Indie Hour - Necrobarista
Table of Contents
Hey it's Tarrmu and welcome to another episode of Indie Hour where we talk about the latest independent video games that may have passed you by, and in today's video we're going to be talking about Necrobarista a warm and cozy 3D Visual Novel from Route 59. I walked into this experience curious of what I could expect.
What I got was a cinematic narrative that presented itself as a visual novel, but is differentiated with it's cinematic techniques used. This made the overall experience feel like a middle ground between visual novel and movie. The game is able to pull you into its world with its clean visuals, and melancholic electric music. Necrobarista was developed by the Australian indie studio Route 59 and is the first title the studio has released. For the studios first release it brings me pleasure to say that Route 59 has in most aspects been able to deliver a unique visual novel experience.
Necrobarista follows the story of a necromancy cafe that exists as a purgatorial stopping point between the living and the dead. The story follows Maddy who has just recently inherited the Necrobarista cafe. She is faced with the challenge of keeping the store afloat.
The story follows the supporting cast of Kishan, Ashley, and Chay and the main character Maddy. The central thread of Necrobarista follows Maddy a barista the relationships she develops with both the previous owner, and visitors of the cafe. The story manages to hook you as it ebbs and flows between casual banter, into some dark themes of mortality and letting go. The strongest part of Necrobarista's narrative is how quirky and off beat each of these characters are. They all are compliment each other and bounce off each other in a fun and engaging way that makes them funny and relatable.
One minor complaint that I would say is that the dialogue at time can come across a little forced and feels like it can make the characters feel more like a caricature. This isn't enough of a problem to pull me out of the experience but is something that I noticed at different points in the story.
The gameplay for Necrobarista is an interesting case, because for the majority of the game I would say you'll be engaging in these cutscene's that play through like a more emotive visual novel. However there is a middle point of chapter where you control Maddy and can walk around and explore the cafe and pick up a few different collectible items. The best way to describe the gameplay loop for Necrobarista is that it is mostly a visual novel, with walking sim segments littered throughout. If you're looking for a relaxing game with an interesting story, than this game may be for you. This game may also be up your alley if you're an anime fan, given the visual presentation of this game and mannerisms of some of the characters.
The important thing to keep in your mind if you're thinking of playing this game, it is a visual novel first and foremost. This isn't a criticism but more something to be aware for. This game can provide a
One of the best aspects of Necrobarista is it's soundtrack, composed by both Kevin Penkin who composed the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed anime Made in Abyss, and Jeremy Lim who has done some original works. The music is comprised of this electronic ambient sound that Kevin Penkin has become known for that fits well with the more somber moments in the story. However there is a good range of energetic hyper electronic music that plays throughout the more playful moments in this game. The game makes a good use of it's sound, due to none of the characters are voiced, which lends to the emotive cuts between each character during conversation making them feel more expressive.
Now onto the visuals and presentation for this game, and for me I feel one of the major differentiating features of this game that make quite charming is the visual 3D anime art style and design that they went for in this game. There are over hundreds of anime visual novels with 2D sprites talking and the outcome in Necrobarista is fundamentally the same. However, I would say is easily distinguishable. This is in large part due these visual novel segments being shot like they're a freeze framed movie. The cuts between each shot provide enough detail for you to read the room, alongside the text. It adds an extra layer of expression to each moment. This style of storytelling coupled with the music that accompanies it really elevates the moments that take place throughout this game and have one of these two elements been done different. I doubt the story would have connected with me the way it did.
In Summary, this Indie gem is something that I feel anyone looking for a engaging narrative and quirky characters would enjoy. However, I don't feel like this game is for everyone, but those who enjoy it will really love it. The game isn't the most interactive experience but offers a portion of segments for the player to interact with its world. But if you're someone who plays games for there story, or are into Visual Novel games than this experience may be the nice change of pace you didn't know you needed. For the first game from this studio, Route 59 have delivered a rich and deep character driven experience that anyone who is looking for a good narrative, a cozy soundtrack, and all told in a short 4 hour window.
Let me know your thoughts down below or if there are any games that you'd like to see me cover on the channel, as always I am Tarrmu and this has been Indie Hour, if you enjoyed the video consider giving us a like and if you really enjoyed the video consider subscribing. Thanks for watching.
