Goodbye Volcano High is a visual novel with elements of a rhythm game that takes us to the world of anthropomorphic dinosaurs who have to deal with coming of age. Sound compelling? Let’s read and find out.
Release date
Goodbye Volcano High, developed and published by Canadian studio KO_OP, was announced in 2020 and initially planned for release in 2021. Unfortunately, it has been delayed multiple times because of the COVID-19 pandemic, among other reasons. In February 2023, KO_OP revealed that it would come out on June 15. Unluckily, there was another postponement. Consequently, players who love cinematic narrative games should mark August 29, 2023, on their calendars. Goodbye Volcano High comes to Windows PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
Story
Not only did COVID-19 force the game’s delayed release, but it also changed its plot. The story has been rewritten to resonate with students’ experiences during the pandemic. Consequently, characters have to deal with their everyday problems and an approaching asteroid. Speaking of characters, Goodbye Volcano High follows the story of a group of anthropomorphic dinosaurs who are about to graduate from the titular Volcano High. Besides studying, they play in a band, VVorm Drama. There is non-binary vocalist Fang, who serves as the protagonist, and their friends, guitarist Trish and drummer Reed.
A journey with music-loving dinosaurs will let players hear some familiar voices. Lachlan Watson, who portrayed Theo in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, voices Fang, while Ozioma Akagha, who you may know from Half-Life: Alyx and Deathloop, stars as Trish.
Gameplay
Goodbye Volcano High is a choice-based visual novel. Therefore, through dialogues, interactions with NPCs, and social media activities, players can decide how Fang will spend their last days before graduating and… extinction. You can focus on healing relationships within the family, spending time with friends, pursuing love, and composing the best song ever sung. Different choices lead to different outcomes. Hence, you may finish the game multiple times and see how you can shape Fang’s fate.
An interesting thing about Goodbye Volcano High’s gameplay is that, besides classic visual novel mechanics, it features minigames related to VVorm Drama concerts and rehearsals. The game also offers hand-drawn art and character animation that, according to its creators, make you feel like you’re playing a cartoon.
Controversy and Snoot Game
Goodbye Volcano High was announced at Sony’s Future of Gaming event in 2020 and has sparked some controversy on the spot. Some players thought that the indie game with cartoon graphics didn’t belong among Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and other technically advanced PS5 games. Another debate arose when it was disclosed that Kate Gray was the narrative director and writer of Goodbye Volcano High. What’s the problem? She was a former Kotaku journalist, most notably remembered for an article about porn parodies illustrated with NSFW screenshots featuring underage characters.
Finally, for some people, the fact that Goodbye Volcano High follows the story of non-binary characters is a good reason to conduct harassment campaigns and Discord raids. However, a rather unexpected by-product emerged from these actions. A 4chan-related developer group called Cavemanon released Snoot Game, a parody of Goodbye Volcano High that uses its characters and copies its visuals. Many players praised the parody for its edgy humor, surprisingly deep story, and multiple endings. Nevertheless, the fact that in positive outcomes, Fang changes from a non-binary person to a regular girl flatters anti-LGBT views, which are completely opposite from the beliefs of the Goodbye Volcano High creators.
Subnautica 2: Everything you should know about the game
The deep blue is calling once again, but this time, the waters are completely uncharted—and full of behind-the-scenes corporate drama. If you are one of the millions of survival fans asking if Subnautica 2 is out, we have fantastic news for you. The highly anticipated sequel has officially splashed down! The Subnautica 2 release marks […]
