VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 194 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 155 out of 194
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 194
  3. Negative: 17 out of 194

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  1. goatpounder89
    Jun 2, 2019
    5
    Played to completion in one night.

    REMARKABLY simple "game". I struggle to call this a "game" when your interactivity doesn't stretch beyond hitting different colored buttons when given certain prompts. This is a "visual novel" in the sense that listening to your parents read you picture books as a kid was "an engrossing and engaging story". There is nothing this "game" offers that a    Played to completion in one night.

    REMARKABLY simple "game". I struggle to call this a "game" when your interactivity doesn't stretch beyond hitting different colored buttons when given certain prompts.

    This is a "visual novel" in the sense that listening to your parents read you picture books as a kid was "an engrossing and engaging story". There is nothing this "game" offers that a book or anime adaptation could not have offered.

    The pixel art was nice, admittedly, and the music reminded me of my days spent playing Phantasy Star: Online. The setting was intriguing, and the way the game assumes you know as much of it as the denizens do was a refreshing take on something so outlandish. Beyond that, you could simply read a text dump of everything that happens in VA-11 HALL-A and come away with an identical experience. There are *NO* meaningful choices to be made *ANYWHERE* in this 6 - 10 hour experience. You are along for a ride, akin to a novel, TV show, or movie. Get NO impressions of having ANY player agency whatsoever, and you'll probably enjoy this much more than I did.

    This isn't YOUR story to enjoy. This is Jill's story.    … Expand
  2. SicofViralVidya
    May 22, 2020
    6
    Western indie games have an obsession with the 4th wall. They really like to drill glory holes on the 4th wall and stick their dicks in them. Undertale did it, this game did it, Oneshot did it, DDLC did it, Baldi's **** Basics did it, and so on. The shock value got old ages ago, and doing it in the first place does not make your game good. This game in particular really likes to jerkWestern indie games have an obsession with the 4th wall. They really like to drill glory holes on the 4th wall and stick their dicks in them. Undertale did it, this game did it, Oneshot did it, DDLC did it, Baldi's **** Basics did it, and so on. The shock value got old ages ago, and doing it in the first place does not make your game good. This game in particular really likes to jerk itself off with its POP KHULCHUR REFERENCES lubricant. Hey, do you know this LE EPIC or that !!!???

    Aside from that, the game is alright, but of course with it being a visual novel you must play it multiple times to see everything in its entirety. Had there been a more interesting gameplay, maybe I would've been more motivated to do so.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

99
#99 Most Discussed PC Game of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Jeuxvideo.com
    May 15, 2021
    65
    To prepare an excellent Visual Novel cocktail, we particularly need a very good writing quality, varied narrative paths and the ability to transport ourselves to a world with a unique atmosphere. On these points VA-11 Hall-A is very convincing. But where the recipe turns sour, it is in the inability of the game to renew its gameplay and its sequences.
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  2. 4P.de
    Jun 4, 2019
    83
    Listening to well written dialogue and mixing drinks while meeting interesting characters - this is a little storytelling gem.
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  3. RPG Site
    Jan 2, 2018
    70
    VA-11 HALL-A is inherently flawed yet it's still a wonderful personal cyberpunk tale. Even with the writing being lackluster at times, I find its cast to be pleasantly unforgettable. I often think about them, Glitch City, and my dreams of the future living through its soundtrack as I listen to it outside of the game. It was worth diving in and have a fascinating peek into that view. And I'd love to return to it anytime.
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