In my quest to obtain as many physical copies for games as I could, I bought a Limited Run copy of VA-11 Hall-A on Amazon for about 95 dollars—a 600% markup—and somehow, not once did I doubt that purchase. I automatically assumed that I would love it. I must be psychic, because this game was worth EVERY. DAMN. CENT OF THAT. This is just peak fiction. It doesn’t get any better than this, and I’ll tell you why. Time to mix drinks and change lives.

Pros:

- The storyline of VA-11 Hall-A is so different from being a generic depressing cyberpunk story because the stories of all-powerful corporations, runaway technological development, and the proliferation of the sex industry are told not via those topics themselves, but through the people whom they affect. You get to hear narratives straight from the mouths of those who create them. Trust me, nothing sells “this place is morally bankrupt” more than serving a drink to an android sex worker who holds off on making her child-like body match her mental age because she gets to appeal to a certain…subset of clients. I lived in FEAR of this game ending because of how good the writing is.

- Furthermore, what makes this presentation so good is that it’s not all doom and gloom. While you might not think it based on what I wrote above, VA-11 Hall-A’s writing is actually very light-hearted and humorous (save for a few dire events). These patrons are just trying to live their lives the best they can, and many of them are actually succeeding. The dialogue is just top notch; it's hilarious and thought-provoking at the same time. Nothing I could write here would do it justice. Just go watch a Day 1 playthrough, it’s amazing.

- The characters you meet come from a variety of different backgrounds and no two are the same. Of course, some get more screen time than others as they become regulars in the bar, but I can honestly say no character is boring. They all slap. Dorothy, Gil, Dana, Alma, Sei, Stella, Mario, Betty, Deal, yeah they all go hard, full stop. I could listen to them speak for literal hours.

- And the player character, Jill…she is one of the best written game protagonists I have ever seen. She has a great personality, great lines, great design, she has goals, aspirations, regrets, emotions, and the arc she goes through during this game is spectacular and is capped off in such a satisfying way. This game had me going through the MOTIONS as I played it, all thanks to Jill. And while this is purely subjective, parts of her backstory hit home because they are things that I’VE felt and went through, and that just made me love her even more.

- While VA-11 Hall-A is a visual novel, and thus relies mostly on writing rather than gameplay, I really appreciated its bartending gameplay. What makes it so cool is that what Jill’s patrons say can change at certain points depending on what drinks you make, and in turn that can affect what note the game ends on. Such a dope premise. After each shift, you can also buy items that prevent Jill from becoming distracted at work (and that decorate her apartment), and indeed, if you can’t, the player will actually have to remember what patrons said they wanted, because Jill becomes too distracted to repeat the order to herself. I felt like a genius when I realized that one.

- After each day, you can also mess with apps on Jill’s phone in her apartment, two of which are notable. The first is The Augmented Eye, a news app, which includes both background lore for the setting of Glitch City, and more prominent events that will then be referenced in actual dialogue during shifts! It’s not THAT crazy of a mechanic but I was pleasantly surprised to see it. Danger/u/ is the second, and it's a slightly safer for work version of 4chan. I don’t even think I need to say any more, it’s hilarious.

- The artstyle is super cool as well; it’s reminiscent of older computer graphics. I think the developers even specify that it’s based on the PC-98, which fits the cyberpunk theme perfectly. And the music? I know I constantly praise game soundtracks but this one might be my all-time favorite. Synthpop and electronic music? I eat that up. The musician for this game really crafted some yummy tracks. Bonus points for VA-11 Hall-A actually letting you pick a playlist of twelve songs each time you play.

- One more small praise: when you first boot up the game, it recommends that you get a drink as you play it. And yes, I had some jack and coke for two of my sessions. That’s what I call IMMERSION.

Cons:

- I really don’t have anything major to say as a negative. If I had to say SOMETHING...maybe the developers could have made it a bit easier to tell when the drink you serve can affect the outcome? There were only a few circumstances where I for sure knew what I picked was going to change something, and that was because of story reasons. Regardless, this REALLY did not impact my experience in the slightest, and I know that there were parts I could have changed something but didn't; I just didn't know what to do specifically.

- Finally, an entirely subjective con is that I wish there was more Gil :(

Objective rating: 5 stars
Subjective rating: 5 stars