Last year at PAX West, I ended up playing a unique VN called Necrobarista. Developed by Australian team Route 59 Games, I honestly had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, the game really impressed me, both with its visual style and the quality of the writing. Since then I hadn’t heard anything, until today. Now the game has a loose release window sometime in 2019, and better yet it’s now coming to PC, Switch and PS4! And if that’s not enough, there will be a demo provided on Steam before the official release. So if you enjoy well written, emotionally complex supernatural stories, you should stay tuned. And be sure to read the full press release for Necrobarista below.
Necrobarista Brewing Up a PlayStation 4 Version
Free Demo Announced
MELBOURNE, VIC – August 13, 2018 – Necrobarista, the cinematic cel-shaded visual novel from Route 59 Games, will brew up a PlayStation 4 release next year alongside the previously-revealed Nintendo Switch and PC versions. Additionally, a free game demo will be available prior to release via Steam to serve players a tantalizing taste of what’s to come.
In a magical modern-day Melbourne, Australia, Necrobarista takes place within the confines of a supernatural coffee house whose patrons are not all of this world. Here, the dead can return to spend one final day on Earth. Indistinguishable from the living, these ghosts can mingle and resolve unfinished business before departing this realm for what awaits on the other side.
Told through a series of vignettes from the perspectives of several patrons, Necrobarista’s story centers on Maddy, the café’s manager and resident necromancer. While she does her best to keep the shop running smoothly, ferrying souls to the afterlife can have its complications.
The variety of vantage points is mirrored in Necrobarista’s cinematic approach to storytelling. Featuring a dynamic camera, the game pans from one angle to another with animation that brings its vivid world to life and distinguishing the experience from other titles in the genre.
Beyond scripted narrative moments, players are given the reins to explore the coffee shop’s 3D setting in a contemporary spin on classic point-and-click adventure style. In these sequences, players are free to move around the establishment and learn more about both it and the colorful cast of characters that call this place home – even if only for a brief moment in time.
“Necrobarista is a fresh new take on the visual novel,” said Kevin Chen, lead designer, Route 59 Games. “After spending the past few years cultivating this robust blend of narrative elements, we look forward to sharing the fruits of our efforts with players when we launch next year and are happy to announce our friends in the PlayStation community can come along on this ride.”
