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And continuing with unfair comparisons, I've started going through Coffee Talk, the VA-11 Hall-A rip-off... And I'm starting to think it was a bad idea to give it a try straight after finishing the latter. It's quite stylish and interesting with the modern-fantasy approach to the mundane theme of being a barista, but it's just really hard to compete with VA-11 Hall-A's writing and atmosphere. The biggest issue is probably the protagonist being a complete blank slate, at least as far as I've seen. While Jill is reserved in her interaction with her clients most of the time, the personality and backstory she brings into the game make everything that happens in it more meaningful. Her backroom interactions with Dana and Gil were always funny and build up to interesting side stories. Here, you have just this self-insert owner and clients who are quite often talking with each other rather than with the protagonist. It's a lot of subtle differences that result in the whole formula feeling tepid, rather than captivating, despite visuals and music that could possibly carry it. But maybe it will get better further down the line...

So, I'm done with VA-11 Hall-A, outside of the prologue chapters. I think it only lacks a more powerful ending and a bit more fleshing out of some secondary characters – with that it would be a 10/10 contender, but I still give it a strong 9/10. Even the gameplay showed a little bit more depth than I initially though – you not only get awarded for learning your clients' tastes, but also should actually care about making them leave as much money as possible, pushing bigger and more expensive drinks. It's a very low-key, but fun kind of puzzle, rewarding you with the ability to buy all kinds of thematic junk for Jill's apartment. And while I might complain about episodic characters being... too episodic, the game also surprised me with some stuff. Particularly with how deep the subplot of the ghost girl from the demo went. It was weirdly satisfying. ^^ To be fair, I don't hate them, I just never felt they had the same amount of substance as AA trials. Those were also over-the-top and silly, but felt more like an actual battle of wits, while the wit of anyone in that Danganronpa trial room was highly questionable. xD Also, some parts of the gameplay, like rhythm-game sections, are something I'm criminally bad at, so I think I'd end up playing on casual and still feeling they were pointless. Plus, while I generally like the cast, the whole thing lacks a proper focus on main characters. Kyoko is cool, but she's an enigma for most of the game and Makoto... Uh, he's hardly anything. I mean, he's somewhat believable as random dumb kid being used as a tool by Kyoko, so she can keep a low profile, but that's hardly a satisfying role to play.