Pokes fun at teen slasher movies yet still capable of being a great game.
The combat system, while a little frustrating sometimes, is quite simple to figure out. It (sort of) follows the path of Rule of Rose when it comes to attack, minus the fact that light can actually kill a monster if you're patient enough and that the characters auto-aim. However, the most tedious part of the game is the health system. Health items are semi-rare and can go fast, but hopefully you are good at backing away/attacking from a distance and knowing when it fight or to run. This will be a very useful tip, just FYI. There is no life meter. You can only tell by the way the character acts (similar to Resident Evil). The annoying part was how quickly they could die. Full health, fighting a monster...after a few hits and being stuck in the cloudy dark mist, they fall dead. ("What the? I just gave you a first aid kit!") The save system works off of saving from small CDs, which can either be nice or hectic. You can save anywhere you wish, in any room at any time. But don't go save happy. Make sure to save only after you defeated a really tough monster or got really far or something like that or before a boss...don't save every ten minutes, you'll run out fast.
Even though each character has a "special ability" (Shannon's is worthless, just FYI), you can get through the game using any you wish. Ultimately, each character can do the same as another, even if they might take longer or need to work harder. It can be done.
One of the annoying parts are the few spurts of aimless running around, hoping that this is the right door to go through or that this is the right way to go. It didn't happen too often for me, but sometimes...that school is just too big with too many doors.
However, despite the few bads points, it's a very good game. It is difficult to find but typically pretty cheap. It's a little on the short side (first playthrough was about 9 hours but now I can get through in about 4 or so) but still very good. There was unlockables and 2 endings, both depending on how many live and how many die by the end of the game. May I just suggest, however, that if anyone dies...restart from the last save point? It's just most rewarding if you get everyone to make it through. After beating easy mode and/or normal mode, a new (stronger) weapon is unlocked as your starting weapon. Very nice, I must say.
The co-op is also nice when it comes to buddies and stuff hanging out with you. That way, they can play too rather than just sit and watch. And typically, you can fight better with someone else than with AI...AI can act really stupid sometimes and do the obvious thing /not/ to do...
And did I mention how fun it is to beat the crud out of your partner? Bonus part is that it doesn't cause any damage to them. Oh yes...it's so much fun. :P
Overall, a good game well worth the money. If you find it, definitely pick it up. The few bad flaws are easily dealt with and easy to overlook too.