Goodbye Volcano High

A very cute and very gay little visual novel. I love the characters and I love how they each have their own issues and dynamics to work through. It's also a great contrast to Night in the Woods as a companion piece about growing up and figuring yourself out as a teen/young adult. If you've played NitW and are at all curious about this game, it's worth the playthrough.

I don't know if I can continue playing this game anymore, it's just been a painful experience for me to slug through it. I actually got depressed because this game was not the game I thought it would be, and I actually got bored at a lot of parts. The only thing that kept me going was the anticipation of hearing more music from the band and practice scenes, as the songs are amazing but I can just listen to them outside the game. A lot of the game actually had no music or much background sound at all, which would have been fine if the scenes were more interesting or if they had maybe added good intro music? There's literally only ONE romance option and I'm definitely not the only person who felt creeped out that they were stalkerish if not overstepping boundaries. As someone who has had to deal with stalking irl, it was really triggering for me. Yes, they had good intentions and were not a bad person but maybe if the writing had developed things out better they wouldn't have come off as creepy. And why did it seem like they were enabled by others to do all this without the main character giving initial consent? I think it's only convenient that they took it well. I'm also disappointed that the game devs decided to scrap the option to date the other characters, but still record relationship building for all of them? If not romance scenes then could they have given friendship scenes? It seems like they had to rush, or maybe they had to cut down on content they didn't have the budget to include. I don't really see the point of the photos because they are literally just screenshots from the game with a bit of text underneath, not any bonus content. I'm used to games having a feature like this to display extra images not seen in game. If they only wanted to give screenshots for the photos then they could have just removed this feature as there is already an option to unlock some backstory content. The 2D art looks way better than the 3D models. The 3D models have clipping and are pretty rough. It's a shame because I like the character designs. As I mentioned before, the writing needs some work. Not just for the storytelling, but some of the dialogue felt like boring filler. If it couldn't be replaced with something more interesting I say just cut it out to save the reader from having to go through short one liners. I think the game had potential but I just can't recommend it in this state. Also I'm not against the representation, the person who does the normal speaking voice for Fang is literally a non-binary feminist.

snoot game лучше.

I'm not sure what it is about a game about finding connection and love with the impending end of the world that stuck with me as I played it during a summer that beat all records for heat and lack of rain... But it made me cry and it reminded me to love like there's no tomorrow - because sometimes there isn't.

Graphic design is pretty and the music is awesome, so it makes it definitely worth to play that game. Some dialogues are actually good, and there are a few moments I smiled and laughed at what is going on in the game in the positive sense.

⣠⠴⠒⢛⣋⣉⣉⣉⣉⣛⠓⠦⣤⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⠴⢚⡭⠖⠚⠉⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠉⠓⠲⢭⡓⢦⡀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⣠⢞⡥⠚⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠉⠳⡝⢦⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⣰⣫⠞⡤⡀⠀⢀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡀⠀⡀⠀⠀⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⣎⢧⠀ ⠀⠀⢰⣷⠇⠈⠛⣵⠄⠀⢁⡆⠀⢠⠇⠸⢼⡀⠾⠻⠢⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠘⡾⡆ ⠀⠀⡏⡼⠀⠀⣼⠏⠀⢠⣾⠀⢀⡞⣳⡀⠈⣧⠀⠀⠀⢹⡄⢀⡶⣛⣓⣦⢹⣷ ⠀⢸⠁⡇⠀⣸⠁⠀⣠⢯⡇⢀⣾⣀⠀⢳⡄⢻⡄⠀⠀⠈⣿⣸⣸⠁⠀⢸⠈⢹ ⠀⢸⠀⡇⢠⠇⢀⡜⢁⣟⡴⠋⠀⠉⠉⠓⠻⡜⡇⠀⢀⣖⡿⠿⠋⠀⠀⠋⠉⢻ ⠀⢿⠀⣇⢸⡞⠁⢠⡾⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢻⡇⠀⠸⣟⠁⠀⠀⡟⢦⠀⠀⣸ ⠀⢸⠀⠹⡾⡯⠿⠦⡄⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⣦⣄⡀⠀⣧⠀⠀⠈⡷⠆⠀⣇⠸⡆⢾⡷ ⠀⢸⠀⠀⡇⣷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠙⠃⣿⠀⠀⠸⣇⠀⢀⣿⠀⠹⣾⠃ ⠀⢸⠀⠀⡇⣿⠀⠀⠘⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠀⠀⢸⣿⣿⠉⢸⠀⠀⢙⠀ ⠀⠈⡇⠀⢧⢻⡀⠀⠀⣀⠀⠀⠀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⠀⠀⢸⠉⢸⠀⠈⡇⠀⠀⢧ ⠀⠀⢹⠀⢸⠈⢷⣄⠀⠈⠃⠘⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⣠⣿⠀⠀⡏⠀⠘⡀⠀⢿⠀⠀⠈ ⠀⠀⠀⢇⠀⢇⠀⠙⠳⣤⡀⠀⢀⣠⡤⢖⣋⡥⡇⠀⣸⠀⠀⠀⣇⠀⢹⡇⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠈⢇⠘⣄⠀⠀⠀⠉⢩⢿⣷⣿⡉⠀⢸⠇⢸⠟⢳⠤⠤⠼⣄⡘⣿⡀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⣧⡙⣴⠋⠉⠉⣻⣾⣇⣿⣧⠀⣼⣰⠃⣰⠋⢀⡤⠖⠂⠈⢳⣧⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⢠⡞⣫⠽⢿⣇⡴⡏⢻⣿⣿⣟⣟⣿⡷⠃⣰⠃⡴⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣿⢧ ⠀⠀⠀⢸⡇⠐⠚⠡⣿⢧⠁⠀⠛⢻⠄⡏⠞⠀⢰⢇⡞⠁⠀⠀⢀⠤⡀⠀⣿⠘ ⠀⠀⠀⣸⡇⠀⠀⢸⡏⠈⠀⠀⠀⢸⣶⠛⢦⠴⣻⡞⣀⣀⣰⠮⠶⠚⠁⠀⣿⡄ ⠀⢀⡏⡿⢧⡀⠀⠀⣧⠀⠀⢀⣠⠞⣿⣤⠞⢰⠋⠉⠁⠀⠀⠀⢀⣤⠀⢸⡏⢧ ⠀⢸⠁⠙⢦⣙⠦⠼⣿⡖⠚⣉⣠⠖⠁⠸⡄⡿⠀⠀⠀⠀⠠⠚⠉⠀⠀⡞⡇⢸ ⠀⡟⠀⠀⠀⠎⡍⠉⢹⢿⡏⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⢹⡅⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡼⢡⣷⠀ ⡼⠃⠀⠀⠀⠆⡇⢀⠟⡆⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⣸⠁⢸⢻⠀Ta god ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢾⡇⠀⠀⢳⡀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢧⠙⠆⠀⢠⠏⠀⠀⡟⠀⡇ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢸⠁⠀⠀⠀⢷⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠈⠁⠀⢠⠏⠀⠀⠀⡇⠀⡇

I wanted to like Goodbye Volcano High. I really did. It's in the same vein as some of the most artful gaming experiences I've ever had (i.e. Night in the Woods), and it uses the "same" characters that were adapted for the controversial but often excellent Snoot Game. It seems like a game that should be right up my alley - which makes it all the more disappointing. Goodbye Volcano High (or GVH, as I will hereby refer to it as) is a visual novel with high production values but bad to abysmal writing. It's a game that insists on trying to be emotional without developing good characters, that tries to be deep without saying anything meaningful or insightful, and that tries to be funny in the most sanitised, corporate-feeling way possible. When Dragon Age: Veilguard came out, people said that game felt as if HR was in the room for the entire writing process. For this game, it feels as if HR [i]did[/i] the writing. Outside of a few JRPGs and a handful of other disappointing games I've played, I've never seen a game talk so much and say so little. The closest things I can compare GVH's writing style to are modern children's cartoons (I'm not being pedantic - the tone is almost identical to My Little Pony or something off Disney Junior much of the time), Nintendo Direct voiceovers, or advertisements for corporate products. It's obviously trying to be real and relatable and natural, but it does none of those things, feeling stilted, awkward, and sometimes even painfully out of touch as a result. There is a shocking lack of character development. The game has a orrey-like friendship level system displayed prominently in the main menu, where Fang, the main character, is the Sun and all their friends orbit around them in various proximities based on how close they are in the story to them. You'd think that with a system as clearly defined as this that there would be an equally clear level of character growth from the cast. There isn't. Most of the characters in the game are virtually indistinguishable at the end of the game from who they were at the beginning. Most of the conflict (the little of it that exists) is externalised rather than internalised, and the major crux of the entire story revolves around something that is basically resolved without Fang changing their perspective at all. There's nothing significant to overcome, nothing to really learn, and all the characters feel so static and one-note that they become uninteresting very quickly. I challenge anyone to try to explain to me what is significant about the themes in GVH. I think you'll find they are weak at best. There are vague, superficial messages in here about friendship, or pursuing what you want in life, or living the dream even when you don't know what the future holds - but none of this offers any insight apart from restating surface-level themes that have existed in media for decades. Again, I feel the children's cartoon comparison is apt. This is not a game for children, but it thematically feels like one. There is [i]some[/i] interpersonal conflict, but these issues are usually resolved very quickly (almost shrugged off, in fact), and even the handful of minor antagonistic side characters fail to stick to their guns and be aggressive for long. In a game that is largely about being yourself there is a strong lack of real-world conflicting beliefs and motives. Characters constantly fold under zero pressure - which is nice for an HR course, but not an accurate depiction of the real world. Since there's only one ending (and, again, characters don't seem to significantly grow), your choices (which are many, especially for a visual novel of this length) don't seem to particularly matter much. They solely affect which characters you "bond" with, but that amounts to basically getting a couple more scenes rather than significantly changing their attitude towards Fang. A small portion but a significant part of this game is devoted to the rhythm sections. These are not particularly bad from a purely mechanical sense, but failing them does nigh nothing to the story and doesn't even mess up the songs themselves so they feel pointless to an extent. The production value here is solid; I ran into a few bad edits and two crashes over my playthrough which should be unacceptable for a game of this type and this team size, but otherwise everything seems fairly polished. The animations and character designs are, overall, very nice and some of the cutscenes especially (like the band practice montage) stand out as being very crisp, clean, and professional. Menus look good, sound design is pleasant, and the soundtrack is surprisingly filled with quite a few bangers that I can see myself listening to out of game in the future. The voice actors are professional but I feel they must have been subject to poor direction; most of the dialogue sounds even more awkward when said out loud than it reads and characters pause between lines or intonate with little emotion. Or, on the flip side, they squeal and oversell their apparent joy at the most minor things - which feels, again, hammed in and corporate. The most enthusiastic middle-aged women I have met could not outdo some of these (ostensibly teenage) characters with the amount of sickeningly sweet praise they dollop on Fang for their hair or makeup. For a five to six hour game the runtime is pushed way too far and padded out with meaningless content like the DnD (or, in-universe, "LnL") sessions, which add nothing to the story outside of more awkward, canned dialogue and don't feel fun to play through. I rarely complain about game pricing (as I understand that development is a huge cost and takes a ridiculous amount of skill and time), but for a short (and padded) visual novel that was largely funded publicly, I can't imagine that 30 dollars is terribly fair - especially when you have juggernauts of the medium like Outer Wilds out there for noticeably lower. I'd love to recommend Goodbye Volcano High. The talent poured in to making this game look and sound excellent is admirable, even though this game had the benefit of receiving far more investment than most indies ever will. But this is a game that says nothing of value. It's one of the most shockingly shallow experiences I've had in some time, and it makes all that worse with consistently soulless dialogue that makes Marvel writing look like Dostoevsky. Some AAA games have comparative writing but at least combine their poor story with passable gameplay. Goodbye Volcano High does not have this benefit. This is a game that on all levels except visually I cannot recommend for any reason. That is compounded by the fact that its story beats have been done better by other studios - with much smaller teams and budgets. Goodbye, Volcano High. Hate to say it, but I won't miss ya.

i liked it

A great story with great characters, and I always love me a good music / rhythm mini-game