Necrobarista Reviews

Necrobarista tells a beautiful, heart-wrenching story of the human experience expertly told with dialogue that resonates more than once. I was enthralled by the world and enamoured with its characters, despite minor complaints with the polish of an otherwise impressive visual style. In crafting their 3D visual novel, Route 59 has gambled on a niche genre, eschewing more marketable mechanics and pursuing passion over potential profit. With a brew this good, you can be sure I'll be back for more.

Necrobarista is still a great story, but has a lot of issues a rerelease should have fixed by now. Everything from typos to not paying workers, this isn’t the ideal version of the game by any means when you add the terrible performance on top. It’s nice to cozy up with this game in bed with headphones, but it may still be better to wait for the PC update if you have a beefy desktop.

As a visual novel, Necrobarista: Final Pour works hard to try to set itself apart from the genre. At times it does a really fantastic job, and even the negative aspects aren’t nearly enough to stop me from recommending the game to visual novel fans. Necrobarista: Final Pour is a unique take on a common theme, as well as a fresh approach to a genre that can feel a tad paint-by-numbers at times. I absolutely enjoyed every second of my time in Melbourne, and the way it made me think about death and my own mortality was truly fascinating.

The story of Necrobarista isn't lost in its bold anime-inspired style and maximalist presentation. These elements mix and swirl together like a cup of damned good coffee.

Necrobarista is easily one of the best games so far this year and one of the greatest visual novels I’ve ever played.

Necrobarista may not make the player a part of its story, but this visual novel's narrative still hits pretty hard.

As Australian as meat pie.

You know, last week I’m not sure I could have told you the last time I cried while playing a video game. Maybe it was Persona 4 on the PlayStation 2? I’ve been introspective a lot, but rarely sad and on the verge of crying. Well, now I know exactly the last time a video game made me cry, because it was yesterday while finishing up Necrobarista. While I have some qualms with how the game’s “memories” are handled, it’s such a minor quibble in the grand scheme of things. For anyone interesting in a wholly unique story that is almost guaranteed to sink its hooks into you, look no further than Necrobarista.

Necrobarista is a stylish visual novel set in a curious Melbourne cafe where the dead can spend their final hours among the living

Necrobarista is a game-changer for the visual novel genre, using slick cinematic visuals to tell its story. This is a sophisticated story full of delightful, three-dimensional characters that is perfectly complements by the groundbreaking presentation of the experience.

Necrobarista won't be everybody's cuppa coffee, but it's an excellent visual novel with strong writing and visuals.

It’s not very often that Melbournians are treated to a video game set in their own city. We’re used to settings all over the world, but I guess nobody thinks of Australia’s urban centres as a good backdrop to a story. So it stands to reason that the job fell to local developer Route 59 (presumably a reference to the tram route that runs from Airport West to Flinders Street Station) to tell a more local tale. That’s how Necrobarista came to be. It’s an emotional character-driven visu...

This is a game I had been waiting for for years, after first trying it out at PAX West way back in 2017. Looking back at my experiences with that demo, Necrobarista has come a long way from its initial previews, and definitely surpassed the already heightened expectations I personally had for it.

Necrobarista is a game that doesn't shy away from talking about death, but it's accompanied by enough warmth and humour to avoid any anxiety.

Necrobarista may have changed since it was first seen, but the end result is still an engrossing visual novel that succeeds thanks to a cast of memorable and fun characters, a stylish and cool presentation, and a well-crafted story that hits all the right notes, providing a terrific tale of having to move on that has room for bits of both laughter and tears in your coffee. Despite a few hiccups along the way, it's an adventure that was both worth the wait and visiting the Terminal for.