Things may change for him in the future, and perhaps, like Chay, he will come to terms with his death and the time he’s had, but the game lets him follow his own journey at his own pace for now.Įven the game mechanics keep the theme of how we use our time in the forefront of our minds. Kishan is treated with kindness and empathy by those around him, which leads him to making the choice that feels right for him. Instead, he’s the perfect reminder that everyone is on their own path in life (or in this case, death), and being at a different point doesn’t make your feelings or decisions wrong just because someone around you has reached a different point. Kishan is never told he is wrong for wanting this, even though he witnesses what Chay is going through. Kishan desperately wants more time he tries to gamble for it and loses, but eventually is offered a place on The Council, which allows him to have the extra time he wants. We’re introduced to a young man who had housemates and a boyfriend, who wasn’t ready to die and can’t quite come to terms with it. Through Chay, we learn how not wasting time is more about quality rather than quantity, about appreciating what is happening rather than what might, and how ultimately filling your life with love is what will be most rewarding.Īt the other end of their journey to acceptance is Kishan, who arrives at the cafe having just died. He fills moments with puns, silly pet names, and gentle pieces of wisdom. Following Chay, we experience the last few days of his life with the people he loves. He’s angry and scared, but ultimately, he’s accepting of his fate without any of these other feelings being invalidated. His friends don’t want him to leave either, but he does know that he can’t stay somewhere between life and death forever. And this is one of the messages Necrobarista leaves us with.

Things have to end eventually after all, so we may as well enjoy the time we do have. It’s no wonder we’re fascinated with media that comforts us with notions of their being something after this, or that contains messages that taking things slow and filling your life with joy is more important. We’re told there are certain milestones in life you should hit by certain ages, that we need to be cramming as much as possible into every moment to be living to the fullest, whilst simultaneously made to feel like we should always be working or monetizing our hobbies.

Questions about time hang over all of us, in various anxiety-inducing ways. And time is what the game is really about.

I tried to savour the quiet moments between friends, laugh at the silly puns, and appreciate just how stunning the visuals are. I flew through the first half, and then a few minutes into the second act I realised I didn’t want the game to end and forced myself to slow down. It’s a great premise, and the game does a fantastic job at still managing to put very human stories at the forefront of all the ghosts and magic. The Council is an organisation whose job it is to maintain “the balance”-that is, if you take more hours than you’re supposed to, debts of time start racking up and someone will need to pay them. She’s aided by child genius Ashley, whose inventions tend to be more violent than helpful, the newly departed Kishan, and member of The Council, Ned Kelly (the actual Australian outlaw, Ned Kelly).

Maddy, the current owner of the cafe, is trying to perform a ritual to give Chay, her friend and former owner of the cafe, more hours on this plane of existence even though he’s had a lot more than he should have. Of course, the 24 hour rule can be meddled with, which forms a big part of the story. The story follows a three day period in a world where the newly deceased get 24 hours to linger amongst the living in places like the coffee shop before passing into the truly unknown. It has a more dynamic feel than a lot of visual novels, aided by gorgeous art and segments where the player can explore the cafe in first person, and wastes no time introducing a cast of lovable characters. Necrobarista, Route 59’s new visual novel (which was released last month), is a game about life, death, and a neon-lit, book-filled coffee shop somewhere in-between.

Jumpcut cafe