Goodbye Volcano High (2023)

Goodbye Volcano High has a pretty great premise. A bunch of anthropomorphic dinosaurs are about to graduate high school and need to grapple with the likely reality that an asteroid will wipe them out in the coming weeks. I've often thought to myself while finishing up a long project or piece of media something along the lines of "What if I died right now? Was it all for nothing?" This takes that intrusive thought literally and I think it could be fertile ground for some meaningful exploration of the characters involved. I don't feel that this game quite managed to pull this off as well as I'd hoped though.

In the beginning it's clear that the writers have a vision. They do a good job of introducing the main cast and setting up the threat of the asteroid. But soon after that the vision feels like it fizzles out. A lot of the story just has the characters meandering about with the occasional glance skyward betraying their anxiety. And I suppose I'm not sure what I expected. What would a bunch of high schoolers do but continue to try and live their lives the best they can when faced with death? I can at least say that near the end the writers clearly knew where they wanted the story to go and it finished off on a stronger note as a result.

Thankfully, the main cast have decent chemistry and this helps keep things chugging along even when the game doesn't seem to know how to propel its narrative otherwise. The character design across the board is a lot of fun! Each of the main characters feel unique, with outfits and personalities that quickly set them apart from the others. Some of them don't really get enough screentime to take off, but I think I liked most of them regardless. Reed ended up being my favorite for his chill demeanor and brutally pessimistic outlook on the asteroid situation.

I feel as though the game has a bit of a tone issue on a moment to moment basis. I'd chalk this up to the dialogue being pretty inconsistent, but there's a bit more going on beneath the surface if you ask me. During Goodbye Volcano High's rhythm game segments, the music is on average really really good. It suits the game well and I could see myself enjoying it on its own merits, separate from the game. But this is a visual novel so most of the game is spent listening to / reading dialogue, and the background music during most of these sequences is so quiet (or simply nonexistent?) that with every pause in speech the total silence hits like a truck. The effect is something like a comedian telling a joke to a crowd that doesn't react. When a line of dialogue in this game doesn't quite land on its own there's little to no atmospheric music to cushion the drop-- just utter silence as the next character queues up their response. This is the death knell for the tone of a scene and it reared its head a lot in my playthrough.

I'll wrap up by saying that this is a very pretty game. I often felt like I was watching a web series or something because of the generally great art direction with its vibrant color palette. The lip syncing could use some work and the animation is a bit stiff here and there, but overall the art is what drew me to the game and it delivered. It feels premium among its peers and I'd love to play more with the same art team behind it.

This one is a bit tough to recommend unless you're totally sold on the premise and art. It didn't deliver anything that I expect to stick with me, but I had an alright time nonetheless.

I've been looking forward to Goodbye Volcano High for ages, and I don't think it was quite able to match those expectations, but I still had a good time with it!

Well acted and expressively animated, the game smartly recognizes that a story focused entirely on the impending death of all the characters for 6-plus hours would be overwhelmingly bleak. Instead, Fang's evolving friendships and pursuit of their passion for music form the core of the narrative, and it mostly works. Some of their buddies are painfully one-note, some scenes feel repetitive, and the main conflict between them and their best friend Trish is drawn out for far too long, but there's moments of solid character writing throughout and I love how unapologetically queer the whole thing is.

Fang's drive to become an actual, touring musician is the highlight of the game. Chasing a dream that no one else seems to believe in can be lonely and confusing and maddening, and all that ill feeling fuels the narrative stakes for the excellent, surprisingly frequent rhythm segments. I've never played any other rhythm game where it felt like there was so much on the line, and the payoff for finally nailing a song is unmatched in the genre.

Eventually though, the meteor becomes impossible to ignore, and the characters all grapple with their stolen futures. It's a broad enough metaphor to stand in for any number of things, and the cast's conflicted thoughts provide enough angles on the problem for most any player to relate. For me, I couldn't help but be reminded of my own high school experience of coming to terms with depression and anxiety. The disbelief and desperation to be rid of them, the righteous fury in realizing just how much of my life they'd strip away, and finding some reason to keep fighting regardless; all those feelings find honest (if rather brief) expression here, and the lack of any convenient answers feels right.

Some major storylines drag, the setting's overfamiliar, and the dialogue's just okay. But I still had fun with Goodbye Volcano High, and when the musical numbers work they're electric.