DEAD OR SCHOOL similar games & best alternatives

DEAD OR SCHOOL

PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), Nintendo Switch • 2019

Should you play it?

Underground dwelling girl Hisako is aiming for the surface in a zombie infested Tokyo. Hack and slash RPG! Obtain weapons and gear from enemies, and customize your skill tree to create your own unique and powerful a character!

What works
  • Engaging combat with weapon variety
  • Interesting skill and upgrade systems
  • Long playtime and exploration
  • Charming anime art style
  • Immersive post-apocalyptic story
Things to keep in mind
  • Some bugs and glitches reported
  • Camera zoom and platforming issues
  • Translation quality inconsistent
  • Combat can be janky at times
  • Story is predictable and corny

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Gravity Circuit

  • The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED]

  • Afterimage

  • EARTH'S DAWN

  • Blasphemous 2

  • Jotunnslayer: Hordes of Hel

  • Exit the Gungeon

  • ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist

  • Super Chibi Knight

Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED]

  • EARTH'S DAWN

  • Wicked Seed

If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Competence

    Little Witch Nobeta

  • Escapism

    Darksiders™

  • Fantasy

    The Last of Waifus

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

DEAD OR SCHOOL: A very typical example of its motivational profile. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Violence. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Cooperation.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

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  • Competence

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    "Combat requires skillful dodging and weapon management; bosses provide challenging tests of player ability."

  • Competition

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    "Focus is on single-player experience and personal progress without competitive multiplayer or leaderboards."

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  • Continuation

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    "Players report long play sessions, grinding for upgrades, and repeated playthroughs, indicating sustained engagement."

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  • Cooperation

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    "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative multiplayer or team-based mechanics."

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    "Entirely single-player experience with no cooperative multiplayer or team-based mechanics."

  • Creativity

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    "Players can customize builds with multiple weapon skill trees, enchantments, and spells, supporting varied combat styles."

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    "Players can customize weapons with mods and skill trees, experimenting with different builds and loadouts."

  • Domination

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    "No evidence of exerting control over others; gameplay is solo and focused on personal challenge."

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  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

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    "The apocalyptic fantasy setting and immersive story provide strong escape from real life."

    Capsule for Darksiders™ Darksiders™

    "Post-apocalyptic setting and anime story provide immersive distraction and fantasy escape from reality."

  • Expectation

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    "Players engage voluntarily for enjoyment; no indication of obligation or external pressure to play."

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  • Experimenting

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    "Variety of classes, weapons, and skill trees encourage players to try new strategies and builds."

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    "Varied weapons, mods, and skill trees encourage players to try new combinations and strategies."

  • Exploration

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    "Metroidvania-style exploration with backtracking and discovering collectibles and secrets."

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    "Metroidvania-style maps with collectibles, puzzles, and secrets encourage discovery and backtracking."

  • Expression

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  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

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    "Strong anime and post-apocalyptic fantasy theme with exaggerated characters and scenarios."

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  • Fellowship

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    "Minimal social interaction; gameplay is focused on solo play and individual objectives."

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  • Growth

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    "Skill trees, weapon upgrades, and character leveling provide ongoing learning and personal development opportunities."

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  • Health

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    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

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    "Sedentary gameplay with no physical activity or health-related mechanics."

  • Idle

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    "Requires focused attention during combat and platforming; not designed for casual or background play."

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  • Intimacy

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    "No close social relationships or emotional sharing; interactions are limited to NPC dialogue."

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  • Leadership

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  • Progression

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    "Strong emphasis on accumulating weapons, upgrades, mastery points, and crafting materials to enhance power."

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  • Relaxation

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    "Some players find the game relaxing once mastered, but overall it is challenging and tense."

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    "Gameplay can be tense and challenging but also rewarding; some players find it relaxing after mastering controls."

  • Sensation

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    "Visual and auditory stimuli through anime art and music provide sensory enjoyment."

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    "Visual and auditory stimuli from anime art style, music, and combat effects provide sensory engagement."

  • Status

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    "No social status or recognition systems; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

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    "No social status or recognition systems; achievements are personal and not publicly ranked."

  • Story

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    "Narrative with characters, plot, and lore that engages players beyond isolated gameplay."

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    "Narrative with characters and plot provides engagement beyond isolated gameplay actions."

  • Strategy

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    "Players plan builds and routes, and use tactical movement and weapon choices to overcome challenges."

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    "Players plan skill builds, weapon loadouts, and combat tactics to overcome challenges."

  • Thrill

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    "Combat encounters and boss fights provide suspense and excitement; some frustration from difficulty spikes."

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    "Boss fights and combat encounters provide suspense and excitement through difficulty spikes."

  • Value

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    "Players report good value especially on sale, with many hours of content and replayability."

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  • Violence

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    "Combat involves killing zombies and mutants with weapons and explosives."

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  • Survival

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    "Players manage resources like ammo, weapon durability, and health to survive challenging encounters."

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Last update: 01/06/2026