Goodbye Volcano High Part 5. We are in! (New Game Blind)
0Part Synopsis: A flashback shows when Fang and Trish came up with the name for their band. Fang meets with Naomi at school. She managed to salvage the midi board, preserving the contents within. Fang gets another message from the anonymous texter, responding respectfully. Trish is outside Fang's home, engaging with some sort of friend ritual.
Fang eats lightly before meeting Reed at the cafe for the audition. Trish already inside, they regroup at a table. The audition's organizer named LJ goes over the process. When it's Worm Drama's turn, they do just fine. LJ passes them onto the next phase, prompting the trio and Rosa to rejoice. Fang designs a flyer to advertise the band.
The next day, Fang chooses a tarot card which gets a mixed reaction from Stella. She leaves without elaborating. In class, Reed looks at the current situation pessimistically regarding the incoming asteroid. The teacher Ms. Roberts tries to alleviate the fear. Basic preparation for the role playing later on is discussed among the students. A flashback involving Naomi campaigning for the student body and another when Sage and Stella first introduce themselves are shown.
Playthrough Information: This is a blind let's play. I will be starting a New Game and finish it to completion. Spoken dialogue will be played normally. Unspoken dialogue I will say out loud on my own. This isn't a complete coverage playthrough. Featuring all achievements, any changes in story progression or any possible secrets aren't a focus here. It's meant to be done once and showcase my reactions to what's happening. All videos will have commentary and webcam usage. Gameplay shown on PS5.
About Game: Goodbye Volcano High is a narrative adventure game developed and published by Montreal-based video game studio KO_OP. The game was released on 29 August 2023, for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Windows.
Gameplay: The game features narrative segments, and rhythm minigames during performances by VVorm Drama.
Synopsis: Set in a world of anthropomorphic dinosaur characters, the game centers on the members of the band VVorm Drama; the non-binary lead vocalist Fang, guitarist Trish and drummer Reed, alongside the school's student council president Naomi and Fang's brother Naser, as they venture through the highs and lows of their final year as Volcano High seniors with graduation looming over the horizon while coming to terms with their own impending extinction from an asteroid.
Development: The game was initially announced during Sony's "Future of Gaming" online presentation on 11 June 2020, with a release window of 2021. In August 2021, KO_OP announced a delay of Goodbye Volcano High's release until sometime in 2022. The developers wanted to avoid crunch related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and had already brought in a new writing team from Sweet Baby Inc. in June 2020 to reboot the game's entire narrative direction. The new narrative direction was largely inspired by the experiences of high school seniors graduating during the pandemic. In November 2022, the game was delayed to 2023. A new gameplay trailer premiered during a Sony "State of Play" presentation on 23 February 2023, announcing a release date of 15 June but was delayed to 29 August.
Reception: Following the revamped game's showing at PAX East 2023, it was positively received by critics. Kyle LeClair of Hardcore Gamer praised the game, saying its rhythm game elements had the "perfect level of challenge", and that its music was "ear-pleasing". He called the character designs "striking", praising Fang as a "terrific and likeable protagonist" with "great voice acting", and predicting it would be a "deep and unique tale". Rachel Watts of Rock Paper Shotgun wrote that she "had a great time with the demo", comparing it to the adventure game Life Is Strange.
Awards: The game won the Tribeca Games Award at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, where it was featured as part of the "Games & Immersive Experience" selection.
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