Presenting Gameffine’s Let’s School Review
Let’s School is a video game that lets players create and manage their school, from designing the campus and hiring staff to setting the curriculum and dealing with various challenges. The game is a sandbox sim, meaning that players have a lot of freedom and creativity to shape their school according to their vision and preferences. The game was released on 27th July 2023 and is now available for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
The game’s premise is simple: you are the founder and principal of a new school, and you have to make it successful and reputable. You start with a limited budget and resources, and you have to choose a location, a name, and a theme for your school. You can also customize the appearance and personality of your avatar, and interact with other characters in the game.
In some ways, it is a delightful school-building life simulation game that invites players to step into the shoes of a headmaster entrusted with reviving their alma mater. It offers a fresh take on the genre, blending construction, management, and student dynamics.
The gameplay mechanics are based on building, managing, and expanding your school. You can construct and furnish various facilities, such as classrooms, libraries, labs, dorms, cafeterias, gyms, and more. You can also hire and train teachers, counselors, janitors, and other staff, and assign them to different tasks and roles. Furthermore, you can also set the academic and extracurricular programs, and decide the admission criteria, tuition fees, and scholarships for your students.
The game features a progression system that rewards players for achieving various goals and milestones, such as increasing enrollment, graduation, and satisfaction rates, improving the academic performance and reputation of the school, and unlocking new features and options. The game also presents players with random events and scenarios, such as inspections, audits, emergencies, scandals, and competitions, that test their skills and decisions and add variety and challenge to the gameplay.
The game fares well compared to other games in its genre, such as Two Point Campus, Academia: School Simulator, and School Tycoon. The game offers more depth and complexity, as well as more customization and personalization options. The game also has a vibrant and colorful art style, a catchy and upbeat soundtrack, and a witty tone. The game is suitable for players of all ages and backgrounds, and appeals to fans of simulation, strategy, and education games.
Pathea Games is known for life simulation titles like My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock, Let’s School takes cues from the beloved Theme Hospital. Instead of treating quirky patients, you’re managing students and teachers, dealing with their needs, and shaping the school environment. Both games focus on creating and managing educational institutions, but Let’s School leans more toward the nitty-gritty of school life.
While Let’s School offers an engaging experience, a few quality-of-life enhancements could elevate it further. Little things like ensuring school buildings remain clean, well-lit, and inviting goes to show how regular upkeep matters. Streamlining teacher training to avoid resource-heavy processes when their potential exceeds the necessary level could improve things even further.
There are other notable improvements it could use as well. Like an enhanced interaction system that fosters student-faculty interactions to make the school environment even more lively. However, the biggest issue that one could face is its unbalanced difficulty. Adding little quirky things like adjusting demolishing refunds and selling mechanics to encourage strategic decisions could greatly lessen the burden.
Overall, Let’s School is a fun and engaging video game that allows players to experience the joys and challenges of running a school. However, given limitations and the given genre, it may not live up to most people’s expectations. Still, considering its fair pricing model and a free demo, it is worth trying out.
