Let's School
{{Short description|2023 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| image = File:Let's School cover art.jpg
| developer = Pathea Games
| publisher = Pathea Games
PM Studios
| platforms = {{ubl|Microsoft Windows|Nintendo Switch|PlayStation 4|PlayStation 5|Xbox One|Xbox Series X/S}}
| genre = Simulation
| modes = Single-player
| released = PC: July 26, 2023
Console: July 16, 2024
}}
Let's School is a campus management simulation video game developed by Pathea Games. It was released for PC in July 2023 and for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series X and Series S in July 2024.
Gameplay
Let's School is a campus management simulation game. In the game, the player assumes control of a school principal, who must build the campus from scratch, design the curriculum for each form, recruit teachers, and manage crisis. The game features both a career mode which guides players towards their objectives, and a sandbox mode which allows them to build their school with little to no limitation.{{cite web|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2024/06/lets-school-for-ps5-xbox-series-ps4-xbox-one-and-switch-launches-july-16|title=Let’s School for PS5, Xbox Series, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch launches July 16|first=Sal|last=Romano|work=Gematsu|date=June 25, 2024|accessdate=March 22, 2025}}
Development and release
The game was developed by Pathea Games, best known for My Time at Portia. It was originally released as a PC game in 2023.{{Cite web |author1=Hope Bellingham |date=July 7, 2023 |title=This management sim proves you don't need to be a good headmaster to run a school, and it could be Steam's next gem |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/this-management-sim-proves-you-dont-need-to-be-a-good-headmaster-to-run-a-school-and-it-could-be-steams-next-gem/ |access-date=September 20, 2024 |website=gamesradar |language=en}} It initially started as a passion project for a member of Pathea Games, though the studio moved members of the Portia team to assist the game's development.{{cite web|url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/my-time-at-portia-devs-management-sim-lets-school-has-a-demo-and-release-date|title=My Time at Portia devs’ management sim Let’s School has a demo and release date|first=Matt|last=Jarvis|work=Rock, Paper, Shotgun|date=June 19, 2023|accessdate=March 22, 2025}}{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/lets-school-is-a-management-sim-from-the-my-time-at-portia-devs|title=Let's School is a management sim from the My Time At Portia devs|first=Tom|last=Phillips|work=Eurogamer|date=December 2, 2022|accessdate=March 22, 2025}}
It was released for the PlayStation 4 and 5, the Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch on July 16, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Sheehan |first=Gavin |date=June 25, 2024 |title=Let's School Receives A Console Release Date For Mid-July |url=https://bleedingcool.com/games/lets-school-receives-a-console-release-date-for-mid-july/ |access-date=September 20, 2024 |website=bleedingcool.com |language=en}}
Reception
According to Metacritic, Let's School received "mixed or average" reviews.{{Cite web |title=Let's School Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/lets-school/ |access-date=September 20, 2024 |website=www.metacritic.com |language=en}}
Stephanie Liu from Siliconera wrote that "while Let's School is a lot of fun and has a lot of cute ideas, its implementation can sometimes be rough", and added that its "charm doesn't last long before it becomes a monotonous routine".{{cite web|url=https://www.siliconera.com/review-education-is-a-business-in-lets-school/|title=Review: Education Is a Business in Let’s School|first=Stephanie|last=Liu|work=Siliconera|date=July 29, 2023|accessdate=March 22, 2025}} Jade Sayers from Push Square felt that the game "misses out on any humanity by treating the school purely as a business", turning an otherwise enjoyable game into "another cog in the machine, taking away any individuality and losing the benefit of having the setting in a school environment by treating school life as purely transactional".{{cite web|url=https://www.pushsquare.com/reviews/ps5/lets-school|title=Mini Review: Let's School (PS5) - School Management Sim Fails to Make the Grade|first=Jade|last=Sayers|work=Push Square|date=July 19, 2024|accessdate=March 22, 2025}} Trent Cannon from Nintendo Life described the game as a "deep, engaging – if a bit soulless – simulator".{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/switch-eshop/lets-school|title=Let's School Review (Switch eShop)|first=Trent|last=Cannon|work=Nintendo Life|date=July 16, 2024|accessdate=March 22, 2025}}