It\u2019s better to walk into it without spoilers, but basically Necrobarista<\/em> follows the trials and tribulations of Maddy, a young Melburnian running a caf\u00e9 where the dead spend their last night on Earth. The team grapples with letting go of loved ones, almost entirely through the use of puns and meme-language. Like all the best people in hospo, Maddy and her staff are dripping in sass and consume dangerous amounts of coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And hey, historical bad boy Ned Kelly is a main supporting character, which is great. He\u2019s also wearing shorts, which I don\u2019t know how I feel about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to go into Necrobarista <\/em>with the right expectations, as it does exactly what it says on the box. This is a visual novel. It\u2019s like a reading a book on the screen, accompanied by pretty visuals. However, unlike many examples of the visual novel genre, Necrobarista<\/em>\u2019s storyline doesn\u2019t branch. You’ll find no choices to be made, and no alternative endings to discover. But, to be honest, the story is interesting enough that I didn\u2019t mind the lack of choices so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The more unusual element of interaction are the collectible highlighted words. These words each signify a theme or character. Icons relating to each can then be used to unlock further text-only side stories. These side stories can then be accessed during the sections between chapters where you can move around the caf\u00e9 building. I\u2019ve made this sound more complicated than necessary, because it is. I couldn\u2019t help but think that the side-stories could have been better served by an unlockable menu codex, as old-fashioned as that would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visually novel <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Necrobarista <\/em>is incredibly innovative visually. While it\u2019s not the only anime\/anime-inspired visual novel on the market, it\u2019s done in a way that feels both anime and not anime simultaneously. Ain\u2019t no anime tropes here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s downright amazing what Route 59 Games have managed with the cinematography. Every shot is arranged with the care of a film director. It\u2019s like watching the 3D equivalent of a storyboard, with movement peppered throughout for maximum impact.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also genius is the treatment of text. The text isn\u2019t constrained to old-fashioned text boxes, but rather floats across the action, with its own aesthetic value beyond the delivery of meaning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nuanced soundtrack composed by BAFTA-nominated Kevin Penkin also adds an extra layer of cool, with no songs that I disliked. I can\u2019t stress how important this is in visual novels where music repeats on loop.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Life\u2019s too short to always be serious<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I was stoked to see that Necrobarista<\/em> is set in Melbourne, and while Necorbarista <\/em>doesn\u2019t beat you over the heading with its setting beyond the odd reference, what better expression of Melbourne culture than the caf\u00e9 scene? Never having worked in a caf\u00e9, I can\u2019t judge how the experiences of these necromancer baristas align with the real deal (baristas I mean, not necromancy. Unless?). Most however will be able to strongly relate to the shared human experience of mortality and internet memes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As you would expect, Necrobarista <\/em>spends much of its five hour-ish runtime wrestling with death, with a surprising amount of humour. What comes after death? What would I sacrifice for more time? Should I be judged for my choice in coffee? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The characters are all funny and likeable, but continue with their quips throughout the runtime. This meant that some of the heavy moments didn\u2019t pack the punch that they might have done otherwise. If I had to provide an analogy, Necrobarista <\/em>is like talking with friends who use humour and memes to avoid directly expressly their feelings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps it\u2019s a more realistic representation of how we millennials express our feelings than I have given it credit for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drink it up<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s so much supernatural mystery to unpack here, particularly around the rules of Necrobarista<\/em>\u2019s world and its treatment of the afterlife. Some of these mysteries are answered, but definitely not all, so it\u2019s encouraging that there is more Necrobarista <\/em>on the way. Some of the engaging minor characters, like the sultry Samantha who is introduced and never heard from again, will also feature in future chapters to be released to owners of the base game for free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another fact about me that you didn\u2019t ask for \u2013 I don\u2019t like coffee. I\u2019m a hot chocolate kind o\u2019 gal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I do like Necrobarista<\/em>, and I want to see more of it. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What comes after death? What would I sacrifice for more time? Should I be judged for my choice in coffee?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":15972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Necrobarista review - Coffee with a double dash of corpses","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[222,207],"tags":[605,238],"yoast_head":"\n