Gakuin Makyo ~High School Crisis~

I'm really not a fan of combining timed parry minigames and grandia turn interrupts. Generally it feels like some sound effects are either mixed incorrectly or missing. This game is really puzzling to me because it isn't like it's entirely without any effort, it's just that the effort and emphasis wasn't put on the things that are front and center to people. I don't understand some of the thought process of the creator. But I don't think this one works for me... It feels like there's a pretty ok game in here that needs to be excavated by cutting out bad parts and polishing up others. But that's obviously not going to happen...

I got this game for free. I'm a Youtube content creator and requested it because it looked like a Famicom Shin Megami Tensei game, specifically SMT IF. I did click recommend, but honestly only because I feel like there IS a fanbase for this game...somewhere. Getting the AI stuff out of the way.... the characters and demons are all lazily generated characters and while they serve their purpose it really doesn't have a lot of meaningful appeal and feels generic and lifeless compared to something like SMT where demons are based off of actually IRL lore and they all have a feeling of having a personality. In this game it's just all very cookie cutter. With that addressed I want to talk about the game. I've put 11 hours into it and I'm in the third major city currently. I actually like a lot of the overall feeling this game put outs. In a lot of ways it's highly nostalgic feeling and I know there's people out there somewhere who will feel the same, most likely people who like Famicom dungeon crawlers, with all their frustrations and flaws. Despite being made in 2024 this game feels like a fan project from the 90's. It's pretty clunky, the combat is basic and repetitive, and wow...does it have some frustrating objectives. Still, it's nothing that we haven't seen done worse in SMT IF. A good example of this is when you need to get to the top of a tower to attend a dress party. You need to navigate to the third floor to find an elevator only to be asked to go to the second floor and find pitfalls to the first floor to get to areas not accessible any other way due to one way doors. When you get to those area you must flip switches which the maintenance demon asked you to flip a specific way. Your party will literally tell you the wrong thing to do and then they will gaslight you for choosing the right option. If you get it wrong you have to go back and do it right. Once you complete this and get back to the fourth floor you then find out that to attend the party you need to have your party equipped in specific clothing depending on the time of day you want to attend (morning or evening dress codes). That means you have to go to the second and first floors to find the correct shops selling the right gear and equip them and be at the elevator at the right time based on your equipment. It's not the craziest thing but it's frustrating and honestly the whole game just feels like a meandering goose hunt. The music is ok, there's no actual VO, and I can't think of a lot of other ways this stands out... yet for some reason I just keep playing. The story is also rather generic feeling if you've played these types of games. There's an earthquake at your school and you discover you've been transported to the demon realm. You want to go home and find out from a conveniently placed friendly demon that you need something called the monolith which will open a gate between worlds. The issue is it's location is unknown so you'll spend the game wandering around all over various cities tracking it down. Combat is interesting I suppose. It's turn based and your characters all have preset skills you unlock by leveling them up. You have minimal control of your characters growth during leveling with stat point allocation and with equipment. The balance seems a little screwy the longer I played and at some point as long as I was selling my old gear and exploring all the areas I ended up being super OP against all regular encounters and only have a little trouble with certain bosses due to some story related things that happen leading up to those fights which limit you and I won't spoil. There's magic and buff/debuff support skills but they don't seem to carry a meaningful weight to them and the game can be played without getting to deep into it. There's a crafting system with the magic too but honestly it just seemed like a pain without a great payoff so I ignored it almost entirely. You're either going to "get" this game or you'll hate it. I think given the small size of the team it's a good effort and with some more development and team members I think it could have been really great, but as it is I'd say it's really just enjoyable for those who relish in the frustration of old SMT titles. https://youtu.be/zeUQUVUm5g0

3d던전크롤러 가격에 비하면 괜찮음.. -------------- 근데 패링 키 까먹었는데, 가이드북 하나 없는건 아쉽다

主人公の名前が変更できるという理由でクリアまで遊びました。 【良い点】 シナリオの流れは悪くない。 キャラクターも悪くない。 主人公の名前変更ができる。 キャラクターの表情が変わったり声があったりと力を入れているのがわかる。 回復時の声なども個別で用意されていたり、自分で自分を回復させた時などはお礼を言わなかったりと細かい部分に気が利いている。 【悪い点】 開かない扉が多すぎる。 ダンジョンが広すぎる。 オート移動が敵に遭遇すると止まったり、扉を隔てると使用不能だったりと不快。 状態異常になるとなぜかオート行動になったりする。 進行フラグがとてもわかりにくい。 一部のマップが広すぎる上に何度も何度も何度も何度もエレベーターを見付けては経由するダンジョンがありとてもストレス。 どの場所でも常に敵が出てきてめんどくさい。 シナリオのラスト。この終わらせ方をするならどうあっても続編は出してほしい。 謎の疲労の概念。マッサージの意味がわからなかった。 【総評】 とにかくダンジョン部分に不快感が集約しているものの、それを除けばちゃんと遊べる作品。 一応オススメにはしていますがおそらく楽しめる人はファミコンの不親切なRPGのようなものを楽しめるごく一部の人に限られると思います。 ダンジョン部分に関しては本当に本当に本当に大嫌いでした。 一方でキャラやシナリオ(ラスト以外)は結構好きです。 とはいえ続編がなければシナリオもモヤモヤしたものが残ってしまうので是非とも続編を作ってほしいと思います。 AI絵が目を引く作品ではありますが、ゲームの問題はほぼ全てAI絵以外の部分にあるような作品でした。 特にキャラクター部分に関していえば上手くAI絵を扱っていたと思います。不快なダンジョンさえ除けば楽しかったです。

Gakuin Makyo ~High School Crisis~, developed by PISOFT Co., Ltd. and published by CFK Co.,Ltd, is a dungeon-crawling RPG that blends a familiar school-life setup with a sudden plunge into supernatural danger. The story begins in a relatively ordinary setting, following a group of students going about their daily routine, but that normalcy is quickly shattered when a catastrophic event transforms their school into a hostile, otherworldly labyrinth. From that point onward, the game shifts into survival mode, with the characters forced to navigate an environment filled with monsters, traps, and unanswered questions about what has happened to their world. The premise itself is one of the game’s more engaging elements, as it creates an immediate contrast between the familiarity of a school setting and the unpredictability of a dungeon crawler. This juxtaposition gives the early stages a sense of urgency and intrigue, as players explore environments that feel both recognizable and distorted. While the narrative remains relatively straightforward, it maintains a steady thread of mystery, encouraging players to push forward in search of answers while keeping the focus on the group’s struggle to endure and escape. Gameplay is rooted in traditional dungeon RPG mechanics, emphasizing grid-based exploration and deliberate, strategic movement. Every step through the labyrinth carries weight, as encounters can occur at any moment and resources must be managed carefully. Combat unfolds in a methodical manner, requiring players to consider positioning, enemy behavior, and the strengths of their party members. Rather than relying on fast-paced action, the game encourages planning and adaptability, rewarding those who take the time to understand its systems. Character management plays a central role in shaping the experience. Players assemble a party from the available students, assigning roles that determine how each member contributes in battle. Whether focusing on offense, defense, or support, these roles influence both individual performance and overall team synergy. The ability to customize and develop characters adds a layer of depth, allowing players to experiment with different combinations and refine their approach as challenges become more demanding. Progression is tied to both combat and exploration, with new abilities and improvements gradually expanding the range of available strategies. Despite these strengths, the game’s structure can feel repetitive over time. The core loop—explore, fight, and progress—remains largely unchanged throughout the experience, and while enemy variety helps maintain some level of engagement, the environments themselves can begin to feel similar. This repetition is not uncommon in the genre, but it does highlight the game’s relatively limited scope. Players who enjoy consistent, system-driven gameplay may find this familiarity appealing, while others may wish for more variation in pacing and design. Visually, the game adopts an anime-inspired style that fits well with its setting and characters. The designs are expressive enough to give each party member a distinct identity, and the transition from a normal school environment to a darker, more surreal space is handled effectively. However, the overall presentation reflects its modest production scale, with some elements lacking the refinement or detail seen in higher-budget titles. While this does not detract significantly from the gameplay, it does limit the game’s ability to leave a strong visual impression. The pacing of the experience is somewhat uneven, with the early stages focused on establishing the premise and introducing mechanics, while later sections lean heavily into combat and exploration. This shift can make the latter portions feel more repetitive, especially as the narrative takes a backseat to the gameplay loop. Still, for players who enjoy methodical progression and incremental improvement, the structure provides a clear and consistent path forward. Ultimately, Gakuin Makyo ~High School Crisis~ is a game that embraces the fundamentals of classic dungeon crawlers while adding a thematic twist through its high school setting. It offers a solid, if somewhat conventional, experience built around strategic combat and character development. While it may not stand out in terms of innovation or presentation, it delivers enough depth and structure to satisfy players who appreciate traditional RPG mechanics. Rating: 5/10

I did want to put up a review for this one because a lot of what I see here is disingenuous as best, and flat out dishonest at worst. Unlike AAA developers, this dev actually announced the use of GenerativeAI on the store page. If this game gets a thumbs down, it should be for valid, fair reasons. So I'm going to go deep into everything so that next time someone like me is on this page, they actually know what they're paying for. Here's the thing, this game reminds me entirely of "Shin Megami Tensei: IF". I described it as "The single worst designed and most painful dungeon crawl experience of my life... that I loved." It features unique, thematic dungeon gimmicks that I've never seen before... that conceptually are interesting. But in action, they really sucked the life out of me. That's this game, I love the feeling of playing it... but it's painful. The map design is playable so long as you enjoy the old-school mazes, I do. There's usually plenty of twists and turns, gimmicks (Teleporters, drops, keys), NPCs. Enemies spawn onto the map in real-time allowing you to often navigate around them. (One particular dungeon concept I really liked is a Demon Lady holds parties all day, and the only way to make progress was to dress your party correctly for the time of day you visit. Stay Tuned, I'll complain at it later.) The combat is a mixed bag where I feel I'm not understanding things. On the positive side, the core loop is fully functional, standard RPG buffs/weaknesses focused combat. Every weapon has it's own unique set of skills making weapon purchases extremely cool and interesting. There's also a timed Critical/Parry system and ways to manipulate the timeline. For example, one boss battle I kept knocking him backwards on the timeline so he couldn't act. This was important because... On the negative side, I don't even remotely understand the balance. That above boss I mentioned keeping stunned? I didn't have a choice because he could one-shot my entire party. The boss I'm on now? One shots my party? Rare random enemies? One shot. I'm wearing the best armor I can (I'll complain soon), got near max stamina, near max speed, and somehow every enemy acts before me and can kill me if I'm unlucky. WTF!? I suspect that they intend for the parry system to be used more, but it's been highly unreliable at best. There's no feedback as to when to press the button, nor whether it activated successfully. I'm almost 15 hours in and I don't know how t works. This all gets made worse because the game loves to break up your well-balanced party. Every single hard wall I've hit is because I lose access to characters and need to find a way to compensate for losing Magic/Healing/Physical/HP or whatever else. From a narrative standpoint, it makes sense and is cool. But in game it's been painful every time. Finally, one last really cool idea. Your MC doesn't unlock magic with level like other characters, he can purchase, combine, and mix-and-match ANY skills. This means, in theory, you can make him a healer for one battle, a fire mage for another, etc. It seems like such a fun system to play with buuuuuuut... The single biggest frustration I've had, the one I mentioned complaining about in the dress-up dungeon, the one I complained about with armor and now skills... THE MONEY GRIND IS PAINFUL. Most of the game moves fast and feels fun to play with, but battles give so little cash that you can't explore the fun systems. It takes me an entire hour to grind enough money for one sword... so half of the fun designed weapons go un-played with. I can't play with my skill synthesis system because even the started material costs so much cash. Everything is so expensive, and enemies drop so little money. So, ultimately, I feel that I'm missing key knowledge about the grinding and the parry system that are hurting my experience severely. Maybe if I grow to understand these, I'll genuinely enjoy the game. And finally, I'll address the AI aspect of the game. The AI does absolutely created very "generic" graphics that somehow feels both out of place and too insanely consistent at the same time. One minute you're fighting a giant multiheaded tech dragon, the next a goblin, next to a school girl that looks like it was rejected player character art. There are a few sets of enemies that I don't recognize from sight because they seem to be different poses or hair styles of the same base. I don't care if it's AI. Even if this was all hand done or purchased through stock art packs, it'd still be bad. This final product is inconsistent and barely holds together. I'd have preferred a game with 50% of the monsters, that each were better planned and implemented. The translation is rough but still playable. On average, it just lacks any masterful prose but it's been rare that I've not understood any objectives or plot points. I've seen FAR worse translations in some of my favorite barely human-localized Chinese games. So, final verdict... I think I like this game quite a bit but the number of people I'd actually recommend it to is miniscule. There's alot to like here, but there are severe pain points that may or may not be worth the trouble.

実績はフルコンプしたが、コンプそのものはさほど難しくはない。 ……というか、作りかけでとりあえず出しました感があるので、逆にそんなに時間はかからない。 「という意味でオススメ」しておく。ゲームそのものはどっちとも言い難い。というか、若干微妙寄り。 ただ、バグと説明不足が多いのが難点だった。ある意味、大昔のメガテン並のバグと説明不足っぷり。 そういう意味では、大昔のメガテンの理不尽ダンジョンに慣れていると、別になんとも思わないレベル。 攻略情報がまったくないので、過去のレビューとかに補足しつつQ&Aっぽくヒントを書くと…… ※ネタバレはなるべく回避していますが、一部終盤の記述あり（名前などは出していません） 最初の行き先って？：どこ？　となるが、慌てず決定ボタン→TO DO LIST　実はここに書かれています。 まぁ、答えを書いてしまうと1Fへ駆け下りましょう。 最初がキツイ：素早く敵と遭遇する前に武器を揃えられるか。だけど、うろちょろしなければ大丈夫。 こだわりがなければ難易度を下げてしまえば、素手でもやれるので下げましょう。 まずは最初の学校でレベルをしっかり上げましょう。 敵が装備を落とさない：実は落としていたり。バグってドロップリストに「表示されない」だけというオチ。 敵が強い：過剰にレベルを上げつつ、金を稼いで最高級の武器を買いましょう。武器優先。 バフデバフは永続なので重ねましょう。重ねればまったく痛くなくなる。 それでもキツイようなら、こだわりがなければ難易度を下げる。 ステータスは何を上げれば？：「全員」STRとAGI優先、ある程度上がったらMAGとINTにも回す。物理最強。 魔法は物理が効かない敵が出てきたらでOK　メンバーの一時離脱がちょくちょくあるのでとにかく全員似せる。 必ず主人公が他よりもAGIが1以上高くなるようにし、主人公以外はAGIをMAXまで上げない事。バグ対策。 金が足りない：制服を売ると良い。学校の雑魚が落とすので足りなくなったら学校1Fの廊下を往復。 ただし、序盤で所持金を全部支払うシーンがあるので売りすぎ注意。 その後に、特定の装備一式で全員固めろという場面があるので、そこまでに残しておくと楽。 主人公の魔法は？：氷結魔法と攻撃力と魔力と命中／回避のデバフ魔法だけでOK　 余裕があれば弱点敵の多い火炎魔法を加えても良い。氷結魔法は必須。 終盤（中盤とも言える）で単独で戦う場面があるのだが、ここで物理を「反射」してくるボスがいる。 こいつの弱点は氷結なので、こいつに最高威力の氷結魔法＋攻撃力デバフ魔法を叩き込む必要あり。 合成魔法はゴミなので不要だが、実績の為に1回は合成しておこう。 状態異常回復は？：アイテムで。魔法はバグっているので何の効果もない……稀に発揮する事もあるが。 SPの回復は？：PM6:00以降にキャンプ（休憩所で寝るorマッサージ） 疲労＆マッサージって？：多分、なんらかの効果を設定する前に作るのやめて出したんじゃないかな？ 入れない場所が多い：多分、作りかけで出したんじゃないかな？ 無駄に広い：目的地以外はスルーしましょう。行っても本当に何もない。アイテム1つ落ちていない。 まさに作りかけで出しました感の最高潮。 選択肢って？：適当でOK　終盤でちょっと重要そうな選択があるが「ボス戦が1体増えるだけ」　 言ってしまえば、メガテンのゴトウみたいなもの。 なので、一応とあるダンジョンの「108F」ではセーブデータを残しておくと安心。 倒さずにクリアしたor選択を間違えて「次の選択がなくなった場合」に安心。 ロードして選択肢をやり直して倒しに行くだけで実績解放。 実績解放率からしても、ここだけ重要。普通に進めていたら、面倒だから多分スルーすると思うので。 ……赤い奴にいきなり戦いを挑んで、次の選択肢が出なくなる人もいるようなので注意しましょう。 ブラックマーケット？：序盤で行った所にもう一度行きましょう。でも、銃はゴミなので不要。 ぶっちゃけ交換に使う装備を集めるまでもないが、1個は実績の為に交換。 最強装備って？：正直、ヴァルハラという街で買えるのが最強。とりあえず主人公はフル最強。 その店の最強の剣で固めればいいが、槍は技が2～3回攻撃で命中率高めなのでそっちも悪くはない。 男用の防具が不遇なのは仕様。諦めよう。……きっと、ここも作りかけ。 名称が表記揺れしすぎ：翻訳が不完全としか……。とはいえ、普通に読める日本語訳ではある。 ハティがヘチになっていたり、ユニコーンがユミコーンになっていたり、 オルトロスがオルトゥスになっていたり、ネタを知っていると、それはそれで突っ込めて面白いかも？ 終盤、上行ったり下行ったりややこしい：エレベーター移動優先。階段は無視。 地下に下りる方はマップ上部からまた登るのが正解。 やたらと高い所はひたすらエレベーターで上。他のフロアは何もないのでスルー。 その後のダンジョンは余計な所にいかない。行き止まりに入るなどもってのほか。敵がいるだけ。 テレポートが鬱陶しいが、飛んだ場所をマップで把握して同じ所へ行かないようにすればOK ダンジョンから即出る手段は？：そんなものはありません。地道に歩いて出ましょう。 それっぽいアイテムがあるが、その「フロア」の手前のフロアへ続く階段やエレベーターまで戻るだけ。 もちろん、何度も使えば歩くよりは早く出られなくもないが……微妙。

第2エリアに来たところまでのレビューになります。 ■良点 キャラクタ(敵味方含めてビジュアルが良いです)が良いです。 PLAYER ADVANTAGEを取ったときのBGMが良いです。 ■悪点 全体的にテンポが悪い。これにつきます。ボタンの操作もややもたつきがあり、方向キーの反応が遅いときがあります。 マップが広い割に何もないところが多く、無駄が多いです。 レベルが上がると基本的に自由に割り振れるポイントが付与されるだけで、一切ステータスアップしません。なので、魔法を覚えてもSP関連のステータスを上げないと使えないことになります。 SEもちょっと弱いですね。無音も多いのでもう少し頑張ってほしかったです。 あと、これはバグだと思うのですが。なぜか主人公以外がダメージを受けると主人公の行動が最遅になります。 ■総点 一言でいうと、値段相応といったところです。

The game isn't perfect and FYI there is a lot of AI Involvement. Most of the Assets: AI English Translation: AI So then why do I recommend this? It's enjoyable, plan and simple it was a fun time.

게임이 때깔은좋은데 막상해보면 불쾌한경험을 많이느낌 방입장버튼이랑 장비세팅버튼이같아서 버그나버리고 전투는 무슨 초반구간에서도 숨돌릴틈없이 연전하는거라 별로엿음