Zombie JRPG “Dead or School” makes a million yen in first day of sales, console releases planned

This hack-n-slash game was developed by just three people, but its early success has us snarling and snapping for PS4, Xbox, and Switch releases.

Who doesn’t love a good zombie game? The global success of franchises like Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead, and the Walking Dead shows that there’s a bloodthirsty desire for this kind of carnal gameplay, and Studio Nanafushi‘s recent release Dead or School looks like it’ll hit just the spot.

▼ The trailer is jam-packed with schlocky delight and peppered
with enough blood and guts to keep a butcher shop in business.

In Dead or School, Red-headed protagonist Hisako was born deep in the bowels of the subway, in a world where zombies have taken over everything above ground. When an old lady tells her of a fantasy phenomenon called “school”, where she and other students can socialize and learn and have fun together, she decides to make it her quest to cleanse the world of zombies so she can run to class with toast in her mouth like every girl dreams of doing.

The colors are vibrant, the action is fast and intense, and… okay, it’s a little lewd in places too, like where Hisako gets attacked by a zombie and it very strategically slashes her shirt. But the most impressive thing about Dead or School is its tiny team: it was created by just three people.

▼ Dead or School’s tiny team has a big message.

In the above video, lead developer Mokusei Zaijuu (“Jupiter Resident”) implores English-speaking fans for crowdfunding support for the game, using English himself. He introduces the core staff of the game: the illustrator Gaku Miyamoto and programmer Tomomi Yamaguchi.

It’s truly incredible how rich and detailed a game the three of them managed to create, and their hard work seems to have paid off. After a number of delays, Dead or School finally hit the Steam Early Access sales page on July 11.

▼ They tweeted proof of their early success.
(Translation below)

三人で作ったゲーム「DEAD OR SCHOOL」 store.steampowered.com/app/789760/Dea… 無事、一日で１００万円の売上を叩き出しました… 大人三人で、数年間作ったので まだ回収には程遠いですが、素晴らしき検討です 来月… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

—
木星在住 (@mokuseidayo) July 13, 2018

“The game we made with just three of us, “Dead or School”, managed to make over a million yen in its first day of sales.
We’re still a long way from breaking even, but what wonderful news! Next month we will also submit the game to Playstation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch for their consideration as a release. Thank you so much for purchasing our game. I’m getting all choked up.”

Because the game is still in Early Release mode, the team promises even more stages and more cool bonuses will pop up as they work on it, and they invite fans to bring them feedback in the Steam official forum (in English or Japanese).

Here’s hoping Studio Nanafushi’s gore-soaked dreams get realized to their fullest potential. Now where’s our guide to a discount zombie survival kit?

Source: Studio Nanafushi via Hachima Kiko
Featured image: Studio Nanafushi
Related: Dead or School on Steam Early Release (US$14.99)

Credit: