Skip to content

Goodbye Volcano High

KO_OP · Aug 29, 2023

PC · PS5 · PS4

Everyone

About

Goodbye Volcano High is a story-driven, choice-based cinematic adventure game about personal growth, acceptance, and the power of community. What will you do when you’re faced with the end of the world? DECIDE WHO TO BE Your choices determine the branching narrative: Fang's own decisions and the affinity you've built with the cast of characters change your fate. Get close with friends, family, acquaintances, frenemies, and crushes. Figure out how you’re going to be there for your loved ones when it matters most—it is the literal end of the world, after all. Nurturing relationships builds affinity, alters self-perception, and shifts your story outcome. DON’T LET THE APOCALYPSE GET YOU DOWN Write songs, play different instruments, and put everything that’s hard to say into your music with an interactive rhythm and lyrics system. Complete with a bespoke engineered audio structure, rhythm clock and beatmaps are felt through gameplay, performance sequences, and more. After you figure out your band's vibe, perform those original tracks to create a soundtrack custom-fit to your story. DINO MINIGAMES & PREHISTORIC INTERACTIONS Immerse yourself in Fang's day-to-day: in-game dinosaur-themed social media and interactive one-offs make you a part of Fang's life. Learn about tarot from your friend Stella, text your Worm Drama bandmates Trish and Reed, doodle in class, and try to avoid doom-scrolling about that giant meteor coming your way. GAME FEATURES - Fully voice-acted and starring Lachlan Watson (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) - Branching narrative: navigate through difficult choices with far-reaching consequences - Stunning hand-drawn art and character animations—feels like a playable cartoon - Written using the storytelling engine that powers Heaven's Vault, 80 Days and Sorcery

Trailers & screenshots

Scores by platform

PC

No critic reviews yet · Gamer 9.0

PlayStation 5

Critic 7.7 (12 critics) · Gamer 9.2

8.2

PlayStation 4

Critic 7.0 (3 critics) · Gamer 9.2

7.8

Critic reviews

  • VGChartz

    Lee Mehr · Oct 03, 2023

    5.0
    I'll admit: there's a serviceable gameplay foundation – especially its rhythm template – which lends it some character and sincerity; given how limited that quality typically is for a visual novel, it’s a tough sell when the context propelling the game forward typically feels disjointed and uninteresting. I know it's smarmy to say "it's more parts insufferable than endearing," but there's only so much emotion you can squeeze from its good bits in the face of wonky pacing, several empty characters, cringe-inducing dialogue, and an unearned sense of accomplishment.
  • RPGFan

    Nick Mangiaracina · Sep 23, 2023

    9.5
    Goodbye Volcano High tells the tale of eight high school students living out what's possibly the end of their existence and determining what is important to them as they face the end.
  • Hardcore Gamer

    Kyle LeClair · Sep 12, 2023

    8.0
    Goodbye Volcano High is a terrifically-crafted slice of high school drama that succeeds thanks to the strength of its lovable cast of characters, amazing music and a sweet story about perseverance in the face of uncertainty, be it the possibility of your best friends moving on or the possible end of the world. It’s one to recommend, and while it may not be this year’s greatest visual novel (if only because the genre has a lot of heavy hitters this year), it is one that does indeed cap off the summer gaming season with a bang.
  • Push Square

    Graham Banas · Sep 06, 2023

    8.0
    Goodbye Volcano High is an absolute delight. While the rhythm gameplay segments are a bit of a nuisance by way of their design, the only other real issue is the sorry state of the Trophy list, something that should be easily remedied. If you can look past those fairly minor hitches, then what you’ll experience is an exceptionally written game filled out by a cast of characters without so much as a weak link. Combine the incredibly impressive roster of characters with the high caliber of writing capable of delivering an emotional gut-punch just as easily as raucous laughter, this is not one worth sleeping on.
  • TheGamer

    Tessa Kaur · Sep 05, 2023

    5.0
    The writing and characters are so earnest that it’s hard to look at, but that’s how teenagers are. Maybe I’m jaded, but that earnestness doesn’t leave a lot of room for nuance when it comes to the game’s real themes of finding community and choosing what really matters… in this case, friendship. Using teenage drama to amplify a larger existential concern could have worked, but in this case, it felt trite because of the writing and voice acting. It’s twee in tone, and far less poignant than it could have been.
  • Games Radar+

    Rachel Watts · Sep 04, 2023

    8.0
    Goodbye Volcano High is a heartfelt coming-of-age drama about a group of teen dinosaurs confronted with an uncertain future. Dreamy pop ballads and an absorbing dialogue system offer a gateway into an introspective story about being young, queer, and chasing your dreams in the face of impending disaster.

See all critic reviews

Rate this game

Contains spoiler

to rate this game.