I’m a huge fan of a good video game that’s heavy on the narrative. Despite generally leaning towards shooters and action-adventures, I’m always excited when a new Supermassive game is coming out, or similar indie projects like We Are OFK and Stray Gods: A Roleplaying Musical. Needless to say, Goodbye Volcano High is high on my most anticipated list for August 2023, and unlike Stray Gods, which did disappoint me a bit, the title of KO_OP has me eager to see what the studio has next.
While I’m going to avoid spoilers in this review, for the sake of clarity, I’ll share a quick rundown of what Goodbye Volcano High will contain. Essentially, you play as a young teenage dinosaur called Fang, who is dealing with the pressures of graduating high school, trying to become a rock star with her band, and most importantly, thanks to a 10K Asteroids are giving Earth a crash course in the existential threat (yes, that’s exactly what your science teacher told you). With all these conflicting issues in mind, Goodbye Volcano High is also dotted with relationships with friends and family, and the occasional romance option, meaning the dialogue options you choose will affect how people you meet treat and behave. And if all that wasn’t enough, there’s also a rhythm section where you and your band can enjoy a collection of original and catchy songs.
On the surface, when you strip back the prehistoric and mythological context, it might not seem like there’s much difference between Goodbye Volcano High and Stray Gods, but the overall tone of the game is just one of many reasons I think KO_OP is special. While it’s a story full of teenage angst, like Riverdale if Archie was an anthropomorphic triceratops and Betty a pterodactyl, it’s also a game with plenty of charm and personality. The cast is excellent, it feels very unique, and the dialogue options give you a variety of ways to lead the story in a way that suits you, all without wildly different options that feel black and white in comparison. The choices you make aren’t fundamentally different from each other, but unique enough that you can add your own personal touch to the storyline.
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Add to that a general style that feels snappy and fresh, even if the fear is kicked up a notch as the asteroid gets closer and closer to Earth. In fact, it all feels so real that the impression of prehistoric settings and anthropomorphic dinosaurs is more of a design choice than an identifying factor, and as is the case in Stray Gods, the world and story feel dominated by the characters. Conquered, they feel a little bland and depressing in their own right.
What makes Goodbye Volcano High unique is how it immerses and engages players. Unlike some more narrative-heavy games, where you hardly feel like you need a controller or mouse in your hand, in this title you’ll need to stay focused at all times, as choices are timed and there will be additional The parts of the game that require a lot of input from the player. Some of this is the aforementioned rhythm section, where you hit buttons on time and rock out really nice and catchy songs with your band, but this can also include other small mini-games like designing a band poster or playing with Your friends play a round of Legends & Lore (Dungeons & Dragons style game). Goodbye Volcano High is more than its core narrative, even if that’s clearly the most important aspect.
I will say that in some cases the dialogue options the game gives you don’t really lead anywhere or give you much personal influence over the story. Some of them are even at key moments, which is a bit of a letdown as the story develops to a critical point and then almost pulls the interactive product off your feet. But overall, the narrative suite is well designed and lets you shape Fang’s story in a way that suits you.
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Also, credit should go to the art team behind Goodbye Volcano High for being a stunningly animated title. The different characters all feel vibrant and unique, and the world seems to have depth. If this were just a TV show or movie, the animation would be one of its best qualities. It’s really well done.
Goodbye Volcano High definitely surprised me. Clearly, KO_OP has a knack for this style of game, as this is one of the heavier narrative games on the market. It definitely has its kinks, but overall, if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to cross an anthropomorphic dinosaur with one from the Netflix high school TV series, this is definitely a game worth checking out.
