VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

Endlessly stylish, emotionally gripping and deceptively addictive, VA-11 HALL-A is the pure essence of a visual novel: a digital page-turner filled with unforgettable characters and set in an infectious cyberpunk noir that will live in your head for weeks after you've put the game down.

It’s the year 207X A.D. and corporations rule Glitch City. A city that shouldn’t exist. A tax haven where corporations and criminal empires reign supreme. Word is the mayor of Glitch City is just a puppet ruler with no real power, having been set up by Zaibatsu Corp. to avert attention from whatever underhanded dealings they have at the moment. But this review isn’t about that. VA-11 Hall-A (pronounced Valhalla) is a visual novel mixed with a bartending simulator. Initially released in North America in 2017 on the PlayStation Vita, VA-11 Hall-A transports you to a cyberpunk world with a cast o...

Even when crammed into tiny handheld, VA-11 HALL-A is still an excellent game with an even better story about how everyone has a story.

Storytime gets a strong drink.

VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a unique take on the traditional visual novel that's greater than the sum of its parts

You'd be forgiven for not knowing this is actually the second time VA-11 HALL-A has graced a PlayStation platform. It released to relatively little fanfare on the PS Vita – and only the PS Vita – but now, at long last, it's found a new home on the PlayStation 4. Venezuelan developer Sukeban Games’ marvelous visual novel is here, and it’s here to stay.

VA-11 Hall-A’s fresh take on the visual novel genre makes the jump to consoles with relative ease. Those that don’t mind the occasional bit of salty language will find a cyberpunk adventure that will captivate you to the very end.

Seven years on from its release there are still few games that capture the feel of a real workplace like VA-LL Hall-A does. Ash Schofield reflects on mixing drinks and changing lives in the game and real life.