Necrobarista

82%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,240 reviews
  • story
  • music
  • graphics
Necrobarista Game Cover
Necrobarista is easily one of the best games so far this year and one of the greatest visual novels I’ve ever played.
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"Necrobarista" is a single-player fantasy point-and-click game with an interesting plot, good mechanics, striking visuals, and a stellar soundtrack. It offers a unique blend of coffee culture, death, and necromancy in Melbourne's hipster scene. The definitive edition, "Final Pour," includes cinematic changes, a new episode, studio mode, doodle mode, and new music.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Windows
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

82%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,240 reviews
story435 positive mentions
optimization7 negative mentions
  • Stunning visuals and unique 3D art style that enhances the storytelling experience.
  • Engaging and heartfelt narrative that explores themes of death, grief, and moving on.
  • Excellent soundtrack by Kevin Penkin that complements the atmosphere and emotional beats of the story.
  • Limited interactivity with no choices, making it feel more like a reading experience than a game.
  • Some characters feel underdeveloped and are introduced only to disappear without further exploration.
  • The system for unlocking side stories can be confusing and may lead to missing content in a single playthrough.
  • story1,261 mentions

    The story of *Necrobarista* is a poignant exploration of death, grief, and the human experience, set in a unique café that serves as a transitional space for the recently deceased. While the narrative is engaging and features well-developed characters, some players found it meandering and lacking depth in certain areas, with a reliance on side stories for additional context. Overall, the game is praised for its beautiful visuals and emotional storytelling, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of narrative-driven games, despite its linearity and limited interactivity.

    • “Poignant story about the nature of ways of living... and not... and the apprehensions of attachment to either and how those affect others.”
    • “This game is an incredibly profound and very human story about death and dying.”
    • “Necrobarista is an interactive story about magical realism first, an interesting tale with fleshed-out characters and a unique visual look second, and only then a videogame.”
    • “The visual novel looks pretty and the OST is great, but the story is lacking.”
    • “The plot really sags in the middle; however, despite being quite short, many of the cast tend toward a sophomoric self-awareness that saps drama from the script.”
    • “The story was ok, but there were a lot of elements which were brought up once or twice and not touched upon again.”
  • music501 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, particularly for its emotional depth and ability to enhance the narrative experience. Composed by Kevin Penkin, known for his work on "Made in Abyss," the soundtrack features a blend of styles that effectively sets the mood for various scenes, although some players noted that the limited number of tracks can lead to repetitiveness. Overall, the soundtrack is described as phenomenal, captivating, and integral to the game's atmosphere, making it a standout feature for many players.

    • “The thing that really sold me on the tone and immersion was the music.”
    • “The soundtrack is fantastic (if a bit repetitive), the characters are interesting, and the story brought me to tears.”
    • “The music is as vivid and soothing as you'd expect from Kevin Penkin (who also composed Made in Abyss).”
    • “It’s also worth noting that the dialogue is all text; there’s no voice acting, just a repetitive soundtrack burbling away in the background.”
    • “The music is quirky but gets a little bit repetitive if you're a slow reader, so I occasionally mute it.”
    • “The soundtrack could have similarly used another look; what's there is great, but there isn't quite enough to fill out the game even as short as it is.”
  • graphics328 mentions

    The graphics of "Necrobarista" are widely praised for their unique art style, stunning visuals, and effective use of 3D cinematography, which enhances the storytelling experience. While some players noted minor graphical issues and a lack of gameplay depth, the overall aesthetic, character designs, and atmospheric lighting received high marks, making it a standout in the visual novel genre. The combination of beautiful artwork and a compelling soundtrack creates an immersive experience that captivates players, despite some criticisms regarding performance and repetitiveness.

    • “The art style is definitely unique, in particular I absolutely adore the lighting and environment designs.”
    • “The visuals are gorgeous, the soundtrack has a nice blend of jazz and electronic, the characters feel real, the main story is heartwarming and thoughtful, and the side stories make the world feel more robust.”
    • “The art style takes clear inspiration from anime but brings its own visual style and has almost flawless lighting and shadow casting.”
    • “The visuals half of the game is fine, anime-by-numbers with nothing especially striking or imaginative.”
    • “It's really not aesthetically pleasing enough to be this pretentious and lacking any gameplay.”
    • “The game has such a limited graphics option setup, you can't even mess with stuff like anti-aliasing which bugged the hell out of me because everything looked so jaggy.”
  • emotional194 mentions

    The emotional aspect of *Necrobarista* is widely praised for its ability to evoke a range of feelings, from laughter to tears, as it explores profound themes of loss, death, and the human experience. Players appreciate the heartfelt storytelling, relatable characters, and the seamless blend of humor and melancholy, often noting that the game made them cry multiple times. While some critiques mention occasional stilted dialogue, the overall consensus is that the game delivers a touching and memorable emotional journey.

    • “The story is a very touching exploration of loss and death, and the world-building is fantastic.”
    • “Necrobarista was an absolute delight of a visual novel that delivered with a great soundtrack, side stories, and heavy emotional punches.”
    • “It's a beautiful, emotionally intense story that unfolds in a predictable but enjoyable way.”
  • gameplay166 mentions

    The gameplay of "Necrobarista" is primarily linear and resembles a visual novel more than a traditional game, with minimal interactivity and no meaningful choices. Players mainly progress through dialogue by clicking, with some exploration elements that allow for the discovery of "memories," but overall, the experience is heavily narrative-driven and lacks substantial gameplay mechanics. While the storytelling and visuals are praised, many reviewers express disappointment over the absence of engaging gameplay, suggesting that it may not appeal to those seeking traditional gaming experiences.

    • “The gameplay mainly consists of following the main story, but you can also free roam exploring the terminal, a place where both living and dead can stop by to hang around, and though you can't have a talk with any of the characters (because you are a witness), you can interact with many objects containing 'memories', these act as mini light novels with stories of different people that visited the terminal, as the story progresses and more places open up, more memories appear.”
    • “Even for a visual novel game, it does something unique, and even if there's no inherent gameplay other than simply reading, the text paired with the visuals just suck you into the game and its characters with gorgeous writing.”
    • “Necrobarista is a fascinating and unique 3D visual novel with some very clever camera and interface mechanics.”
    • “There are no choices to be made or gameplay mechanics of any kind.”
    • “The game can be beaten in 4-6 hours, and 90% of the gameplay is pressing one button that scrolls through the dialogues.”
    • “Necrobarista has basically 0 gameplay apart from reading, walking and some kind of word mini-game to unlock sub-stories and additional lore.”
  • humor112 mentions

    The humor in the game is a standout feature, blending witty dialogue with somber themes, creating a unique balance that resonates with players. Many reviews highlight the clever writing and relatable characters, often eliciting both laughter and tears, while the Australian humor adds a distinct flavor that may not resonate with everyone. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to navigate between lightheartedness and emotional depth, making it a memorable experience.

    • “Characterization is excellent, and so is the balance between witty humor and somber themes.”
    • “The game combines funny dialogue, somber and melancholy themes with unique and fun characters, and it works super well together (almost like a perfectly blended coffee).”
    • “It's a funny, heartfelt story about life, death, and coffee.”
  • atmosphere48 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its immersive and captivating qualities, enhanced by a well-crafted soundtrack and striking visual design. Reviewers highlight the effective use of light, shadow, and cinematic techniques that contribute to a cozy yet poignant environment, making the world feel lived-in and engaging. Overall, the combination of strong world-building, memorable characters, and atmospheric music creates a unique and memorable experience, though some players may find the pacing slow.

    • “The atmosphere setting is perfect, the soundtracks perfectly match with the scenery.”
    • “I haven't had a game just totally envelop me in its atmosphere, world and characters, like Necrobarista does, in such a long time.”
    • “What does matter, is that this game is a low-flying masterpiece; a testament that music, writing, and atmosphere can invoke an experience that is difficult to describe, and easy to enjoy.”
    • “The atmosphere Route 59 has cultivated is both comforting and off-putting, like any true cafe you want to spend time in but know you can't remain in forever.”
    • “That said, it has a very intriguing setting, and establishes a very fascinating atmosphere that feels lived in, even if some people are lacking on that front.”
    • “A moody atmosphere fills the terminal, helped largely by effective use of light and shadow.”
  • character development32 mentions

    Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth and the engaging backstories provided through inter-chapter narratives, allowing players to form attachments to the characters. While some reviewers noted that the character development could have been more extensive, it was still considered effective and memorable, complemented by unique and bold character designs that enhance the overall experience. The combination of well-written characters and a distinctive art style contributes to a compelling narrative, despite some critiques regarding the plot's depth.

    • “I thought the character development was really good as well and the game provides little stories between chapters that provide further insight into the characters and how they think and who they are.”
    • “The art is nice, and the world building and character development are excellent.”
    • “Loved all of the ambiance, character development, story, music, and art direction.”
    • “I read some negative reviews saying it should have built up character development more, and while I agree with that, it wasn't that big of a deal.”
    • “The whole game felt like character development just so the finale would hit harder but there was overall little plot and little exploration of the super interesting world that was set up.”
    • “The character design is obviously anime-inspired, which for the most part works except for some shots that make the 3D models look odd because of how flat some of the visual elements look.”
  • optimization29 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with users reporting inconsistent performance across various hardware setups, including high-end PCs and older laptops. Many experienced noticeable lag, particularly during specific scenes like rainy weather and in first-person segments, leading to frustrating frame rate drops despite the game's impressive visuals. Overall, the optimization appears to be lacking, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “I run it on a laptop that's about 6+ years old, and I can run it on middle-of-the-road settings with fair performance.”
    • “The scene control and pause menu, of all things, were the most impressive, showing the power of real-time rendering of scenes even if it meant a heavy performance hit (even with a GTX 1070 Ti I could only run at medium quality at a consistent 30 fps).”
    • “It's baffling because the game has such a beautiful presentation, but the performance is so inconsistent.”
    • “Also, the performance tends to be pretty bad.”
    • “There are performance issues on decent hardware.”
    • “As much as I love the look of the game, performance is a different story.”
  • stability14 mentions

    The game has been criticized for its stability, with users reporting numerous bugs, including visual glitches, issues with object labels, and performance problems on various setups. While some players have noted that patches are being released, the overall experience is marred by these technical issues, impacting gameplay and the communication of its themes.

    • “The game was buggy as hell even though I have an okay laptop; the gameplay is nonexistent... the soundtrack and some scenes are nice though.”
    • “Albeit short, the game used its few hours to craft a finely written story about accepting death and moving on towards the future. However, it struggles with communicating its ideas due to glitches and various errors.”
    • “It's a little buggy and doesn't run great, but they've already started patching it.”
  • replayability9 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is considered minimal due to its highly linear structure, with an average runtime of about 5 hours. However, players can enhance their experience by unlocking various side stories through a keyword system, which adds some incentive to replay. Despite this, the lack of significant choices limits the overall replay value.

    • “Replayability is always good.”
    • “The average runtime is 5 hours, but the replayability is enhanced by a substantial amount of interludes to read, which are unlocked via a keyword system.”
    • “The average runtime is 5 hours; replayability is minimal (as expected from linear visual novels, however, there are a substantial amount of interludes to read, which are unlocked via a keyword system).”
    • “The replay value of this game is the process of unlocking all of those side stories, as every chapter lets you choose seven words which then gives you a token based on what you chose.”
    • “Highly linear, little replay value.”
  • grinding6 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspects of the game, particularly in studio mode, to be frustrating and tedious due to a poorly designed user interface and mandatory save requirements that disrupt the creative process. Additionally, repetitive walking segments and the slow text display contribute to a sense of monotony, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “I found all but the last walking around segments to be tedious at best and largely unnecessary.”
    • “Sometimes, text appears word by word, which I can see the point of, but it does get a bit tedious and I hope it will get fixed a little.”
    • “The UI in studio mode is really bad. You can create your own scenes using all available assets and some cool scene editing, which is a splendid idea that quickly becomes tedious due to the poor presentation and the mandatory save button you have to click every time you want to check your scene. It doesn't even work if you press it too quickly, leading to a frustrating waste of time.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

76% average critic score

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Play time

7hMedian play time
10hAverage play time
6-24hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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