To prevent most people from reading my masters thesis on why I think this game is really good and you should too, I'll just start out keeping it basic so you can just get a light read in and buy the game like you should. This game is f*cking wonderful, everything in this game kept me coming back for more from the dystopian cyberpunk themes to the great cast of characters that you serve within the game. The bartending gameplay is also really neat without being overbearing or annoying, and serves most of the time as a way to break up the constant text scrolling from the conversations like what happens in 90% of Visual Novels, get this game, I f*cking adore it.

That being said...

Va-11 Hall-A is a bar smack dab in the middle of Glitch City, a Dystopian Cyberpunk City-State controlled by Mega-Corporations such as Zaibatsu Corp. in which they run wild with experimental technology such as AI Advancements and Nano-Machines, Son.

You play as Julianne Stingray, a bartender at the hole-in-the-wall bar known as Va-11 Hall-A, working alongside your handy dandy co-worker Gillian and your dream wife boss Dana Zane. Also later on, a cute dog companion working part time known as Rad Shiba . As the job implies, you serve the colorful cast of characters who desperately try make ends meet in this sh!thole of a city, while tension between the civilians and the authoritative force known as the White Knights rise higher and higher.

The gameplay of Va11 Hall-A is very simple, talk to your customers, and serve 'em up some drinks, with no time limit during gameplay, meaning that this game is meant to be very relaxing and enjoyed slowly, perhaps with a drink of your own and some snacks. After your shifts, you get your payout for the day and browse your phone with your cat Fore who likes to chat with her about her on-goings and daily routine Who, to no ones surprise, is just Jill talking to herself, revealed to us by Dana, much to Jill's embarassment . At home, you can browse the news, purchase furniture to keep Jill focused (She'll tell you what she wants to buy, and if you dont, she'll become very forgetful at work, making it harder to figure out what your customer wanted if you werent paying much attention), and generally customize your apartment to your liking.

Since this is a Visual Novel, we gotta talk characters, and oh man are the characters a treat. From Robot Sex Workers to Streamers to Dogs who run Dog Rescue Associations, this game has a varied cast to keep you engaged while you're on the clock at Va-11 Hall-A serving up drinks and chatting with your patrons. They really put a lot of work into the individual personalities and dialogue within this game and it REALLY shows. As stated earlier, this game is meant to be a relaxing and slow but enjoyable experience, so you wont find any insane or diabolical plot twists, its just about people who've been through sh!t, living through sh!t, trying to find any drop of solace at the bottom of a glass. This game explores a few solemn themes, such as losing your loved ones, existentialism and what happens after death, what having a dirty professional does to you emotionally and physically, and facing your past regrets and sins. With that being said, its not a particularly depressing game, though sometimes the mood can drop to heartbreak, it generally has an upbeat and friendly tone with the characters trying to make the most of their situations in this bleak city.

If you've read all of this, I hope I've at least convinced you to give this game a shot, it's a short but sweet experience that has me DYING to get my hands on the sequel coming out soon, N1-RV Ann-A, along with the rest of Sukeban's Projects. They have easily become my favorite development team from this game alone and I cannot wait to see what else they have in store for the future.