Software:Necrobarista

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Necrobarista
Key art for the game Necrobarista, showing the protagonist standing alone in a warehouse, shoulders hunched.
Developer(s)Route 59
Publisher(s)Route 59
Director(s)Kevin Chen[1]
Programmer(s)Ryan Boulton[1]
Artist(s)
Writer(s)
Composer(s)
EngineUnity
Platform(s)
Release
  • iOS, macOS
  • July 17, 2020
  • Microsoft Windows
  • July 22, 2020
  • Nintendo Switch
  • August 11, 2021[2]
  • PlayStation 4
  • TBA
Genre(s)Visual novel
Mode(s)Single-player

Necrobarista is a 2020 visual novel game developed by Australian development studio Route 59. The player follows a cast of characters around a Melbourne back-alley coffeehouse staffed by necromancers, named the 'Terminal'. In the Terminal, the souls of the recently departed are given a final 24 hours to reside in the world alongside the living.

The game was released on July 17, 2020 for macOS and iOS via Apple Arcade, July 22, 2020 for Windows, and August 11, 2021 for Nintendo Switch. The original game was divided into ten chapters, with two stand-alone chapters focusing on minor or new characters being released as free DLCs; the game's name was changed to Necrobarista - Final Pour after both DLCs were added to the base game on all platforms.[3] The game is also scheduled to release at a later date for PlayStation 4.[4]

Overview

Necrobarista is a visual novel set in a Melbourne coffee shop that serves both the living and dead, and is visited by gangsters, hipsters, and necromancers.[5][6] Eschewing the 2D art typical to the genre, it is presented through cinematic 3D sequences,[5][7] composed by a dedicated cinematographer.[8]

Development and release

The game is developed by the Australian studio Route 59,[6] using the Unity game engine.[9] The visual style of the 3D cinematics was influenced by anime.[5] The game was originally announced for release in October 2017 for Microsoft Windows and MacOS,[6][10] but was delayed to July 22, 2020.[11] The game was released on August 11, 2021 for Nintendo Switch.[3] The composer for the project is Kevin Penkin.[12]

Reception

Pre-release

In pre-release coverage, multiple critics praised the game's presentation.[5][6][13] Nathan Grayson at Kotaku and Kyle LeClair at Hardcore Gamer both compared it to the Japanese developer Atlus's titles,[6][13] with Grayson describing it as stylish and like Persona in a coffee shop,[13] and LeClair saying that the anime-like aesthetics, the music and the atmosphere "wouldn't seem out of place in a top-level Atlus game".[6] Rock, Paper, Shotgun's Kate Gray said that the game looks "so good you just want to eat [it]", praising the sunset-like color palette used and comparing it to the visual style of the game Firewatch.[5] Joel Couture of Siliconera called the art style "striking", with its use of 3D art rather than the traditional animation and static 2D images common to the visual novel genre.[7] Gray, while noting that it was difficult to pinpoint the exact tone intended from just the trailer, also said that she liked the concept of a coffee shop visited by both the dead and the living,[5] and LeClair said that the environment interaction and investigation shown in the trailer felt like they were setting up an interesting mystery.[6]

Release

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic81/100[14]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid9/10[15]
Edge7/10
Game Informer8/10[16]
GameSpot7/10[20]
IGN8/10[17]
PC Gamer (US)80/100[18]
USgamer4/5[19]

Necrobarista received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[21] USGamer selected it as their Game of the Month for July 2020,[22] calling it "one of the more memorable visual novels I've played this year, if not ever".

The game's narrative and visuals received critical acclaim. Jody Macgregor, writing for PC Gamer, gave Necrobarista an 80 out of 100, saying “It's presented gorgeously, the camera finding interesting angles for every scene”.[23] GameGrin's reviewer gave it a perfect score, calling it "a moving experience that you would be a fool to pass on".[24] Bella Blondeau of TheGamer, also giving Necrobarista a perfect score, praised the game's "uncomfortable" discussions around death and grief, saying the end result was "perhaps one of the highest forms of art I can think of."[25]

Necrobarista's gameplay received mixed reception. Reviewers singled out its "keyword" system, used for unlocking side content, as being confusing and difficult to navigate. GameSpot's Jordan Ramée cited it as a negative element of the game's experience, mentioning that "[there's] no sense of victory in earning the necessary fragment points you need to unlock side stories, as it's mostly guesswork".[26]

In March 2021, Steam users had rated Necrobarista "Very Positive", with 86% positive reviews.[27]

Awards
Year Awards Category Result Ref
2020 Australian Game Developer Awards Best Art Won [28]
2020 Golden Joystick Awards Best Indie game Nominated [29]
2020 IND13 Awards Best writing Nominated [30]
2019 Freeplay Awards Excellence in Art Won [31]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 "Route 59 Games press kit". https://necrobarista.com/presskit/#credits. 
  2. ↑ "Indie World Showcase 8.11.2021 - Nintendo Switch". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDclD1QMmYM. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Necrobarista: Final Pour, A "Story About Coffee And Death", Launches On Switch Today" (in en-GB). 2021-08-11. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/08/necrobarista_final_pour_a_story_about_coffee_and_death_launches_on_switch_today. 
  4. ↑ "Review: Necrobarista". https://www.destructoid.com/stories/review-necrobarista-598195.phtml. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Gray, Kate (2017-01-21). "Necrobarista is about hipsters, baristas, and death". https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/01/21/necrobarista-is-about-hipsters-baristas-and-death/. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 LeClair, Kyle (2017-01-20). "Supernatural Visual Novel Necrobarista Coming This October". http://www.hardcoregamer.com/2017/01/20/supernatural-visual-novel-necrobarista-coming-this-october/243950/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Couture, Joel (2017-01-19). "Visual Novel Necrobarista Serves Coffee Or Booze To The Dead & The Living". http://www.siliconera.com/2017/01/19/visual-novel-necrobarista-serves-coffee-booze-dead-living/. 
  8. ↑ "Route 59 Games Presskit". https://necrobarista.com/presskit/. 
  9. ↑ "Necrobarista – Welcome to the terminal". Route 59. http://www.necrobarista.com/. 
  10. ↑ "NECROBARISTA - Announcement Trailer". Route 59. 2017-01-14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npt80bWJmlQ. 
  11. ↑ Devore, Jordan (2020-07-15). "Caffeinated ghost story Necrobarista comes to PC on July 22". Destructoid. https://www.destructoid.com/stories/caffeinated-ghost-story-necrobarista-comes-to-pc-on-july-22-597593.phtml. 
  12. ↑ "Composer Kevin Penkin on Symphonic Metal and Flamenco Music Influences in The Rising of the Shield Hero, and More!" (in en). Crunchyroll. https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-feature/2018/11/27-1/composer-kevin-penkin-on-symphonic-metal-and-flamenco-music-influences-in-the-rising-of-the-shield-hero-and-more. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Grayson, Nathan (2017-01-18). "Necrobarista is a game about "a supernatural cafe where the living come to mingle with the dead."". Gizmodo Media Group. http://kotaku.com/necrobarista-is-a-game-about-a-supernatural-cafe-where-1791355594. 
  14. ↑ "Necrobarista for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/necrobarista/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  15. ↑ "Review: Necrobarista". https://www.destructoid.com/stories/review-necrobarista-598195.phtml. 
  16. ↑ "Necrobarista Review – Tasty Coffee And Heartfelt Life Lessons". Game Informer. https://www.gameinformer.com/review/necrobarista/necrobarista-review-tasty-coffee-and-heartfelt-life-lessons. Retrieved April 25, 2021. 
  17. ↑ "Necrobarista Review". 28 July 2020. https://www.ign.com/articles/necrobarista-review. 
  18. ↑ "Review: Necrobarista". 28 July 2020. https://www.pcgamer.com/necrobarista-review/. 
  19. ↑ "Necrobarista Review: Death, Stranded". https://www.usgamer.net/articles/necrobarista-review. 
  20. ↑ "Necrobarista Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/necrobarista-review/1900-6417511/. 
  21. ↑ "Necrobarista" (in en). https://www.metacritic.com/game/necrobarista/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  22. ↑ Van Allen, Eric. "USG Game of the Month: Necrobarista Is an Electric Story About Letting Go". https://www.usgamer.net/articles/usg-game-of-the-month-necrobarista-july-2020. 
  23. ↑ Macgregor, Jody (2020-07-28). "Necrobarista review" (in en-US). https://www.pcgamer.com/au/necrobarista-review/. 
  24. ↑ Waifu, Judgemental (31 August 2020). "Necrobarista Review". https://www.gamegrin.com/reviews/necrobarista-review/. 
  25. ↑ Blondeau, Bella (31 July 2020). "Necrobarista Review". https://www.thegamer.com/necrobarista-review/. 
  26. ↑ Ramée, Jordan. "Necrobarista Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/necrobarista-review/1900-6417511/. 
  27. ↑ "Necrobarista on Steam" (in en). https://store.steampowered.com/app/725270/Necrobarista/. 
  28. ↑ "Here are your 2020 AGDA Winners". https://www.pixelsift.com.au/post/here-are-your-2020-agda-winners. 
  29. ↑ November 2020, Ben Tyrer 24 (24 November 2020). "Hades wins the Best Indie Game award at this year's Golden Joystick Awards" (in en). https://www.gamesradar.com/au/hades-wins-the-best-indie-game-award-at-this-years-golden-joystick-awards/. 
  30. ↑ "IND13 announces the Winners of the 2020 IND13 Awards" (in en-US). 2020-10-16. https://www.ind13.com/ind13-announces-the-winners-of-the-2020-ind13-awards/. 
  31. ↑ "2019 Freeplay Awards". https://www.freeplay.net.au/awards-2019/. 

External links



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