Goodbye Volcano High

 PlayStation 5
Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Gamereactor Finland
    Jan 8, 2024
    70
    Visual novel that tackles dinosaur problems.
  2. Siliconera
    Sep 10, 2023
    70
    Goodbye Volcano High is going to be an acquired taste. When it really gets going, it’s a meaningful exploration of finding meaning in friendship and the present moment, backed with a killer soundtrack. You just need to wade through a lot of technical problems and pacing issues to get to that heart.
  3. Wccftech
    Aug 31, 2023
    70
    Goodbye Volcano High throws quite a bit in the pot, and the end result is a fairly hearty experience, at least by indie visual novel standards. Your first playthrough will probably take most players five or six hours and there’s some reason to replay if you want to change your responses and friendships, although I’m not sure everyone will want to repeat their senior year.
  5. Hey Poor Player
    Sep 7, 2023
    50
    Goodbye Volcano High is likely to appeal to those who want an uncomplicated and down-to-earth narrative experience. There are glimpses of goodness within Goodbye Volcano High’s grounds, but the bland writing, cliched characters and needlessly protracted scenes don’t do it any favours. The rhythm action sections are swell additions that break up the long-winded cutscenes, but they too are overstuffed with timed button press prompts, as they end up feeling too hectic for their own good. Goodbye Volcano High overstays its welcome in spite of its 5-hour length, lumbering along without any significant drama until the climax approaches, so it’s questionable whether you’d stay the course or find something more dramatic to satiate your appetite for good videogame yarns. If this is indeed goodbye to Volcano High, then its demise will shed only a shrug of disappointment.

Awards & Rankings

56
#56 Best PlayStation 5 Game of 2023
59
#59 Most Discussed PlayStation 5 Game of 2023

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 20 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 20
  3. Negative: 6 out of 20
  1. Gigevani
    Sep 1, 2023
    4
    For 25 dollars,3 years of develoment and a new history i was expectating something better,but the sad thing is thinking that the ''snootFor 25 dollars,3 years of develoment and a new history i was expectating something better,but the sad thing is thinking that the ''snoot game'' a game made by a indie studio will have everything better in all aspect,this is disapointing, i persoanlly recommend ''snoot game'' believe me,its better… Full Review »
  2. mlana
    Sep 7, 2023
    10
    "Nonbinary Arabic teenage pterodactyl battles the end of the world with music" sounds like the setup for a joke.

    Instead, it's the best    "Nonbinary Arabic teenage pterodactyl battles the end of the world with music" sounds like the setup for a joke.

    Instead, it's the best game of the year.

    A fully-animated and voiced visual novel that feels like you're playing an anime, with a story that any open-minded person will find inspirational and shoegaze-powerpop soundtrack you'll find hard to get out of your head.    … Full Review »
  3. MetalQueenEm
    Sep 10, 2023
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. For those unaware, the Snoot Game some reviews are referencing is an alt-right “parody” game that was made explicitly to be bigoted against LGBT+ people. Basically the handful of reviews that say it is better are probably alt-right trolls

    As for my actual thoughts on the game, i’m not really a visual novel person, but as soon as I saw the art and queer themes I new I wanted to try it. I am a decade removed from high school now so I couldn’t connect with it in the way that I might have when I was still in high school. That said, the characters are charming, and despite knowing that ultimately the asteroid will kill everyone, because you know, history, I still feel hope that it won’t actually happen. The only major complaint I have is I wish there were more rhythm sections, but that is probably just because I like rhythm games more than visual novels    … Full Review »
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