games that don’t copy the magic of Persona 3 onward, but the style inherent to its two predecessors, the second game especially. They were their own unique beasts, something that, while certainly comparable to even Persona 5, felt distinct in a way that no one has ever really tried to replicate since. Only one game springs to mind when I think of titles that really capture that old-school Persona feeling, and it is the overlooked 2025 masterpiece, Demonschool.

Demonschool Borrows The Best Parts Of Old-School Persona

From the moment I first played Demonschool, I could feel the clear Persona 2: Innocent Sin inspirations. That’s not to say that Demonschool isn’t an incredibly unique experience, one with a plethora of its own ideas, as that would be utterly untrue. Rather, where I had expected to see the style and flair of the recent Persona titles, I instead found the grungy, isometric, horror-tinged style of the classic PlayStation 1 Persona games. It was somewhat refreshing, especially as this era of the series has been somewhat forgotten, largely because of 5’s astronomical success, launching the series to once-unthinkable levels of popularity.

Of course, if you’ve only played Persona 5 or even Persona 3 Reload, then you’ll still feel right at home. Ultimately, the Persona series shares a lot of the same DNA, much of which Demonschool borrows from. There’s a daily and weekly schedule to adhere to, social activities that boost stats, school (or university in Demonschool’s case) to attend, and a whole host of freaky monsters and demons to face against in stylish combat. However, the aforementioned isometric angle, extremely detailed 2D environments, an art style evocative of Kazuma Kaneko’s work on Persona 1 and 2, and the greater level of horror content will feel new to those more used to the later Persona games, and hopefully even a tad exciting. Demonschool is legitimately unsettling in a way that Persona 5, even with its challenging themes, simply isn’t.

Where Demonschool really differentiates itself is with its immensely unique and honestly genius combat. It sees you move each party member across a grid, planning out each turn carefully to maximize combo effects and deal as much damage as possible. Once you’ve perfectly mapped out your moves, you’ll see it unfold in real time. It really encourages strategic plays and careful consideration of each character’s abilities, something that modern Persona does less and less with each entry. That isn’t a slight against Persona, as the series doesn’t need the most tactical of turn-based combat, but rather an illustration of how robust Demonschool’s combat is, and how it creatively sets itself apart not just from Persona, but even the greatest JRPGs currently available.

We Need More Games Like The Original Persona Titles

I find the structure and format of a Persona game to be incredibly engrossing, even if the more modern entries haven’t quite enraptured me. While I have my gripes with some of Atlus’ questionable narrative decisions, both structurally and thematically, Persona’s blend of social sim and turn-based combat never gets old, and Demonschool is undeniable proof of that. I will always be searching for the next best Persona-like, or replaying older Persona games, or even desperately awaiting more Persona 6 rumors to set the internet ablaze.

Demonschool unlocked in me a passion to see the formula presented near perfectly in the current crop of Persona games be expanded upon in mature and interesting ways. Taking the setting out of high school allows Demonschool to explore new themes, its combat feels more strategic and ultimately rewarding, and its social sim stuff, while still feeling somewhat underbaked, feels like a step forward. I think, partially, these aspects are better because they’re not borrowing from Persona 5, but the earlier titles. It is these games with their more mature storytelling, unique visual style, and even, dare I say, better combat, that should serve not just as a blueprint to potential indie developers looking to take a stab at the formula, but the series as a whole.

At the very least, it would be nice to see more games like Demonschool. It won’t be for everyone, and I suspect there will even be Persona fans who are turned off by some of the changes it makes to the core formula. However, I personally love it and will always take more opportunities to experience the Persona gameplay style in new and evolving ways. Demonschool perfectly represents everything that I look for in an RPG, and it is a shame that so few people have seemingly played it, especially considering it has a free demo. If you have yet to experience the brilliance of Demonschool, do yourself a favor and try the demo. Trust me, it is worth it for the soundtrack alone.

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