I don’t drink. I’ve never even been to a bar, and I feel a weird sort of melancholy about it. One of mankind’s longest traditions is to come home from work and enjoy a beer or hang out with your mates at the bar, so I wish alcohol didn’t taste like paint to my immature palette. VA-11 Hall-A only made this little fear-of-missing-out worse, since it’s the perfect romantic version of the bar experience. The lights are low and moody, you get to choose which songs are playing, it’s quiet enough to understand people, and everyone there is friendly and attractive. Since chapters are separated by individual nights, and most people will be playing the game right after coming home from work or school, it ends up naturally emulating the reality it intends to portray, with nights in game corresponding to your nights in real life. These qualities make for a game that feels weirdly comfortable, it's just a nice visual novel with some fun characters and a great atmosphere that you can sink into like a lounge chair. I think there’s a lot of potential for games to build off the knowledge of their audience like this and create relaxing experiences, and this an interesting pioneering of the concept. On the other hand, maybe the real thing would always be better, but until my taste in alcohol is as unimpeachable as my taste in games, I’ll just keep enjoying VA-11 Hall-A.