Goodbye Volcano High

I absolutely love a good narrative-heavy video game. Despite usually trending towards shooters and action-adventures, I always find myself getting excited when a new Supermassive game is on the horizon, or for indie projects that are similar, such as We Are OFK, and Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical. Needless to say, for August 2023, Goodbye Volcano High was up there on my most anticipated list, and unlike Stray Gods, which admittedly did let me down a bit, KO_OP's title has made me eager to see what the studio has in store next.

While I'll stray away from spoilers in this review, for the sake of clarity, I will share a quick synopsis of what Goodbye Volcano High is about. Essentially, you play as a young teenage dinosaur known as Fang, who is dealing with the stress of graduating from high school, attempting to become a rockstar with her band, and most importantly, the existential threat that has come about thanks to a 10 km asteroid being on a crash course for the planet (yep, the very same one your science teacher told you about). With all of these clashing issues in mind, Goodbye Volcano High also dots in relationships with friends and family, and the occasional romance option, meaning the dialogue options you select will affect how the people you meet treat and act around you. And if all of this wasn't enough, there are rhythmic sections where you and your band jam out to a collection of original and catchy songs.

On the surface, when you strip away the prehistoric and the mythological settings, it would seem as though there isn't much separating Goodbye Volcano High and Stray Gods, but the overall tone of this game is just one of many reasons why I think KO_OP is onto something special. While this is a story drenched in teenage angst, like Riverdale if Archie was an anthropomorphic triceratops and Betty was a Pterodactyl, it's also a game that oozes charm and character. The cast are wonderfully realised and feel genuinely unique, and the dialogue options give you plenty of ways to guide the story in the way that suits you, all without featuring massively different options that feel black and white in comparison. The choices you make are not radically different to one another, but just unique enough so that you can put your own personal spin on the storyline.

Add to this a general style that feels lively and fresh, even if the dread is turned up a notch as the asteroid edges ever closer to Earth. In fact it all feels so genuine that the prehistoric setting and the anthropomorphic dinosaurs come across as simply a design choice and not an identifying factor, as is the case in Stray Gods, where the world and story feels subjugated by the characters, who in themselves, come across as a bit flat and depressing.

The unique part about Goodbye Volcano High is also how it looks to immerse and engage players. Unlike some narrative-heavy games where it almost feels like you don't need to have a controller or mouse in your hand, in this title, you will constantly need to remain focussed, as choices are timed and there will be additional gameplay sections that require significant input from the player. Some of these are the aforementioned rhythm sections where you tap buttons on time to rock out with your band to genuinely good and catchy songs, but this can also include other tiny mini-games, such as designing a band poster or playing a round of Legends & Lore (a Dungeons & Dragons style game) with your friends. Goodbye Volcano High is more than its core narrative, even if this is clearly the most important aspect.

I will say that there are occasions where the game gives you dialogue options that don't really lead anywhere or allow you to make much of a personal impact on the story. Some of these are even at key moments, which come across as a bit of a let down, as the story builds up to a key point and then almost pulls the interactivity offering from under your feet. But generally speaking, the narrative suite is well designed and lets you mould Fang's story in the way that suits you.

Also, credit should be given to the art team behind Goodbye Volcano High, as this is a stunningly animated title. The various characters each feel vibrant and unique, and the world feels as though it has depth. If this was just a TV show or a movie, its animation would be one of its best qualities. It's genuinely very well done.

Goodbye Volcano High has definitely surprised me. Clearly KO_OP has a knack for this style of game, as this is one of the better narrative-heavy titles on the market. It has its kinks for sure, but generally, this is definitely a game to check out if you've ever wondered what it would be like to cross anthropomorphic dinosaurs with that of a Netflix high school drama TV series.