When I first heard about Let’s School, I was both surprised and pretty excited. I’d poured countless hours into games by the same folks who made My Time at Portia and My Time at Sandrock, so I jumped at the chance to dive into this new game. Trading in the usual crafting and farming for running a school was a big change, but I was up for it.
Starting Out
Starting up Let’s School, I found myself in charge as the new head of a school that’s seen better days. It’s a mess, really, which had me thinking: What was the last person in charge even doing here? But the game doesn’t leave you hanging; a very good tutorial eases you in, giving you the feel of the gameplay, which is a blessing because there’s lots to manage.
You get to shape not only your character but also the school’s flag and colors-right from the start. It’s a nice touch that made me feel really connected to my school. Later on, as your school grows, you unlock even more ways to make it yours.
At the beginning, you meet Ms. Lin, who helps you out, and Brick Johnson, a builder guy who’s more than ready to fix up the place when you start. After patching up the school a bit, you get down to making your first classroom. And that’s when things really kick off—with students coming in, teachers to hire, and courses to plan.
Classroom Dynamics
Hiring teachers is its own little game. You start with just a couple of courses, so you don’t need a lot of teachers. But as time pushes on and exams come up, you’ll have to add to your teaching crew. Picking the right teacher for each class is important if you want your kids to pass tests. And you can always change stuff up until right before exams, which keeps things busy.
The game throws a lot of info at you—how things are going in your school, how happy everyone is, the money situation. At times, it’s a lot to handle, but you have a helpful notebook with summaries to save you from drowning in detail.
As your school grows, you get goals to reach for that up your school’s rep. You’ll find yourself keeping an eye on student happiness, getting your teachers better at what they do, dealing with money stuff, even deciding what food to sell. And there’s a research room where you have a big list of skills to learn to keep making your school better.
Beyond the Books
Running the school isn’t just about the number stuff—you’ve got to watch out for what the kids want, too. Like bathrooms, places to chill, and all sorts of things to keep them happy and learning. Despite your best, trouble can still pop up, needing a teacher to handle it.
Decorating the school is more fun than I thought it would be. I got carried away putting up pictures and planting trees. Sometimes cats would show up outside, and you can take care of them, which I just loved. Nothing’s perfect, though, and I ran into a couple of tiny graphic issues, but nothing that stopped my play.
Building a Future
Being the head honcho means making sure the school doesn’t just run, but grows. From fixing it up to hiring staff and balancing the books, it’s about building more than just a place—it’s about creating a little world where kids learn and grow.
The game’s look is kind of perfect for what it is. It’s got a laid-back feel, with warm colors and simple designs that make you want to relax and get to know your school. It’s like they took the best parts of those life sim games and made them into something new.
Now, Let’s School doesn’t baby-step you through everything. Once you’re past the basics, you’ve got to start thinking bigger—like opening up new places for more students, managing who gets into what class, and keeping everyone from getting bored or causing a fuss.
The teachers are as big a part of this as the kids. Besides teaching, they matter when it comes to rest time, handling troublemakers, and how hard to push the students.
And then there’s the actual school building. What it looks like shows how good you are at this headmaster thing. You get to plan and build, adding new places for learning and other things. But be careful—research is key, and if you don’t keep that moving, everything else can come to a stop.
Small Details
Small things like how nice the place looks go towards winning in the end. They don’t make as much noise as something like that all-important lab, but they count. A good-looking school makes for better days, for sure.
It’s these small choices that spread out across the whole game. The biggest deal, though? That’s got to be your students’ success. They’ve got to learn the right stuff, and that means getting teachers for the right subjects and figuring out exams without losing all your money. Stay on top of it, and the game is a nice stroll through school life, with just enough little tasks to keep you watching.
Let’s School has some real gems among its features. From sending the kids on field trips that bring in special learning chances to giving big talks that feel almost like bits from a story game, there’s a lot here that’ll charm you.
But it’s not all gold stars. For one, the game could dive deeper on some ideas. Furniture and troublemaking gets kind of same-same after a bit, and the chat from the characters get stale fast. Then there’s the annoying bit where it ages up my whole class instead of letting me sort out who goes where, mangling my neat school system. It’s not a dealbreaker, but it’s frustrating.
New Semester Features
- Clubs – Introduces the ability to form and manage school clubs, including recruiting students, unlocking club facilities, and participating in competitions. New clubs include Basketball and Popular Music.
- Community Investment – Allows players to invest in the community to enhance the potential quality of future students before they enroll.
- Customized Graduation Cycle – Provides the option to adjust and postpone the graduation timeline for a more realistic and enjoyable experience.
- Parent Teacher Association (PTA) – Players earn PTA points by collecting prohibited items from students, which can be used to reward disciplined students.
- School Closures – Players can obtain resources from closed schools, including teachers, items, furniture, and more. Unlocked items from closed schools are available for purchase in the store.
- New Map – Cotton Snow Town – Offers a unique architectural style in a snowy setting with larger school areas.
- New Characters from My Time At Sandrock – Characters from Sandrock join the school, with Logan becoming a student and Nia becoming an art teacher. A Sandrock community is also added to the map.
- New Festival Events – Christmas and New Year – Special holiday-themed events where students dress up, and players can decorate schools with Christmas and New Year content.
- New Buildings – Introduces European building styles, Rounded Rooftop Combo, and Wooden Pavilion Combo.
Verdict
Let’s School is a lot like starting out in school yourself: at first, everything is great and new, and you can’t wait for what’s next. But before too long, it turns into the same old routine. That’s not to say you won’t have fun. In those first hours, it’s a treat. But as a game about being the top dog of a school, it’s odd it doesn’t let me do basic stuff. Like changing classroom names—come on, let me have that.
If you’re after a chill sim where you build up a business, this is a good bet. You’ll get enough that’s new to keep things interesting for a decent while. And hey, who doesn’t like designing school uniforms?
