Video game developer and publisher D3 Publisher just announced a brand-new title by the team behind the Earth Defense Force series. FULL METAL SCHOOLGIRL is a futuristic action shooting roguelite with vibrant anime graphics, tongue-in-cheek humor and chaotic, over-the-top world building. In the game, you take on the roles of two high school cyborg girls fighting against a corrupt corporation in order to avenge their parents. The game is set to release on October 23, 2025, for PC (Steam/Epic Games), PS5 and Nintendo Switch 2. Development is being headed by long-time Earth Defense Force series producer Nobuyuki Okajima.
FULL METAL SCHOOLGIRL takes place in the futuristic 164th year of Showa (2089), in the United Federation of Japan. Its prosperous bubble economy is supported by the ideal virtue of “working 24/7,” and all of its financial resources, industries and societal system are being controlled by one evil corporation – Meternal Jobz. It will be your job to uncover the company’s dirty secrets, and more importantly, to wreak havoc wherever you go.
In the society governed by Meternal Jobs, everyone is forced to keep the economy flourishing – by working 24/7 till they die (Spoiler alert, some of them are forced to work even after they die). Sporting a cyborg body that allows for eternal labor, each worker has specialized robotic enhancements engineered to make their job most efficient. However, the protagonist schoolgirls are a bit different. Ryoko Arahabaki and Akemi Minamizabu were built with the function to customize their bodies however they like, and with such endless possibilities, the obvious answer for the girls was to become war machines with built-in upgradable weapons.
The game itself features a roguelite system in which you climb randomly generated floors of the company building, fight the brainwashed cyborg labor zombies going berserk (dubbed the Working Dead) and collect new materials, weapons and MODs for the characters. After each death, you’ll be able to further modify your character using the materials earned on your run, becoming a bit stronger with each death and retry. A “livestream” feature allows you to stream all your battles, and by growing your (in-game) audience you can also earn more cash. Use those funds to pay for Professor Hakase’s crazy body modifications, kick some butt with your new gear, rinse and repeat till you reach the top. Eventually, you’ll get your characters strong enough to get to the 100th floor of the building and face Kyohei Fukoku1, the CEO of the dreaded conglomerate.
FULL METAL SCHOOLGIRL will be released on October 23, 2025, for the PC (Steam/Epic Games), PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
- Translator’s note: His name parodies the Japanese national Slogan during the Meiji period – Enrich the Country, Strengthen the Armed forces ↩︎
Edit (2025/7/1 18:10): Full Metal Schoolgirl is being developed by Yuke’s, who is not the primary developer of Earth Defense Force, but the project is led by longtime EDF and OneChanbara producer Nobuyuki Okajima.
This is the type of weirdness the industry needs 🥹