VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

good!

stop saying its emotional i didnt cry

its great tho

Rich, oozing with atmosphere, killer soundtrack that highlights the artistry despite being a disparate selection of commissioned tracks...and yet I can't help but feel like the cyberpunk angle is undercut at every time. The intrigue of the corporations' in-fighting and the commentary of the economic hierarchy is eventually lost behind the personal struggles of a few characters, and while this was clearly how it was meant to be written, a greater balance could have resulted in something special, in something that truly showed the humanity beneath the chaos of reality. As is, it's still a pretty good story with some cool characters, but the way the game just stops is evident of its limited scope in spite of the atmosphere.

Va-11 Hall-A basically accomplishes what it sets out to do, but by no means you should play it over its closest analogue, Papers Please.

Va-11 Hall-A is, very much like the game sells itself, a visual novel set in a cyberpunk universe in which you play as a bartender.

The interactive part of the game, the actual bartending, is actually very straight forward. You are given the recepies of every drink, and you just need to mix them to get the client what they ordered. In key moments of the story however, you need to choose the drink to give the client, considering whats their preference and context. This is the major element of player interaction that affects the narrative course of the game. The other is of course having enough money to pay the rent of your apartment, but i found that the game is pretty letinient in giving you enough money to get by even if you go into a crazy shopping spree.

This visual novel is actually very polished considering the standard i take for this genre. Its pixelated art is great, both in terms of detail as well as artistic expression. The soundtrack is also blissful, composed of techno beats, that sound futuristic as well as cute.

The actual writing is great, and its the main grip of the game. Each character is unique, but while you discover more facets of the regular clients, you never fully get some characters. You are just a bartender after all, and though you have some impact in people's lives its not that they will become your friends from one day of serving drinks. The writing is comedic, but can also take a more serious tone at times. There is a lot of sexual innuendo with some of the characters, which understandably can turn some people off, but i found that it was handled well and always appropriate. Not to mention that those were some of the most funny jokes in the game. The extravagant characters really stay with you, long after you see the credits roll.

Its definitly amongst the best visual novels released this year. Its unique setting, its charming, and well written. Its a well contained story to boot as well, taking about 6 to 8 hours to beat depending on your reading speed.