Necrobarista

 PC
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 26
  3. Negative: 8 out of 26

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  1. vitin
    Nov 5, 2020
    6
    O jogo é bonito, tem trilha-sonora boa e é divertido, mas a sensação que da é que foi tudo um grande prólogo e eu fiquei o jogo inteiro esperando a história de verdade começar. Não é ruim, só decepcionante.
  2. spasticman
    Oct 30, 2020
    3
    Melbourne only in name, it tries fairly hard to be funny and falls flat every single time.

    Reads like fan-fiction, plays worse. Got my refund fairly quickly.
  3. ElQueDiceLaVerd
    Aug 1, 2020
    9
    I am going to divide this into three sections, Story, Gameplay and Music.

    Story: A great journey of life experiences and stories, points of view and culture. Gameplay: It is basically a visual novel, so there is not much gameplay. For the most part, it is to click for the scenes to pass (unlike traditional NVs, they change scenes, not only the text) and other sections where we move    I am going to divide this into three sections, Story, Gameplay and Music.

    Story: A great journey of life experiences and stories, points of view and culture.

    Gameplay: It is basically a visual novel, so there is not much gameplay. For the most part, it is to click for the scenes to pass (unlike traditional NVs, they change scenes, not only the text) and other sections where we move more freely through the areas finding stories that we can unlock, but these are only text, without scenes.

    Music: Kevin Penkin did something wonderful with the OST, he hits the nail on the head with what is happening, and that indicates a good direction. While sometimes you feel like some themes are repeating a bit, it doesn't make you feel out of place because of that.    … Expand
  4. Bibahabiba
    Jul 26, 2020
    9
    Great music, great design. The only problem - stories between the chapters, I'd like to see them instead of only reading them.
  5. MarcT
    Oct 15, 2021
    10
    It's not exactly what I wanted to do, but it was exactly where I should have been.
  6. MemeCityMayor
    Jul 27, 2020
    10
    I like chicken nuggets you can eat them while playing the game and I really like that
  7. bassman2112
    Aug 4, 2020
    10
    Review originally written at https://fyx.space/2020/08/necrobarista-review/

    ------ I experienced a wholly unique feeling when playing Necrobarista. Putting it into words has proven difficult, but the closest, most succinct way goes something like this: after my first few hours I felt as though I needed to put it down—not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but rather because I was enjoying    Review originally written at https://fyx.space/2020/08/necrobarista-review/

    ------

    I experienced a wholly unique feeling when playing Necrobarista. Putting it into words has proven difficult, but the closest, most succinct way goes something like this: after my first few hours I felt as though I needed to put it down—not because I wasn’t enjoying it, but rather because I was enjoying it too much. In the moment, I was able to recognize just how deep of an impression it was making within me, and actively wanted to savour the experience. That feeling persisted throughout, and amplified as its closing scenes drew closer. Now, as I reflect upon the experience holistically, any words I may have to adequately express just how much it resonated with me fall flat. It is, easily, one of the best games of the year.

    It’s difficult to say which part made the strongest impact first, but one of the pieces which blew me away was the music. It consistently stood out as being a suite of high-quality compositions for every character/scenario, each with top tier production values. There were multiple times when the music made me say “yeah” aloud, to the point where I alt-tabbed away from the game to see if I could find a copy of the soundtrack. That quick search revealed all I needed to know—seeing Kevin Penkin’s name as the composer connected all of the dots. For followers of the site, Kevin composed the music to Florence (winner of our 2018 Game of the Year award for Best Music), and we have actively talked about the soundtrack to Made in Abyss multiple times on the podcast. I can’t tell you just how many times the music alone in the game made me smile, and I’d like to take a second to call it out explicitly: Kevin, we love you and your music.

    Another aspect which is gripping from the first moments are the visuals, art design & cinematography—I have so many screenshots saved from this game purely because of how stunning it looks. Lighting, camera angles, set design, models, characters’ expressions, text effects, colours, background art—everything about the visuals work seamlessly together. And when I say “seamlessly together” I don’t just mean amongst themselves, but with the experience as a whole. Voice acting isn’t even needed with how effectively the visuals bring the characters to life. The world these characters inhabit feels real, and every scene feels as though it was curated and hand crafted by an expert cinematographer. The marriage of the impeccable visual design, the perfectly tuned music, and story make for a cohesive experience through and through. On that note, the story…

    While I had saved many screenshots for the visual impact of numerous scenes, I saved even more to capture dialogue and story beats. There are very few games which compare to the standards of writing found in Necrobarista. The only one which feels immediately comparable is Disco Elysium, and it should be noted that we found that game to be especially notable for its writing. The moment-to-moment dialogue in Necrobarista is second-to-none. It can go from uproariously hilarious to soul-crushingly melancholic in just a few mouse clicks. Each character feels distinct and as though they have had months and years of history together. Their lives feel lived, and their interactions feel real. Everything they say feels like we’re seeing the genuine feelings of real human beings (and other creatures), and ultimately, the story they go through has all the more impact because we care about them as people.

    While the story itself covers a broad gamut of topics over its playtime, the core of it is ultimately about two things: Death and Failure. They are two very real, very raw human experiences, and it is an extremely difficult feat to convey their true weight in a game. The ways in which these themes appear throughout the story are conveyed with the sensitivity of one who clearly knows their true impact, and for a player who has had ample experience dealing with both, it hits very hard. The reason these parts of the story are so impactful is because, while the setting is somewhat fantastical (a café on the way between life and death), the human experience feels incredibly grounded. While it is a story about these dark, painful topics, it remains optimistic. It is not aiming to tell a story to leave you distraught, distressed, and fearful of these dark shadows, but rather, it offers strength and reassurance.

    Necrobarista is a gripping experience, and one which cannot be recommended highly enough. It is a game built with passion—a passion which can be felt across every aspect of every moment. It is one of those games that I wish I could erase from my memory to have the opportunity to experience it again for the first time.

    There is beauty to be found in darkness, and Necrobarista shines a gentle, heartfelt light on it.    … Expand
  8. TopShiina
    Jul 26, 2020
    10
    Something about this game hit me differently, not in a bad way but in a very good way. This had to be one the best games that i have played in a very long time. I loved the character development, the music was outstanding and it suited the situation that it was played in adding to the atmosphere of the story if you are thinking about buying this game I highly recommend that you do you willSomething about this game hit me differently, not in a bad way but in a very good way. This had to be one the best games that i have played in a very long time. I loved the character development, the music was outstanding and it suited the situation that it was played in adding to the atmosphere of the story if you are thinking about buying this game I highly recommend that you do you will be very pleased by the story telling in this game!… Expand
  9. FlavioJC
    Dec 6, 2020
    0
    Squanders its themes, doesn't do anything interesting or novel with the story, the memory system is bad, and it is simply not worth picking up, even on sale.
  10. Allyptic
    May 28, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Great game with a huge focus on story, characters, and world-building. I don't remember the last time when the story absorbed me so much. Yes, there are few bugs here are there, but nothing game-breaking. Usually minor visual glitches.… Expand
  11. bancandrei
    Jan 1, 2021
    5
    Starts off promising and stylish but doesn't really deliver anything. Still it's nice to see they are trying to push the medium of visual novels further. But still, I think a zelda from 30 years ago has tighter controls for reading text than this.
  12. Abalon72
    Jul 24, 2020
    10
    The music, the characters, the Terminal itself and the incredibly well written story make this visual novel really special, love everything about it, hope to see what will come next from Route 59
  13. Dax246
    Jul 30, 2020
    6
    Route 59 managed to get so many things right with the soundtrack, visuals, writing, world building and characters. However 70% of this short game felt like an introduction that would lead to something bigger and exciting but failed to do so which left a very unsatisfying feeling at the end.

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best PC Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 33 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 33
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 33
  3. Negative: 0 out of 33
  1. Cubed3
    Nov 5, 2020
    50
    Compared to most visual novels Necrobarista is, without a doubt, a breath of fresh air… but sadly only concept wise, because the execution doesn't follow suit. Filled with dialogue whose only purpose seems to be to stretch the overall duration, and with the whole experience leaning heavily towards repetitive character encounters, it becomes increasingly hard to remain interested in this, otherwise, very original and exciting look on the subject of death. Long story short, this cup of coffee looks great, and has an inviting aroma, but the taste is decent at best.
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  2. CD-Action
    Oct 15, 2020
    80
    How do you spend your last hours alive if you can’t visit your loved ones? How do you talk to someone who’s passing away and nothing can change that? Necrobarista is not really a game (you don’t get to make any decisions), but its simple, powerful story about death touched me to tears. [10/2020, p.70]
  3. Edge Magazine
    Sep 10, 2020
    70
    It couches relatable stories in its highly individualistic setting, presenting it all with a mastery of varying tones so as to make its point without being reductive or mawkish. [Issue#350, p.98]
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