Let’s go over some background info first. You see, the original game in question here is called VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action. It’s a very story-driven game with immensely high ratings on Steam thanks to its narrative focus on interesting characters trying to get by in a dystopia according to the reviews. I have not personally played the game but I do think it looks interesting. Enter Boxman, an artist who did play the game and thought “yo this is awesome, but where’s the sex?” and decided to make his own version. A man after my own heart for sure.
I must say first impressions are looking fantastic. I love the futuristic cyberpunk setting combined with the retro visuals of the game. The contrast makes for a unique look that just makes you get absorbed into the setting. Speaking of getting absorbed into the setting, my god did I enjoy the music. That shit is atmospheric as fuck with relaxing synths for days. I spent a good minute or so just listening and appreciating the effort that went into making the backgrounds to make this project feel so immersive. Since I haven't played the original it's unclear to me how many assets are made by Boxman and how many are from the real release. Regardless of the distribution, this demo looked and sounded clean as hell.
Gil is busy whooping ass in Street Fighter, you're stuck with me!
BUT, before you make any decisions, do note that while the first animation is complete, there is no text to go along with it yet (unless I’m a dumbass somehow). That means your greatest chance of getting off at the moment is looking at a three second loop, and while it is a smooth loop, I don’t think you’d be able to cum to it. Right now I’m feeling heavy proof of concept vibes and it is just a demo after all. God damn it’s a promising demo though and I really hope Boxman is able to achieve his goal of 8 animated scenes. Boxman if you’re out there, you could trim that shit down to four scenes and I’d still be happy considering the thicc atmosphere of this demo.
This scene was way more heartwarming in context, I swear.
