Let’s School First Impressions

I don’t often dive into video game reviews anymore since GamesReviews got deep into the board game space, but every once in a while, a game crosses my desk that I just really want to play. Let’s School was that kind of game.

Most interestingly, I was curious to see how this would compare to the popular Two Point Campus, an already heavily established game and franchise on console, with a similar theme. Thankfully, Let’s School treks out on its own, creating its own identity, and since having a lot of success on PC over the past year, it’s time for console players to get their shot!

What I like here is the fresh perspective. Pathea games is known for titles like My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock, two fantastic, cozy type games but in a much different gameplay vein. Let’s School is a management simulation game – it’s different, plays different, and requires a different set of skills.

You begin your journey as the headmaster of a run down school, and ultimately it is your job to bring this school back to its former glory. Make it bigger and better than it ever was. The gameplay flow is much what you would expect – start out with a few classes, get the necessary amenities, and slowly begin to grow. And honestly, it’s a calming experience as a game, although anxiety inducing at times, as you try to balance the various needs and wants of students and teachers.

The connection and comparisons to Two Point Campus are going to be plentiful, but I like to see this game as its own experience. Cartoony and foolish, Two Point Campus relies on witty humour and silly cartoonish characters to sell the experience. More muted colours in Let’s School, and a more realistic schooling experience, just makes this title feel different. And I say this in the best possible way.

I’m still early on in my Lets School journey, but there are obvious drawbacks to this title that are worth mentioning. I’ve been playing on Nintendo Switch, and while I LOVE to play games on my Nintendo Switch, management sims like this will always play better with a mouse and keyboard. So the PC experience will be vastly superior to this console experience, even if I feel like the development team has done a good job mapping controls. It still never compares.

I also think that Lets School is a bit shallower of an experience than I was expecting. I’m sure that I might uncover more as I play further, but for as much time as I’ve sunk into the experience so far, I thought there would be a bit more here to explore and uncover. I’m not calling this a negative yet, as I have more to play (and we will come back to this article in a week or so).

Still, I’m having a good time, and had I not reviewed this title, it is one that I would happily pay MSRP for to experience. It’s great fun and a game I’ve been playing a lot in the past week. It’s definitely worth the financial investment if you are a fan of management simulation games!