VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action

In a gaming world often obsessed with bombastic action and high-stakes drama, VA-11 Hall-A (or "Valhalla") does something rare—it slows everything down. Developed by Sukeban Games, this cyberpunk visual novel and bartending simulator invites players into a smoky, neon-lit corner of a dystopian world, where the real action lies not in explosions, but in conversation. It’s a small game with a big heart, and it might just surprise you with how deeply it resonates. You play as Jill, a jaded but empathetic bartender at the titular VA-11 Hall-A, tucked away in the shadow of Glitch City—a futuristic, corporate-controlled metropolis. The game isn’t about overthrowing regimes or hacking into mainframes. Instead, it’s about listening to your patrons, mixing their drinks, and slowly peeling back the layers of a world that feels disturbingly close to our own. It’s this grounded approach to cyberpunk that makes VA-11 Hall-A so refreshing. You don’t save the world—you serve it. And in doing so, you witness the pain, humor, longing, and resilience of its people. Gameplay is deceptively simple: customers come in, talk to you, and order drinks. You prepare these drinks by combining ingredients like Adelhyde and Flanergide, with optional tweaks like doubling the alcohol or serving it on the rocks. The twist? The drinks you serve can affect the dialogue and even the story itself. This mechanic gives the player subtle control over the narrative. Do you give someone what they asked for—or what you think they need? The decisions aren’t world-shattering, but they are personal, and that intimacy is where the game shines. The real core of VA-11 Hall-A is its writing, which is sharp, witty, and deeply character-driven. Every customer—from sex worker Dorothy to corporate hacker Alma, to the mysterious android Sei—feels fully realized, with unique personalities and layered backstories. Conversations are peppered with humor, vulnerability, and philosophical musings about technology, identity, loneliness, and survival. Jill herself is a compelling protagonist—sarcastic, emotionally guarded, and painfully human. As the story unfolds, so does her own emotional arc, culminating in a narrative that’s surprisingly moving for a game about making drinks. The game’s pixel art style is striking and effective, channeling an old-school PC aesthetic with modern flair. Neon colors and CRT-screen filters sell the cyberpunk vibe without going overboard. The character portraits are expressive and full of personality, which helps breathe life into the static visual format. And then there’s the soundtrack—a lo-fi synthwave masterpiece by Garoad. The game lets you choose the background music from a jukebox at the start of each shift, and these chill, melancholic tracks do a lot of emotional heavy lifting. It’s one of those rare soundtracks you’ll want to listen to outside the game. If you’re looking for action or high-stakes tension, VA-11 Hall-A isn’t your game. It’s slow, reflective, and driven by dialogue. But if you enjoy visual novels, narrative-rich indies, or cyberpunk stories that focus on the people living under the neon lights rather than the rebels trying to tear it all down—this is absolutely worth your time. VA-11 Hall-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action is a game about empathy in a world that’s lost its soul. Its masterful writing, memorable characters, and immersive atmosphere make it one of the most unique and emotionally resonant games in the indie scene. It doesn't shout; it whispers. And if you're willing to listen, you might hear something profoundly human. Drink responsibly—and listen closely. Rating: 9/10

They say in hell you’re stuck doing whatever you kept putting off in life. If that’s true, I’m gonna keep putting off finishing this game — I wouldn’t mind playing it forever down there.

Don't let my play time fool you, I've finished the game before on console. All I will say is this is one of the greatest visual novels to ever exist. And it is elevated by the amazing soundtrack and aesthetic, and beautifully written characters that I adore so much and fw heavily. On that note, Jill is literally me and she my goat fr

It's a fun game with an interesting plot. There are secret drinks that you have to serve to certain guests to unlock them. You can play the game in one go and there are a few endings. The graphics are really nice, even though I'm not usually into pixel games. This is definitely my favourite game and I'll be waiting for the second one from this publisher)

VA-11 Hall-A is a game worth experiencing. The drink mixing (especially on steam deck with back buttons) was fun to do, even if I had to look up the drink every time because I forgot the recipe. The story starts of simple then gets sucked down into the chaos of Glitch City, as everything does. The characters are all interesting and the world building for a simple visual novel is fantastic. Worth the time I put in to 100% it

this game jump-started my one year alcoholism when i first played it cause every drink looked so fucking good i had to try them

Some of the best and most fun characters in gaming, 10/10

Maybe being a bartender in a cyberpunk dystopia—with rising insecurities, corrupt government and corporate overlords breathing down everyone’s necks, absurdly high cost of living, and a society on the edge of technological collapse—doesn't sound so bad after all. 10/10 Forget your therapist. Play this instead.

very funny and comforting visual novel game about being a bartender, the choices dont matter _too_ much but its still really rewarding when you pay attention to little details. i love you dorothy you are my goofy robot girl, keep lifting those spirits when you can!

Saying this one is an "oldie but goldie" makes me feel like a middle-aged man when I'm still in my early twenties. Even being nearly a decade old, VA-11 Hall-A still holds up exceedingly well compared to more recent visual novels. Plus, it's such a small game that even the most potato pc could run it. A must buy-in my opinion.

Really a good game. The only thing that could release me during my anxious times. It's so chill to just sit down in the bar and listen to other's stories, to get to know them, and eventually to feel the friendship and relationship built between me and them. If you are looking for a game that can create a cyberpunk peaceful place for you, this is your choice.

Played game on my PS Vita and it was really great game so I bought myself PC version. Still good as I remember.

Peakest game of peak of all peak, best visual novel full of peak. Please play. (I finished on vita but I got on steam too cus its so peak.)

I first played VA-11 Hall-A seven years ago through less than honest means. I was broke, curious, and had no idea that this little cyberpunk bartending game would stay with me for years. I loved every second the characters, the atmosphere, the music, the feeling and I remember it like I played it yesterday. Now that I can, I bought it properly to pay back what I owed. This game meant more to me than I realized at the time, and it deserves every bit of support. If you're even remotely curious play it. You won’t forget it.

I've just finished Valhalla and I'm gonna be so real when I said this story felt oddly real, in a good way. I really did enjoy the narrative and do recommend that you experience it yourself. I certainly plan to continue with the other endings as I'm invested. Thanks devs for making such a beautiful experience.

I love a good Cyberpunk game and this one's got it all. Fun game mechanics, great characters, hilarious dialogue and a deeply personal and emotional story. I'm still waiting for the sequel.

A very cosy game. It helps you feel a bit more sane... Even the "bad" end isn't all that bad, the bar tending is fun and the variety of characters is nice. Great writing and music.

I hate bullethell games with a passion but the bartending visual novel part is fun and cute

this comes very very close to my ideal favorite game. the setting and worldbuilding is peak, with a dynamic and quirky but wonderful cast of characters. a piece of art, and vibes to the max :)

Amazing game with hilarious dialogue and a great story. 10/10,

Oh my gosh, i cant believe this Game started out so damn good, better than anything i've played so far, just for it to become so damn bad at the near end And you know, i haven't even completed the game yet, and at this point i'm just waiting for it to end For you people, who are thinking if you should buy this game or not, just beware, if you like bad soap operas and hardcore LGBTQ+ this game is for you *SPOILERS* Game started out so damn good, i was enjoying reading, knowing the characters better, looking at their faces and making drinks, but it was all in Chapter 1 In Chapter 2 however, this game slooowly started becoming shit with each in-game day. After the "lesbians broke up and ex gf died" the game's just unbearable at this point. Every character magically finds out about your story, like if some godlike being just transported everything that happened to you into their brains, and now they start every dialogue in a "hey, what happened" "you ever had a bad relationship" "you look sad" tone/phrase which is just so damn tiring, and after every single line like that you get a 10+ minute dialogue about how there are bad lesbian relationships, how you shouldnt care about your ex girlfriend, how it isnt your fault that your lesbian gf died, like, I DONT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THAT! I dont want to read the same soapy crybaby story about how your lesbian main character broke up with her lesbian gf because your MC wanted "feministic freedom" Coffee Talk didn't have this kind of shit, I take back all of my words about how this game is better than Coffee Talk You know, at this point i wouldn't even be surprised if every signle character turns into a gay lesbian trans character, even if a dog turns gay Surprised there isn't an LGBTQ+ tag on this game And another thing, making Akira gay is a very bad choice, why?

This is my favorite thing, in the history of forever. But one question remains... WHERE IS NIRVANA AND .45 PARABELLUM?

hey man this looks and sounds and plays really good but you need to take inspiration from real life experiences or at least different mediums instead of just anime and vidya tropes when you write a game that's literally just about characters dialogueing. i did not last long enough to even get to the controversial bits

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you adlehyde, bronson extract, flangeride, karmotrine and powdered delta, you mix them and change lives. It might even change yours if you give it a try

Corny and forgettable writing at times but great atmosphere

thing japan indie slop. go play a good game like blue lock rivals or maybe even azure latch instead.

An absolute favorite and comfort game of mine, 10/10!

Love how you can use drink mixing to drive a story! Really, really good game.

Listen up. VA-11 Hall-A is like a dive bar and a cyberpunk fever dream had a lovechild. You’re Jill, slinging drinks for weebs, corpos, and catgirls while dodging spoilers about your own life. Pixel art’s so crisp it’s like staring into a CRT monitor at 3 AM. Soundtrack? Synthwave bangers that make you wanna yeet your feelings into the void. Gameplay’s basically "choose your own alcoholism" with dialogue sharper than a katana. Every drink you pour feels like shitposting IRL, and the NPCs? Greentext stories come to life—half unhinged, half wholesome. Only downside? No edgelord customers to troll. Would’ve been kino. TL;DR: It’s a vibe. Grab this game, crank the OST, and pretend you’re not crying into your virtual beer.

Phenomenal game, absolute tonal shift in visual novels (in the west at least, I’m not well versed in Asian vn). Utterly ruined on Steam Deck by lack of controller support. Come on guys, you managed it for Switch 1, don’t make me emulate (even though I do own it on both platforms) 😩

I was never into visual novels, but damn this is a nice game

i played first route, but still don't understand who is da mid breast Osaka?

Pretty chill game with a good story

Very good at helping me learn how to have a conversation.

holy shit yuri and alcohol this shit is peak

So shit.... that I refunded it right away

Best played while drunk.

Dorothy Haze I will kill for you

Very good!

pretty good

I want Alma to hack me now

Kinda gay

Nice

beer sucks

Dana Zane my beloved

i think im an alcoholic now

Banger soundtrack

made me cry fr

;D i think my boyfriend loves alma and hates me

hello i make drink