Goodbye Volcano High – Proving Visual Novels Don’t Have to Suck

Visual novels suck. They are a medium that lacks the specificity of a novel proper, while also lacking the interactivity of a video game. Typically, they have stock anime-style art, a generous conception of what “choice” means, and hackneyed writing that is so self-indulgent that you could psychoanalyze it in order to figure out in what ways the writer’s parents failed them. Suffice to say, I do not have a high opinion of visual novels. This opinion is not improved by the majority of them being a… let’s say lurid romantic fantasy where the “choices” — the only style of engagement for most visual novels — boil down to which character you most want to romance.

It’s a downright bleak method of storytelling, in my opinion, made barely tolerable by the relative bright spots of games within the medium like Doki Doki Literature Club or the Phoenix Wright series. And even while I’ve enjoyed both of those, they were flawed exceptions for me; games that still carried the baggage of all visual novels, but just happened to be well-written and special enough to prove that at least something could work. Even though, in both cases, I wished for something a bit, well, more. In short, I’d long since abandoned visual novels as a method of storytelling and as a style of game, content to only return to it for exceptional cases.

And then I came across Goodbye Volcano High at PAX East. Not only is it such a great experience (at least from the half-hour or so that I played) for me to considering it one of the rare exceptions to my usual distaste for visual novels, but it is also such a breath of fresh air that it gives me hope for the entire medium. It’s that good.

And not just “good” as in “well-written,” but good as a game, done in such a unique way so as to serve as a template (and, perhaps, as a standard) for visual novels going forward. Visual novels, seemingly, needed a pioneer, and Goodbye Volcano High looks to be it, if it maintains the level of quality it has in its opening section. Even if it doesn’t, it is doing enough special that other narrative-focused games should take notice.

Good Writing Improves a Narrative? Who Would’ve Thought!

Let’s start with the very simplest of improvements that Goodbye Volcano High brings to the table: it’s writing. Let’s get something out of the way: the premise for the game is that you play as Fang, an anthropomorphic dinosaur musician whose last year of high school is also the last year. Period. As in: “The meteor that killed the dinosaurs is coming, and this is the last year.” Now that’s a slugger of pitch, in my opinion, and a hell of a lot more interesting than most visual novels.

But, oh boy, I wouldn’t blame you if it also raised some red flags. You have a anthropomorphized and queer cast of high schoolers who want to make angsty art while having to confront deep themes. Now, there is nothing wrong with any of that by default, but let’s not pretend you aren’t already imagining some of the cringiest writing you’ve ever seen in your life. You’ve got the full package: angsty, queer teens with designs adjacent to furry art. “Graves,” you might be asking. “I thought you said this game had good writing? That sounds insufferable!”

But, au contraire, you’d be wrong. Somehow, through some arcane process which I am unaware of, the writing and voice-acting is fantastic. The characters are immediately likeable. The dialog is sharp and smart, allowing characters to brood, angst, and quip without ever falling into the obnoxious pitfalls of each of those styles of dialog. They talk like real people, discussing real subjects with real friends. They are goofy and sometimes embarrassing (in the way teenagers often are) without ever becoming unlikeable and unrelatable. Maybe it’s just cause I was a rock-band/nerd-club kid in high school, but I couldn’t help but smile. I’m never nostalgic for high school, but the writing here? It was good enough to make me so. For subjects both serious and silly, Goodbye Volcano High is ready.

And thank goodness it isn’t a dating simulator. While I’ve heard conflicting reports about whether there is romance in the game, it is abundantly clear that is not the focus of the game. It is, to be a bit poetic, a life simulator, if anything. Fang’s life may include romance, but it does not consist entirely of it. They (yes, they) are a far more interesting character for it.

KO_OP Presents: A Game with Flair!

But writing is the least interesting thing that Goodbye Volcano High does well. “Oh, this game has good writing” is practically meaningless at this point. What might be more convincing, however, is Goodbye Volcano High‘s fabulous, unique presentation. First of all, take a look at the game’s art. Notice something? It doesn’t look like anime! Ain’t that crazy. Already, that makes Goodbye Volcano High revolutionary in the genre.

More to the point, this game looks fantastic. And I don’t mean in the usual, pretentious video-game speak where “looks fantastic” just means either photoreal or detailed pixel art. I mean this game looks great, plain and simply. It’s character designs are interesting and eye-catching, while not being overbearing. Every scene — all of them — is animated like a high-quality cartoon (notably in more of a western, Cartoon Network style), and there are subtle details in the backgrounds, character expressions, and props that really sells the aesthetic and feel the game is going for. The art direction isn’t complex or overbearing, but it is, for lack of a better term, breathing and rich. What else can I say? The game looks great. It doesn’t look like any other game on the market, and it’s look serves its story.

And speaking of serving the story, let’s talk about how the game is presented. In most visual novels, you click through seemingly endless text boxes until you are presented with a choice. These choices are often binary, and are the only method of interaction the player has with the game. It is and incredibly dull experience, and almost universally I find myself as mind-numbingly bored picking between obvious answers as I am skimming through dozens of text boxes.

As you probably guessed by the framing: Goodbye Volcano High is not content with that. Sure, there is (excellent voice acted) dialog that does take on the familiar shape of a dialog box — it’s kind of what defines the medium. And, in the same way there are some typical, binary conversation options. The game knows that, sometimes, those are the best options.

But, nearly as often, Volcano High plays with its format to present the information in an interesting, more fitting way. If Fang is texting, then the box will be replaced by a screen, with an ever-expressive Fang in the background. If Fang is unsure about what to say, the dialog options may change as you are selecting them, or may reveal internal thoughts that perfectly reveal their psyche. If Fang is stuck in a boring class, left to wistfully imagine their future as a rock star, than the player will have the option to select the doodle they create for their band’s logo. The game does this throughout, and it makes choices feel so much richer and better than simple “pick from a list” text boxes.

The best way the game melds its interactivity with the narrative, though, is with music. Fang, being a very dedicated and passionate musician (and that music being a key focus of the plot), has to play songs sometimes. And the rhythm game that accompanies the songs, as well as the songs themselves, are freakin’ awesome. The musical minigame takes some inspiration from Dance, Dance Revolution, some from more typical “notes sliding toward a marker” design, but most of the inspiration seems to come from how it actually feels to play music. That is to say, it mostly just flows, in a way that is difficult to describe but so excellent to play. It is intuitive, based on motion and direction as well as rhythm. In other words, based on things that actual musicians think about when performing.

And, as a cherry on top, the music (composed by Dabu and by performed by Brigitte Naggar) is fantastic for its genre. While I don’t think it is likely to make someone who doesn’t already like alt/indie rock a true believer, it is absolutely enough for someone already into the genre (myself, at least) to add it to their playlist. The music is of such high quality that it easily compares to professionally-produced tracks, fitting in seamlessly with the pantheon of sad-voiced, female-fronted alt-rockers. Alanis Morrissette would be proud.

Unabashed and Unashamed

Alright, admittedly, if there is one thing that visual novels already are, it is unashamed. Credit to them there. Visual novels are one of the most queer genres across the entertainment landscape, and they always have been. Similar to fan-fiction (and a lot of visual novels do come from fandom communities), visual novels really are a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community, for oft-derided fandom, and for everyday misfits. So, I can’t really pretend that Goodbye Volcano High is all that different in that respect. I can, however, say that it is is a markedly good example of representational storytelling, a high-point in a medium of high-points.

Fang, the extremely-likeable main character, is non-binary, and uses they/them pronouns. Their cadre of friends is mostly queer in some way, whether in sexual orientation or gender identity. The iconography surrounding the characters shows off pride flags and slogans — including some surprisingly fiery ones — everywhere. And, to top it off, the (excellent) designs of the characters could be straight from of a talented artist’s Tumblr page or a CalArts-adjacent cartoon. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a game so proud to be queer, and, frankly, it’s great.

Essentially, Goodbye Volcano High is a highly representational, intersectional game, and that is good. And that’s all there is to it. Or… It should be. If it weren’t for the internet.

It is no secret that gaming (well, gamers) are not always the most receptive to progressive values, representation, and social justice. So, when Goodbye Volcano High was announced, a group of 4chan weirdos decided to make their own game. In trundles Snoot Game, a game directly aping (some would say plagiarizing. As in literally copying wholesale) the art and writing of Goodbye Volcano High in order to “satirize” it. How do you satirize a game that, at the time of Snoot Game‘s release, was more than a year away? Well… Badly. Offensively so.

I am not going to give Snoot Game more coverage than it is worth. It is a hateful project meant to tear down a queer game which sees the player, a lustful, faceless high-schooler named “Anon” (of course) try to seduce Fang and help them realize the folly of being non-binary and queer. It openly mocks the queer identities of other characters, and, while it’s at it, falls into every single trap of your average dating-sim visual novel. It’s dreadful. It’s hateful. It’s dumb.

Despite the undeniable harassment that developers KO-OP have faced, including the aforementioned Snoot Game creating a mean-spirited, bigoted parody nearly a year before the actual game’s release and all the vitriol sent its way from the press coverage around that, they persisted. They’ve been the subject of constant harassment since 2020 for having the gall to portray a non-binary character. And what did they do? Well, seemingly, recommitted to making the game more queer, more progressive, and more tolerant in spite of that. They didn’t back down, and they didn’t give in: instead, they decided to continue with Goodbye Volcano High as is, intent on ensuring that their game far, far outshines its cynical parody.

There is more context than I have the allowed word-count (or hot-take-count) to give, but this article from Kotaku, despite its not-so-great title, should get you caught up on it. I’ll just leave it by saying that, by recommitting to their values, the developers have turned the already-LGBTQ+-friendly Goodbye Volcano High into a symbol of resilience and perseverance. And that’s just good to see, and good to support. Especially when the representation is so well done and thought-out, managing to avoid the often-cringe-inducing tropes of some other LGBTQ+ stories.

Goodbye Volcano High Redeems Visual Novels

So, now having finally gushed about one of my surprise-favorites from PAX East, where does that leave us?

Well, not to overstate my case… but Goodbye Volcano High has single-handedly rescued my opinion of visual novels as a whole, entirely on the back of its quality and originality. My bias against it was about as strong as it could be — I’ve already mentioned how much I hate visual novels, and the premise screamed “trying too hard” at first — and yet, it ended up being one of my absolute favorite games at a PAX East filled with amazing games. And not only did it soar above my very low expectations, it would’ve soared above meteor-high expectations. This is what visual novels could be? Well, then, let’s make them all like this, then!

Everything, from the game’s sharp writing to its stellar presentation, makes me want to play more. Want to learn what happens to its characters, and where it is going to go with its themes and ideas. I never thought I’d say this about a visual novel of all things, but I am thrilled to play it. It has rocketed so high up my list that, even if I get the game for free with for a review, I will purchase it on release. I’ll buy it for friends. I’m not a “fandom” kind of gamer, I don’t get obsessed easily. And yet, I am obsessed with Goodbye Volcano High, and maybe you should be, too.

Goodbye Volcano High will be releasing for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 on August 29th, 2023. Add it to your wishlist, and get ready for the end of the world.