Technical Information

Developer: Sukeban Games
Publisher: Ysbryd Games, AGM PLAYISM
Release Date: June 21, 2016

VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action portrays the day-to-day life of Jill, a bartender who works at a bar that welcomes all kinds of customers.
Jill is an independent woman who lives with her cat and relies on this job to pay her bills. Between conversations and drinks served, be prepared to encounter unusual situations and become emotionally involved with her main customers.

Final Thoughts – Analyzing the Game as a Whole

Graphics and UI

Even though the pixel art is very beautiful and features well-made animations, there aren’t many variations in character poses and expressions. It’s something I believe could have been explored further to help players feel more empathy for each character and achieve greater immersion during gameplay.
There’s no real variety in environments, at most, there are one or two small details you can change inside the bar.

The UI is simple and effective. The game itself doesn’t offer many configuration options.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

The soundtrack is really cool, with a wide variety of styles, and best of all, you get to choose what plays while you work!
I found this very innovative, as it allows the player to make the main character feel more like themselves.
The only downside is that, despite the songs being very well composed, only a few of them really matched my personal taste.

Gameplay

At first, the story feels very casual, but as new characters appear, you gradually start to notice how some of them are interconnected and how the main character begins to get involved with them.
There are moments when the events become quite dull and sometimes even uninteresting,but the upside is that this acts as a kind of trigger, allowing you to play the game more casually without getting lost in the story.

One thing that really surprised me was how long this game is. I thought I would finish it in around six hours… but it ended up taking almost fifteen and a half hours!
At times, this was quite discouraging, since there are many casual conversations, and that ultimately affected my interest in continuing to play.

Overall, the story is interesting, but it’s far from being something amazing, surprising, or full of twists.

The gameplay itself is very simple: the customer orders a drink, and you prepare it by adding the correct amount of each ingredient.
One thing I really loved was being able to use the space bar to advance through the dialogue.
Another positive point is the freedom you have to spend your money on customizations, which can end up leaving you broke and, as a result, behind on your bills…

The game is a good experience, especially for those who have never played or aren’t very fond of visual novels.
However, I wouldn’t recommend it to players who enjoy deeply engaging and well-structured stories.

Replayability and Game Retention

After finishing the game, you can start a New Game+ to unlock achievements.
I admit that about a year after completing it, I decided to play a bit again to refresh my memory, and I felt a somewhat nostalgic feeling.
Despite its flaws, it’s a game I enjoyed and would play again.