Necrobarista is a cinematic visual novel set in a magical Melbourne cafe where the dead are granted one last night to mingle with the living.
Inspired equally by anime and film, Necrobarista is a unique take on the visual novel medium.
→ Stylized, fully 3D cinematic presentation that draws from anime aesthetics.
→ Soundtrack composed by Kevin Penkin, BAFTA-nominated composer for Florence, Made in Abyss, and Norn9.
→ Delve into the world of the Terminal and fantasy Melbourne through free-roaming first-person scenes.
→ Featuring goon-sack robots, alchemical coffee, and Australian folk hero Ned Kelly.
→ Support for fourteen languages, including Korean, Arabic, and Russian.
Kevin (Hsun-Yu) Chen - Lead Developer
Ngoc Vu - Lead Artist
Joe (Chiao) Lu - 3D Artist
Simon Tran - Producer / Layout Artist
Ryan Boulton - Lead Programmer
Brent Arnold - Director of Photography
Damon Reece - Lead Writer
Justin Kuiper - Writer
Full team listing available on our presskit.
Birthday: February 29th
Age: 27
Maddy was never formally trained as a barista, but as a disciple of the notorious necromancer-slash-coffee-expert Chay Wu, she quickly learned to infuse her brews with dark and delicious magics. Turns out infusing your roasts with the souls of the damned makes for a great cuppa.
Birthday: September 17th
Age: ???
Necromancy is a dangerous business. Few practice it, and the ones who do tend to have a very short life expectancy. Chay is a statistical outlier: he's not just an incredibly knowledgeable necromancer, but he's also managed to survive for hundreds of years, thanks to the experiments he's performed on himself. He's been serving coffee in the Terminal for decades now, and doesn't plan on stopping any time soon.
Birthday: June 22nd
Age: 13
Ashley is your typical thirteen-year-old: she loves video games, wreaking havoc, and amassing an ever-growing collection of knife-wielding robots. Her fierce attitude belies her true nature, though. She's sharp as a tack, and is a brilliant inventor to boot - with her Ashlings in tow, this kid's a force to be reckoned with.
Birthday: December 27th
Age: 164
Known variously as 'that guy with the metal hat', 'Australia's Robin Hood', and 'crankypants', Edward 'Ned' Kelly is both an enforcer with the Council of Death and one of Chay's best friends. He adopts a gruff persona to match his iron helmet, but does his best to administer the Council's rules without impacting the Terminal - even when Maddy insists on calling him 'Nedward'. It's unclear whether he ever takes his helmet off, or if he's even able to.
"It looks like what would happen if Persona took over a coffee shop, which is to say, stylish as heck."
"It's full of dramatic pauses, sassy dialogue, and a lot of mystery."
"I was struck by the quality of the writing in Necrobarista. It's reminiscent of games like 999, both mysterious, dark and sometimes humorous."
"Stellar art design and a compelling cast of characters round out the title, and a dark, synthy soundtrack ties it all together."
"You know how, sometimes, games look so good you just want to eat them? You want to print out all the screenshots in glorious, glossy photo paper, and just put them into your mouth? You know that feeling? Yeah, that's how I feel about upcoming visual novel game Necrobarista."
"Gorgeous visuals, and a number of quirky looking characters, which we can't wait to learn more about."
"A visual novel inspired by the anime style of the Persona series, Necrobarista oozes atmosphere."
"Features a striking art style, using 3D models and environments as opposed to traditional animation and static pictures for its characters."
