I don’t exactly remember when I bought this game, or when I finished it for the first time but what I do remember is that always, from the moment I saw it advertised on steam I knew that these graphics and this sound was something that I vibed with on every possible level. Now, to this day, this little visual novel, the only one that I’ve ever played, has burnt its vibes into my soul.
I look back fondly on the way in which I, as a teenager living secluded in a rural area, would fantasize about the city. I held the idea and imagery of a city in an important part of my mind, a romanticized and neon colored idealization of what an exciting city life could hold. Every time I’d sit in the back seat of my parent’s car, driving past the towers of checkered lights which sprawl out over the island city of Montreal while I gazed off at the ever present and sky sweeping skylights I would feel my heart drift off somewhere else all together, a nostalgic and hopeful place.
VA-11 HALL-A spoke to that fantasy in a powerful way, due almost entirely to the gorgeous pixel art which perfectly captures that iconic and soulful city skyline imagery that my heart yearns for so much. Not just the skyscrapers and neon signs, though, but also Jill’s lived-in feeling apartment with her clothing displayed about and collectibles placed about the room.
The titular bar, where the majority of dialogue and gameplay takes place is itself a charming and imaginable setting. What could be more representative of an exciting city fantasy than an interesting, colorful downstairs bar where they serve interesting, colorful beverages to an interesting, colorful collection of clientele?
Speaking of the clientele, VA-11 HALL-A is home to a plethora of memorable characters, presumably as any well liked visual novel does (I wouldn’t know, as this is the only one I’ve ever played). The primary focus of the game is, after all, serving drinks to the characters who show up at the bar. If you’re anything like me, you need only see a glimpse of any character’s sprite art to immediately be interested in them (save for a couple less interesting designs). That said, I’ll tell you straight away that by far my favorite character in the game is that of the protagonist Jill Stingray. Jill serves as a vehicle for every single interaction you see in the game, given that you see the game through her eyes and she does a fantastic job at doing so, she’s cool, funny, attractive and cozy. Her aforementioned apartment truly feels like home quite quickly, and the way you interact with her smartphone starting from the lock screen when you wish to read world building on the in game news apps both do wonders for making her an immersive player avatar as well. It’s really important that the player like Jill and feel comfortable with her as the game is ultimately her story of living in Glitch City, even if most of the time is spent speaking to patrons of the bar, Jill’s arc and experience is where the story literally ends and begins. Importantly, however, you never decide what Jill has to say or what actions she takes in a direct sense. She is her own character.
If you haven’t played the game, you may wonder how a visual novel that does in fact have multiple endings manages to be an interesting experience without allowing the player to influence the events in any way? Well, that’s where VA-11 HALL-A’s primary (only?) game mechanic comes into play. Ultimately, every influenceable aspect of the game revolves around how much alcohol you make a character consume and to some degree, whether or not you serve them drinks that are to their liking. This mechanic is a bit hit or miss. It is interesting, but ultimately you are rarely making a choice consciously or with much intent. If you want a specific ending or the correct drinks to serve when given vague requests you will probably end up looking at a guide anyways. I suppose that type of progression is not uncommon amongst visual novels (looking at guides to understand the possible story routes) but ultimately it doesn’t feel so much like decision based story progression in the way selecting dialogue or directly controlling a player character does. Oh, also there’s a drink mixing mini game. It’s inconsequential but I’m glad it’s there, and it's part of the vibe.
The writing of the game is something I’m not particularly interested in speaking critically of without replaying it. It’s a lot of reading, and the setting of Glitch City has a lot of love and thought put into it. It’s charming but also can feel weird and serious often enough. What I can say is that regardless of whether or not these characters are or are not well written, they are memorable and if you were to see fanart of them you would probably retweet it. The story itself has plenty of memorable moments, especially ones that are important to Jill’s personal story. The ending of the game is very charming and leaves you feeling rather satisfied.
While I can speak highly of the game as a whole, and one’s enjoyment of the content within will be subjective, what ultimately makes it worth playing is without a doubt the presentation. If it had not been for the graphics, sound and overall aesthetic of this game it would not have a chance at being as important to me as it is. It was because of that vibe that this game is able to be a part of treasured memories. Filling my teenage bedroom with a purple glow and bassy synth soundtracks while my new off brand LED backlit keyboard cycled through colors late at night, supercharging my longing for the city and hoping I could one day “get out of this town”
I did eventually move to the city, and one of the first things I did was order a 3 disc CD soundtrack of this games’ OST. The OST for this game really is something amazing, and getting my hands on that thick jewel case and gazing upon the cover itself was an experience that nearly brought me to tears. It’s a daytime scene of the Glitch City skyline. Something about that art, when the majority of the game’s visuals take place at night just made it hit. It felt like a perfect purchase for finally fulfilling the city-life dreams that the game had inspired.
I went out at night listening the that soundtrack many times after moving, and sitting by the river, looking out at the reflections of tall, lit up buildings against the water and the orange hued sky while vibing to music from a piece of media which has ultimately become a part of my soul has been one of the most fulfilling art experiences of my life and I am thankful for the game’s existence because of that.
At least 5 years after this game first came into my life, I stand by my girlfriend’s 3rd story balcony window. Peering over the buildings, I see the towering Montreal Olympic Stadium far in the distance and I’m filled with the same feelings that VA11 HALL-A indulged all those years ago. The opening synths of “Welcome to VA-11 HALL-A” play in my head, and I sit down to write this review, letting out a feeling that this art brought out from me all that time ago.
I look back fondly on the way in which I, as a teenager living secluded in a rural area, would fantasize about the city. I held the idea and imagery of a city in an important part of my mind, a romanticized and neon colored idealization of what an exciting city life could hold. Every time I’d sit in the back seat of my parent’s car, driving past the towers of checkered lights which sprawl out over the island city of Montreal while I gazed off at the ever present and sky sweeping skylights I would feel my heart drift off somewhere else all together, a nostalgic and hopeful place.
VA-11 HALL-A spoke to that fantasy in a powerful way, due almost entirely to the gorgeous pixel art which perfectly captures that iconic and soulful city skyline imagery that my heart yearns for so much. Not just the skyscrapers and neon signs, though, but also Jill’s lived-in feeling apartment with her clothing displayed about and collectibles placed about the room.
The titular bar, where the majority of dialogue and gameplay takes place is itself a charming and imaginable setting. What could be more representative of an exciting city fantasy than an interesting, colorful downstairs bar where they serve interesting, colorful beverages to an interesting, colorful collection of clientele?
Speaking of the clientele, VA-11 HALL-A is home to a plethora of memorable characters, presumably as any well liked visual novel does (I wouldn’t know, as this is the only one I’ve ever played). The primary focus of the game is, after all, serving drinks to the characters who show up at the bar. If you’re anything like me, you need only see a glimpse of any character’s sprite art to immediately be interested in them (save for a couple less interesting designs). That said, I’ll tell you straight away that by far my favorite character in the game is that of the protagonist Jill Stingray. Jill serves as a vehicle for every single interaction you see in the game, given that you see the game through her eyes and she does a fantastic job at doing so, she’s cool, funny, attractive and cozy. Her aforementioned apartment truly feels like home quite quickly, and the way you interact with her smartphone starting from the lock screen when you wish to read world building on the in game news apps both do wonders for making her an immersive player avatar as well. It’s really important that the player like Jill and feel comfortable with her as the game is ultimately her story of living in Glitch City, even if most of the time is spent speaking to patrons of the bar, Jill’s arc and experience is where the story literally ends and begins. Importantly, however, you never decide what Jill has to say or what actions she takes in a direct sense. She is her own character.
If you haven’t played the game, you may wonder how a visual novel that does in fact have multiple endings manages to be an interesting experience without allowing the player to influence the events in any way? Well, that’s where VA-11 HALL-A’s primary (only?) game mechanic comes into play. Ultimately, every influenceable aspect of the game revolves around how much alcohol you make a character consume and to some degree, whether or not you serve them drinks that are to their liking. This mechanic is a bit hit or miss. It is interesting, but ultimately you are rarely making a choice consciously or with much intent. If you want a specific ending or the correct drinks to serve when given vague requests you will probably end up looking at a guide anyways. I suppose that type of progression is not uncommon amongst visual novels (looking at guides to understand the possible story routes) but ultimately it doesn’t feel so much like decision based story progression in the way selecting dialogue or directly controlling a player character does. Oh, also there’s a drink mixing mini game. It’s inconsequential but I’m glad it’s there, and it's part of the vibe.
The writing of the game is something I’m not particularly interested in speaking critically of without replaying it. It’s a lot of reading, and the setting of Glitch City has a lot of love and thought put into it. It’s charming but also can feel weird and serious often enough. What I can say is that regardless of whether or not these characters are or are not well written, they are memorable and if you were to see fanart of them you would probably retweet it. The story itself has plenty of memorable moments, especially ones that are important to Jill’s personal story. The ending of the game is very charming and leaves you feeling rather satisfied.
While I can speak highly of the game as a whole, and one’s enjoyment of the content within will be subjective, what ultimately makes it worth playing is without a doubt the presentation. If it had not been for the graphics, sound and overall aesthetic of this game it would not have a chance at being as important to me as it is. It was because of that vibe that this game is able to be a part of treasured memories. Filling my teenage bedroom with a purple glow and bassy synth soundtracks while my new off brand LED backlit keyboard cycled through colors late at night, supercharging my longing for the city and hoping I could one day “get out of this town”
I did eventually move to the city, and one of the first things I did was order a 3 disc CD soundtrack of this games’ OST. The OST for this game really is something amazing, and getting my hands on that thick jewel case and gazing upon the cover itself was an experience that nearly brought me to tears. It’s a daytime scene of the Glitch City skyline. Something about that art, when the majority of the game’s visuals take place at night just made it hit. It felt like a perfect purchase for finally fulfilling the city-life dreams that the game had inspired.
I went out at night listening the that soundtrack many times after moving, and sitting by the river, looking out at the reflections of tall, lit up buildings against the water and the orange hued sky while vibing to music from a piece of media which has ultimately become a part of my soul has been one of the most fulfilling art experiences of my life and I am thankful for the game’s existence because of that.
At least 5 years after this game first came into my life, I stand by my girlfriend’s 3rd story balcony window. Peering over the buildings, I see the towering Montreal Olympic Stadium far in the distance and I’m filled with the same feelings that VA11 HALL-A indulged all those years ago. The opening synths of “Welcome to VA-11 HALL-A” play in my head, and I sit down to write this review, letting out a feeling that this art brought out from me all that time ago.