The concept of death is certainly not new for video games, neither is it new in storytelling in general. The way Necrobarista: Final Pour manages to approach it, however, is truly unique. The ultimate Pour version from developer Route 59 Games is a director’s cut from the original game and features remastered visuals as well as added content.
Necrobarista: Final Pour is a visible novel, so don’t expect there to become any advanced game mechanics or challenges. Visual novels are about one extremely important thing; the storyline. Necrobarista: Final Pour is a tale about death, pure and straightforward. How we approach it, the way it affects us and others, and merely the reality of it. The interactions between the characters, and also the tragedies that bind some of them, truly get this to game stand out.
The story only includes a handful of characters, but each feel totally unique and authentic. My two personal favorites are Chay and Maddy, who set themselves apart from the rest of the cast fairly early on. It’s not that I didn’t like the other characters, I really did, however the connection those two have is incredibly well-written and was enjoyable to see. There's also several side characters which will play from time to time, even though none of them are as important as the main cast I discovered them all to be fairly intriguing. There is some humor added too among the dark theme of death, which will help the storyline from feeling just like a complete downer the whole time.
While the stories of every character vary, the overarching theme of death exists and real throughout. I found the way Necrobarista: Final Pour uses the idea of a coffee shop serving as a kind of “limbo” for that dead to be truly fascinating. Using coffee shops with what the developers describe as a “fantasy Melbourne, Australia” is such an odd way to approach the concept of death. Never imagined hipster coffee shops could help me come to terms with my very own mortality, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well it really works.
Beyond good storytelling, the game itself just looks fantastic. It’s very clear the developers were inspired by anime, and the way they honor the style while still presenting it in their own way is breathtaking sometimes. I additionally really loved the way they subverted expectations for what a visible novel must seem like. The majority are simply 2D animations with text boxes throughout, but Necrobarista: Final Pour uses 3D animation with animated scenes and speech to keep the presentation fresh. I do love the standard visual novel look and approach, however this fresh undertake the genre really was exciting and it has me wanting to see more games follow suit. The animation also helps a realistic look at the concept of death feel a lot more impactful, bringing the characters to life through not only the written text on the screen.
The game looks beautiful, also it sounds beautiful too. I have developed a bit of a track record of caring about game soundtracks more than the average person should, but a great soundtrack can definitely create a good game great. The soundtrack for Necrobarista: Final Pour, composed by Jeremy Lim and Kevin Penkin, is so good I’ve had it using repeat on Spotify. The background music really brought the atmosphere of a fantasy Melbourne alive and helped increase the gravity and emotion of the story.
While there is plenty to love about Necrobarista: Final Pour, I can’t say there aren’t any flaws. Well, not flaws, but stuff that might have made the knowledge feel a little more unique and finish. I would have really liked it when the characters were voice acted, even though I know that does not all visual novels have voice acting, most don’t have full animation either. Adding voice acting, as i realise why it isn’t there, would have helped the sport get to the next stage. It’s not a lengthy experience, therefore the more immersive it may have the better. I additionally really don’t like the idea of collecting tokens to unlock extra story content. It’s a visible novel with little “gameplay”, and also the addition of a nearly treasure hunts to unlock more story content just felt out of place to me.
As a visual novel, Necrobarista: Final Pour works difficult to try to set itself apart from the genre. Sometimes it will a very fantastic job, as well as the negative aspects aren’t nearly enough to stop me from recommending the game to visual novel fans. Necrobarista: Final Pour is really a unique undertake a common theme, in addition to a fresh method of a genre that can feel a tad paint-by-numbers sometimes. I absolutely enjoyed every second of my time in Melbourne, and the way it helped me consider death and my own mortality was truly fascinating.
Necrobarista: Final Pour is out now on the Nintendo Switch.
