As of 2023, I’ve been playing games with the “Telltale formula”. That started with The Walking Dead: A Telltale Game Series, and I grew to call Life is Strange one of my favorite games of all time in 2015. There’s something about the episodic formula, the importance of tough choices, and the immersive atmosphere that sucks me in as a storytelling format better than any movie or TV show ever could.

The most recent game to take a crack at this is KO_OP’s Goodbye Volcano High, honing in on dino high-schooler Fang as they face some of the biggest pains of coming-to-age. Can this title stack up to the tons of games in this genre that precede it?

The foundation of Goodbye Volcano High is that Fang, a senior, is looking to win a Battle of the Bands with her band Worm Drama. Things take a turn when the “meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs” theory from real life becomes a potential reality.

The looming end-of-the-world dread takes its toll on the characters you interact with. Some are making the most of the time they have left, others continue to deny the possibility, and everything has that extra sense of urgency. As things get better and better for the band, tensions arise as not everyone is on the same page and futures become more uncertain than ever.

Where Life is Strange felt a little too angsty and cringy, Goodbye Volcano High‘s seniors are more grounded in reality and emotionally mature. On more than one occasion, I shed some tears hearing backstories delivered by voice actors who weren’t just playing a part. They sounded like people who had gone through trauma and knew how to convey it.

The LGBTQ+ integration was tastefully done as the game wasn’t afraid to show how touchy a subject it could be for those who don’t want to understand it. All the while, these folk were respected amongst their peers and given support at the most pivotal point in their lives. It was truly cathartic to see it play out, without it taking center stage.

The environmental design and character design are divine within Goodbye Volcano High. Each dino is aesthetically unique, whilst sporting modern fashion to have a creative character style that just feels pleasing to the eye. The expressions each character gives during emotional cues complement the captivating vocal delivery of each and every line. Add on a dynamic story with enough wiggle room to warrant at least two playthroughs, and it’s a marvel that this first attempt at a story-based game from KO_OP is the full package. Nothing distracted from the story this game delivers so well.

I have not experienced a story that caught my attention and evoked emotion in me like Goodbye Volcano High since the second episode of Life is Strange released. Save for some incorrect subtitles and missing audio, this is an example of a game that has benefitted from several delays to avoid crunch, which is a godsend in the gaming industry these days. It is beyond “must-play” territory for fans of storytelling. It might be the best story told in games all of 2023, and that’s really saying something in a year full of winners. Here’s hoping we get more from this bright young studio down the road.

A PC review copy of Goodbye Volcano High was provided by KO_OP for this review.

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Goodbye Volcano High

29.99

10

Score

10.0/10

Pros

• Masterclass Voice Acting
• Breathtaking Artwork
• Perfect Pacing
• Gripping Narrative Tale

Cons

• Could Use Better Lip Sync
• Some Audio Cuts Out