There was a lot to love out of the PlayStation 5 showcase today. It varied from the blockbuster sequel that is Horizon 2: Forbidden West, or even a cat cyberpunk adventure in Stray. One less than traditional but all the more interesting game stood out. That game was Goodbye Volcano High, a wholesome little game that sees a group of dinos in their senior year of high school, preparing to say their farewells.
Even viewing the trailer, it’s clear players are in for an emotional journey. Life is Strange style stories with a Night in the Woods-esque anthropomorphising of characters? What’s not to love? A lot can be praised about it’s art style too. Colours are warm and pop more than ever, which is almost staple at this point for developer Ko_op. Only recently they dropped another game called Dépanneur Nocturne. It too had warm and welcoming vibes, only proving that the studio has nailed down something perfect.
According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, Goodbye Volcano High is a cinematic choice-based narrative game. The game’s narrative is branching, telling different anecdotes and finding a various amount of ways to tug at your heart strings. A graduation setting means high emotions. Will the group of teens find love and meaning, or even their make their mark on the world? Time will tell, but adolescence is fleeting.
Another win for the game is the casting of a non-binary actor to voice the main character, which is a trend that we hope continues to thrive. They’re being voiced by Lachlan Watson from Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.
There’s no release date yet for Goodbye Volcano High other than the year 2021. If you’re a lover of artful indies you’ll want to keep an eye on this one.
About the Author
Charlie Kelly
She/Her, They/Them
Charlie loves her video games as much as she loves dumb, charming JRPG protagonists: probably way too much. You can often catch her spending too much time being emotional over LGBT stories in games. She also thinks Yakuza 6 is the best one.
