X
- Route 59
- Route 59
- Route 59
- Route 59
Necrobarista
Released On: Jul 22, 2020
81
6.1
All Platforms
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 Critic Reviews
81
77% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
17% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 35 Critic Reviews
81
77% Positive
27 Reviews
27 Reviews
17% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Necrobarista is easily one of the best games so far this year and one of the greatest visual novels I’ve ever played.
Necrobarista is just a plain wonderful experience. The story is entertaining with powerful moments, the characters feel fleshed out and realistic (or as realistic as the plot allows for), and the presentation is stunning (although the character design may not be attractive to some).
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 32 User Ratings
6.1
41% Positive
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
31% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
28% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 32 User Ratings
6.1
41% Positive
13 Ratings
13 Ratings
31% Mixed
10 Ratings
10 Ratings
28% Negative
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
Review originally written at ****
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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.
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PC
I like chicken nuggets you can eat them while playing the game and I really like that
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PC
Necrobarista is a touching, emotional journey that features an excellently written and easily lovable cast of characters. While the “memories” within the game are frustrating to unlock, it wasn’t enough to detract from an otherwise excellent experience.
Necrobarista tells a meaningful story about relationships and the memories we create with the people around us. It’s heartwarming, poignant, and pulls at the heart strings in all the right ways. It has some minor issues, but they aren’t what stuck with me. Instead, I’m still thinking about the wisdom this game imparts.
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]
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.
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 will be very pleased by the story telling in this game!
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PC
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.
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PC
Summary In a back-alley cafe, the dead are granted one last night to mingle with the living. Necrobarista follows a dynamic and diverse cast of characters as they navigate Melbourne's hipstery coffee culture, the questionable ethics of necromancy, and the process of letting go.
Platforms:
- PC
- PlayStation 4
- iOS (iPhone/iPad)
Initial Release Date: Jul 22, 2020
Developer:
- Route 59 Games
Publisher: Route 59
Genres:
