Route 59’s debut feature is a visual novel set in a cafeteria, in which its characters reflect on life and death.
“They say our coffee is to die for”, as some of the visitors to La Terminal are dead, a very special cafeteria that welcomes both the living and the deceased. You can find it in the alleys of the city of Melbourne, in a quiet and discreet area. Necrobarista, the debut feature from the Australian studio Route 59, is a visual novel much more focused on history than on its few interactive elements. The plot introduces us to Maddy, a vigorous woman who has become the owner of the premises after the previous boss, Chay, gave her such responsibility. But La Terminal is not just any business, although it faces problems well known to the hospitality industry.
The lack of profitability and the economic vicissitudes represent a continuous headache. Maddy does not even have the resources to buy cutlery, something that reflects the precarious state in which the profession is immersed. What happens is that in a business as particular as La Terminal, the debt is not paid only with bills or coins. The production of this independent study weaves a whole reflection on life and death, the time we have and the time we have left in this world. Meanwhile, the Council of Death collects its debts in hours of life, a currency as rare as it is precious. It is a kind of magistracy that ensures that the rules of the game are observed, although sometimes they turn a blind eye.
Living and dying, two strongly linked concepts
Life is like an hourglass: when turned 180 degrees, its dusty contents trickle down to the bottom of the artifact, slowly but inexorably. By turning it over again, you know you can make up some of that time. You are convinced, poor ignorant, confident and delusional, that you have cheated eternal rest. And when you open your eyes, suddenly the last grain has fallen and the view is blurred. Unfathomable darkness, you have lost. This desperation to complete the payment leads Maddy to fall into the murky world of gambling, where the price is high and the prize is a few hours of extra life.
Kishan walks through the gates of the Terminal after wandering for hours through the night streets of Melbourne. He is not aware that he has less than 24 hours left in this world; nor does he know that his previous life no longer exists. The young man has died and his boyfriend has survived him. What will your relatives think now that you are gone? Will they miss him? Will they turn the page soon after? All those questions wind their way through your mind, universal questions we’ve all asked ourselves at times. It is the fear of being forgotten, the same terror that powerful men of antiquity suffered from day to day. That is why they sought to transcend beyond death, to sign their signature in history for posterity; For the same reason, the enemies tried to erase any trace of his existence, remove his name, destroy the statues and crush his legacy.
The terror of oblivion is intertwined with the fear of the unknown, of what is after death. In Necrobarista it is made clear that the deceased is passing through, so he must move to another plane when he leaves the body definitively. As the hour approaches, the deceased feels more discomfort, a kind of itching in the soul. Kishan even goes so far as to bet a few hours with Maddy, capable of casting a necromancy spell to seal that transfusion of time. Of course, playing with life and death can have consequences in the balance, because one of the theses that can be extracted from this video game is that the end is a natural part of life.
It all comes down to telling a story, up to it?
The developers of Route 59 have been able to write a story rich in nuances, which uses humor and irony to capture all the concepts, but does not neglect its most dramatic component. It is not only what is told, but also how. The study has found a very attractive and powerful visual aesthetic, reminiscent of anime and video game sagas such as Persona or other Atlus titles. They have designed it in a very colorful 3D, whose characters and settings have been animated in each of the scenes. The changes of the camera and the position of the texts help to energize each sequence, an important aspect because almost the entire game is based on reading. Unfortunately, the localization to Spanish can be improved, because sometimes it falls into colloquial expressions that do not fit well with what the game wants to convey. In addition, the size of the font makes reading difficult on specific occasions, even for people who do not have any kind of visual problem.
Despite the quality of the writing, Necrobarista does not get the player to fully connect with the plot and its characters. The repetition of some situations and the balance between humor and drama is not completely balanced, so it is difficult to empathize with the protagonists. In contrast to the main episodes, which rely exclusively on reading, there are some sections with some exploration in which you can move freely. There is a mechanical division in the playable, although both parts are connected.
During the main adventure, some words are highlighted in yellow. At the end of the chapter, the player must select seven terms, each assigned to a certain character, object, or location. Then, in the exploration sections, we can unlock small memories as secondary stories. At this point, part of the spell is broken: you walk in the first person on the main scenes, but the graphic and visual aspect presents a poorer aspect. The stories, on the other hand, provide a bit more color, but they are somewhat heavy.
One wonders if certain problems of Necrobarista are inherent to the genre, but in a production so focused on history, it must work perfectly. We have not perceived it that way, despite the fact that Route 59’s debut has been satisfactory enough to recommend its video game. From the studio they have already promised downloadable content that will expand the history of some of their characters. Thus, they will lengthen their life for a time, although sooner or later death will knock at the door. Whether it is remembered or not will depend on the players: we will probably end up forgetting it.
PC version Reviews (Steam)
CONCLUSION
Necrobarista is a good visual novel that perfectly captures the cafeteria atmosphere, the talks that take place there and the contemplative and relaxing moments with a drink in your hands. However, it also leaves a bittersweet residue on the coffee, a feeling that the execution is not entirely effective. The narrative, loaded with humor and drama, is supported by a beautiful visual aspect reminiscent of an anime aesthetic in the Persona style, the Atlus saga. Route 59 has streamlined the reading with movements of the camera and the position of the texts, although this sometimes means that the font is too complicated to read. The plot has its sparkles, but its brilliance is cut short by a poor balance between its dramatic and humorous side. In addition, the exploration phases are bland and somewhat crude, so the end result is clouded. Yet the Australian work is not only entertaining, it reflects on the theme of life and death in moments of exquisite depth. Your four hours of play may get heavy at some point, but the game contains enough incentives to give it a try.
THE BEST
- Visual aesthetics attracts attention
- The dynamism of the sequences
- An interesting reflection on life and death
WORST
- The Spanish translation is not completely refined
- The balance between humor and drama can be improved
- The exploration sections are very bland and not very memorable
Right
It is not the latest or the most original, it does not have the best execution either, but it can be fun if you like the genre. Good, but could be improved.
