Necrobarista Launches on Apple Arcade: 'Death, Coffee, and Feelings'

[MacRumors]

Experience a spellbinding story of necromancy, friendship, and letting go in "Necrobarista," this week's addition to Apple Arcade on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. The game hails from Australian developer Route 59.

From the App Store description:

In a back-alley Melbourne cafe, the dead are granted one last night to mingle with the living.

For Maddy Xiao—barista, amateur necromancer, and new owner of the Terminal—things couldn't be better, as long as you're not reminding her of the fact that she's got an enforcer from the notoriously uncompromising Council of Death breathing down her neck.

"Necrobarista" is available on the App Store with an Apple Arcade subscription. The service provides iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac users with access to over 100 games with no in-app purchases or ads for $4.99 per month.

Necrobarista is also launching on Steam and GOG on July 22.

Article Link: Necrobarista Launches on Apple Arcade: 'Death, Coffee, and Feelings'

 

[simonmet]

That actually looks pretty cool.

No price yet on Steam or Gog but it’s not long to wait.

 

[unclemax]

Necrobarista, just in time for Melbourne COVID outbreak.

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

I've spent the past month developing a simple game with WebGL/javascript. I've been testing and verifying it works on every device I own with a web browser - Mac laptops, Window laptops, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, iOS... I assume Android but I don't own one, plus my Tesla.

I'll support it with ads + have the option to pay to remove them.

I can't figure out - why aren't more people doing this? Flash used to be the way that most non-AAA games were done, then Apple annihilated that by not permitting Flash on the iPhone, but now WebGL has existed and been available on every browser for 5+ years, and there's virtually nobody using it.

 

[AngerDanger]

Necrobarista Launches on Apple Arcade: 'Death, Coffee, and Feelings'

I have one of those! I might actually check this game out!

 

[Azrael9]

I've spent the past month developing a simple game with WebGL/javascript. I've been testing and verifying it works on every device I own with a web browser - Mac laptops, Window laptops, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, iOS... I assume Android but I don't own one, plus my Tesla.

I'll support it with ads + have the option to pay to remove them.

I can't figure out - why aren't more people doing this? Flash used to be the way that most non-AAA games were done, then Apple annihilated that by not permitting Flash on the iPhone, but now WebGL has existed and been available on every browser for 5+ years, and there's virtually nobody using it.

Steve Job's open letter was quite clear re: Flash.

And the same reasons why iPhone and iPad were a success will be transferred to the pending AS Macs.

Azrael.
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Experience a spellbinding story of necromancy, friendship, and letting go in "Necrobarista," this week's addition to Apple Arcade on the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac. The game hails from Australian developer Route 59.

From the App Store description:"Necrobarista" is available on the App Store with an Apple Arcade subscription. The service provides iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and Mac users with access to over 100 games with no in-app purchases or ads for $4.99 per month.

Necrobarista is also launching on Steam and GOG on July 22.

Article Link: Necrobarista Launches on Apple Arcade: 'Death, Coffee, and Feelings'

This looks kick az. Great stuff.

Innovative....great style and hopefully the substance of the gaming experience backs it up.

Could end up being a flagship Apple Arcade game. Perhaps more innovative games like this are on their way. Exactly the kind of thing to attract to the service.

Worth £4.99...

Azrael.

 

[apparatchik]

I've spent the past month developing a simple game with WebGL/javascript. I've been testing and verifying it works on every device I own with a web browser - Mac laptops, Window laptops, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, iOS... I assume Android but I don't own one, plus my Tesla.

I'll support it with ads + have the option to pay to remove them.

I can't figure out - why aren't more people doing this? Flash used to be the way that most non-AAA games were done, then Apple annihilated that by not permitting Flash on the iPhone, but now WebGL has existed and been available on every browser for 5+ years, and there's virtually nobody using it.

Director/shockwave and Flash/swf were the go-to platforms for games on the web, I was an actionscript developer back in the day, doing mostly web based corporate applications with flash/flex, there truly was not and there are still not the same capabilities with html5 as there were 10 years ago with flash. The documentation, which is crucial in development, the fact that there was a company behind the platforms, was way ahead of this open source multivendor world we were thrown into. Nowadays of course things are a lot better, but the level of things you could do with flash/flex werent possible with html/javascript, not even with the bleeding edge version of browsers that had no substantial user base anyways.

Sadly, flash was abused for web-ads, and because of that had a bad rep as a performance hog, but the same animations and interactivity that flash allowed, when done with html/js/css, performed actually slower at the time. Its just that there was not an IDE and documentation advanced enough to do it, so non-flash ads consisted of animated gifs and very basic interactivity. Good luck with your game, I think the reason theres not more people doing WebGL based games might be an economic one, not technological.

 

[The Cappy]

"Necrobarista Launches on Apple Arcade: 'Death, Coffee, and Feelings'"

I have one of those! I might actually check this game out!

Meh. I honestly think this is the most tedious part of Apple Arcade — the very distinct sense that the people in charge of vetting games wanted them with "feelings" first and foremost. And so we've got a lot of milquetoast games that aren't actually enjoyable to play but try to clumsily pluck that adolescent melancholy string over and over. And over.

 

[Azrael9]

Director/shockwave and Flash/swf were the go-to platforms for games on the web, I was an actionscript developer back in the day, doing mostly web based corporate applications with flash/flex, there truly was not and there are still not the same capabilities with html5 as there were 10 years ago with flash. The documentation, which is crucial in development, the fact that there was a company behind the platforms, was way ahead of this open source multivendor world we were thrown into. Nowadays of course things are a lot better, but the level of things you could do with flash/flex werent possible with html/javascript, not even with the bleeding edge version of browsers that had no substantial user base anyways.

Sadly, flash was abused for web-ads, and because of that had a bad rep as a performance hog, but the same animations and interactivity that flash allowed, when done with html/js/css, performed actually slower at the time. Its just that there was not an IDE and documentation advanced enough to do it, so non-flash ads consisted of animated gifs and very basic interactivity. Good luck with your game, I think the reason theres not more people doing WebGL based games might be an economic one, not technological.

Aye.

But I found alot of flash stuff had 'that look' to it...and the websites ran dog slow...and needed 'that' flash plug in.

I did use flash for project of mine. It wasn't 'too bad' to use, creatively for animation and key framing.

Azrael.
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Meh. I honestly think this is the most tedious part of Apple Arcade — the very distinct sense that the people in charge of vetting games wanted them with "feelings" first and foremost. And so we've got a lot of milquetoast games that aren't actually enjoyable to play but try to clumsily pluck that adolescent melancholy string over and over. And over.

But the PC Tower crowd have the 'same' 'meh' with the constant run around with 'bobbing Big F***ing gun' whilst jumping around like 'thing on a spring...' With the pretense that 'this' is triple A and 'serious' gaming. They've had decades being the 'top dog' of gaming...and it's still running around with a game. Change the record Id games and Doom Eternal? *Shrugs. Very 'meh.'

Apple are going with their 'select' approach. Arcade or ATV+.

I find their tv stuff somewhat smaltzy. Some of their marketing (alot of it...) is sacharin smaltzy...

So I kind get what you're saying. But it's Apple. Sugar coated content...vetted and approved by their editors or arbitars of 'good taste.'

It's not like Hollywood is any different with their 'universal - 15' age group content aimed at all kids and all adults. With the same create by commitee pop corn fests or Disney's vomit inducing cookie cutter with agenda politics being rammed down our throats.

There's alot of monoculture or 'group think' culture to go around. And if you 'don't like it you can get castigated in a negative light.

PC Towers tend to have their own style. PS has it's own style. (I'm quite impressed with the 'Last of Us' on the PS3...) Nintendo have their 'coochie coo' style (they're for kids, right?) And Apple have their grand dad does games style in their own curated approved style.

So yes, clusmy melancholy can get old real quick...*thumps his chest...can....CAN you feel my heart bleeding...man...I really feel this...*fist pumps chest some more...the agony.....etc.

As Niles once said to Frasier. 'Don't. Direct me.'

Azrael.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

and because of that had a bad rep as a performance hog

And as a huge security risk.

 

[Azrael9]

And as a huge security risk.

That too.

Azrael.

 

[BigDO]

I wonder if anyone actually kept the subscription to this after the initial trial.

 

[Johnny907]

Yeah if it's my last night on Earth I'm going to want something a lot stronger than coffee or tea, thanks.

 

[velcrovan]

I wonder if anyone actually kept the subscription to this after the initial trial.

I did. I’m a dad with small kids and play games casually to entertain them (the 6yr old sometimes plays too). Apple Arcade has a few games that are winners in this regard. Lego Brawls, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Tangle Tower, Sponge Bob, Sonic Racing, Legend of the Skyfish, and Hogwash are the go-to favorites these days. Using a playstation controller with the Apple TV 4k.

 

[simonmet]

I have one of those! I might actually check this game out!

Is it coffee? ☕

 

[carrrrrlos]

Is this a Tokyo Ghoul spin off?

 

[Trusteft]

I've spent the past month developing a simple game with WebGL/javascript. I've been testing and verifying it works on every device I own with a web browser - Mac laptops, Window laptops, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, iOS... I assume Android but I don't own one, plus my Tesla.

I'll support it with ads + have the option to pay to remove them.

I can't figure out - why aren't more people doing this? Flash used to be the way that most non-AAA games were done, then Apple annihilated that by not permitting Flash on the iPhone, but now WebGL has existed and been available on every browser for 5+ years, and there's virtually nobody using it.

Flash was dying long before Apple did anything to it.
Flash was hated by all but developers using Flash.
Flash was crap. Flash was resource hog. Most "good looking" Flash games looked the same.
There were only two good things about Flash .
1. Flash Gordon, comic, movie and song.
2. Flash the DC Comics superhero. And that's debatable.

 

[apparatchik]

I just gave the game a go, game controller doesnt seem to be fully implemented, had to go back and forth between my PS4 controller and the iphone screen for some interactions. Also, if you connect your phone to a tv via the lightning hdmi adapter, the video quality suffers quite a bit. The pace of the game its a little slow, didnt hook me up to be honest.

 

[Unregistered 4U]

2. Flash the DC Comics superhero. And that's debatable.

No.

No no.

Not debatable. At all.

/s

 

[triton100]

Omg. This game is SO bad! You just click through endless never ending dialogue. It’s so boring ! It may appeal to 12 year old girls - possibly ? I mean I have no idea who the target is. It doesn’t even seem to be a game. It’s like an awfully scripted child’s picture book. No more Apple Arcade for me.

 

[entropys]

Yeah if it's my last night on Earth I'm going to want something a lot stronger than coffee or tea, thanks.

But, but, it’s Melbourne coffee!

Says the Melbourne People.
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Apple are going with their 'select' approach. Arcade or ATV+.

I find their tv stuff somewhat smaltzy. Some of their marketing (alot of it...) is sacharin smaltzy...

So I kind get what you're saying. But it's Apple. Sugar coated content...vetted and approved by their editors or arbitars of 'good taste.'

It's not like Hollywood is any different with their 'universal - 15' age group content aimed at all kids and all adults. With the same create by commitee pop corn fests or Disney's vomit inducing cookie cutter with agenda politics being rammed down our throats.

There's alot of monoculture or 'group think' culture to go around. And if you 'don't like it you can get castigated in a negative light.

Sure. Thing is though that is not the path to Apple Arcade greatness. Without a few killer games that gamers actually are desperate to play, it will be an also ran. Just as TV+ is.
but watch what you say Azreal, or you will be in nonpersonned, cancelled, deplatformed. Not that it is 1984 or anything.

 

[PatrickCocoa]

Regarding the game, I played the first ten minutes (until somewhat after the first customer came into the coffee shop). Here's what I did:

1. Tapped the screen approximately 75 to 80 times.
2. There is no 2.

 

[markosb]

I wonder if anyone actually kept the subscription to this after the initial trial.

I dropped it before the trial ended, but went back to it. Mostly cause I like less time consuming games. Some of the games I like a lot and it’s nice i can play them on my Mac if I wanted. It’s not for everyone that’s for sure, but it’s a bargain especially if Apple puts more focus on it... like there trying to do with Apple TV.
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Regarding the game, I played the first ten minutes (until somewhat after the first customer came into the coffee shop). Here's what I did:

1. Tapped the screen approximately 75 to 80 times.
2. There is no 2.

I expected more from it LOL. I will finish it regardless. I am using a controller so I read then press a button. I think it’s a graphic novel type of game.

 

[Trusteft]

It looks like the jump off x86 is already attracting major game developers and awesome games. Let's hope the future Apple "gpu" will be able to handle the workload.

 

[simonmet]

I don’t know about that @Trusteft . This is very much an indie title from a developer I’ve never heard of before. It’s possibly their first game.

I’m keen to check it out because I like original and artistic story-driven games.