VA-11 HALL-ASo, after quite some time, I had a nice and quiet night in. I live in a new house, (sharing it with 3 other humans actually) which is something I have not done since Manchester (but turns out, it is quite fun so far).
I was looking forward to spending a night like this. The last few weeks were pretty intense, I was in Berlin for Jenny’s birthday last week, spend quite an exhausting Friday out two weeks ago, so staying in this weekend actually makes good sense.
I am playing VA-11 HALL-A, a really nice cyberpunk… bartending… game. That description alone was enough for me to buy the game, turns out, the game is pretty awesome. You are Jill, a bartender in a bar in Glitch City, you wake up every day (not necessarily morning) , check your phone for news while you have something to eat, and head down to the bar. The people that walk in the bar are characters one might glimpse walking with glowing umbrellas in Bladerunner, or hanging our in the bars case used to go in Neuromancer.
One of these characters walks in a bar…The generic origins of the characters is perfectly counterbalanced by the writing, which is quite sublime so far, way better than what I expected. The customers, if you give them the drinks that they need (not necesserily the ones they ask for) pour out their heart, and tell you their stories and sorrows. Your only input as a player is the correct mixing of the drinks.
The art style is delightfully like 80s sci-fi anime, and the music is 100% appropriate.
Speaking of cyberpunk, or at least sci-fi, while playing this game, I was also on a call with Paris and Aris, two old friends of mine, one in the Netherlands and the other currently in Washington D.C., we were watching the Quarterfinals of the League of Legends 2016 World Championship. This whole setup, me playing a game while talking to friends half across the globe while playing a game really makes me think how sci-fi our lives actually are. The future creeps up on us!
~Garret