History VisualNovel / VA11HALLA

* BodyBackupDrive: The Lilim have their consciousness backed up on a server and are automatically transferred to a new body. As a result, the Lilim have a hard time conceptualizing mortality, although according to Dorothy they do fear "death."

* FantasticArousal: Dorothy notes that if someone recorded a detailed account of realistic hacking in a sexy voice, the Lilim would make them a millionaire.

* HeroicBSOD: Jill goes into one in Chapter 2 after [[spoiler:learning that her ex-girlfriend Lenore is dead]]. It really doesn't help that Jill blew up at a customer during the same shift after being accused of MurderByInaction.

* TheLostLenore: Literally, as Jill's ex-girlfriend's name is Lenore and Jill hasn't gotten over the relationship. [[spoiler:Becomes even more literal after she dies, Lenore's sister Gaby accuses Jill of MurderByInaction, and Jill has a breakdown.]]

* MurderByInaction: Discussed. [[spoiler:When Gaby shows up in Chapter 2, she tells Jill that Lenore died because of a nanomachine rejection disease that gave Lenore a heart attack. While Gaby doesn't outright accuse Jill of murder, the fact that Jill broke up with Lenore just a few days before she died means that [[TheyDiedBecauseOfYou Gaby believes that Lenore and Jill's break-up contributed to her death]]. However, Jill staunchly refuses that she had anything to do with Lenore dying, saying that only now did she even learn that Lenore was sick. Either way, Gaby calls Jill an idiot and leaves, prompting Jill to go into a HeroicBSOD because she NeverGotToSayGoodbye.]]

* MurderByInaction: Discussed. [[spoiler:When Gaby shows up in Chapter 2, she tells Jill that Lenore died because of a nanomachine rejection disease that gave Lenore a heart attack. While Gaby doesn't outright accuse Jill of murder, the fact that Jill broke up with Lenore just a few days before she died means that Gaby believes that Lenore and Jill's break-up contributed to her death. However, Jill staunchly refuses that she had anything to do with Lenore dying, saying that only now did she even learn that Lenore was sick. Either way, Gaby calls Jill an idiot and leaves, prompting Jill to go into a HeroicBSOD because she NeverGotToSayGoodbye.]]

The [[YearX year is 207X]], and Glitch City is a cybernetic dystopia where rich corporations freely abuse the increasingly-desperate proletariat, violence rages unchecked in the streets and the corrupt White Knights freely oppress those they are meant to protect, even using infectious nanomachines to ensure that the people remain downtrodden. [[WellThisIsNotThatTrope This, however, is not that story.]]

* FrothyMugsOfWater: One of the few completely non-alcoholic drink options, looks exactly like a Beer, but it won't get you drunk.

* OutOfFocus: The game starts with a small plot point where VA-11 HALL-A is being considered for part of a blanket downsize by its parent company BTC in an effort to curb alleged money laundering. Outside of a handful of conversations referring towards it, the issue is never resolved.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: A two-sided variant on Day 10. [[spoiler:Virgilio's Bad Touch order, which usually cracks Jill up, doesn't even get a chuckle out of her after finding out about Lenore's sudden death]]. Clearly realizing that something is wrong, [[spoiler:Armandio]] completely drops his usual bizarre, pseudo-philosophical attitude and calmly tells [[spoiler: Jill]] that she needs to be prepared to forgive herself, or it will leave a hole in her that will never heal.

* ShooOutTheClowns: Jill notes at a certain point that the bar is being hit by a number of depressing stories and hopes Dorothy is the next customer that arrives. [[spoiler: She isn't the ''next'' customer that arrives, but she is responsible for giving a significant morale boost shortly afterward to end up making this only temporary]].
* SliceOfLife: The story does not focus on any major conflict (the closest we get is Jill coming to terms with some of her past mistakes). Rather, the world is examined peripherally through the characters and their everyday interactions with each other at Valhalla, along with their reactions to major events in-universe.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: It leans towards the idealistic side. While the story doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of living in a dystopian cyberpunk setting like the one it's in, all of that is mostly played for BlackComedy. Instead, the CentralTheme is that most people -- even in a hellscape of corporate corruption, greed, and oppression -- are decent and kind once you get to know them, and that they'll look out for each other if given the chance.

* ThreeLawsCompliant: {{Discussed}} by Jill and Dorothy. Dorothy finds the concept of binding AIs to artificial laws after they've become advanced enough to be self-aware to be ridiculous.
* WhamLine: When Gaby comes into the bar, the story begins taking a drastic turn. [[spoiler:When Jill asks how Lenore is doing, Gaby responds with "She's dead." Cue a very hard, very bitter conversation between Jill and Gaby that really messes with Jill's psyche.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The player is never shown the fate of the bar by the end of the game, leaving it ambiguous whether or not it escaped closure.

You are Jill, a woman trying to make ends meet in dystopia working as a bartender at the VA-11 building's Hall-A, more commonly known as Valhalla. It may be a seedy dive bar in a bad neighborhood, but despite (or because of) that, it manages to draw the most interesting patrons. Quench their thirst and you can hear their stories, make new friends and most importantly, make your rent for the month.

* AccidentalInnuendo: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] when the PlayfulHacker Alma accidentally turns Dorothy on when she describes hacking to Jill. To humans, Alma's giving a thorough technical explanation about a computer trick to a friend; to Lilim androids, she's giving a technical explanation that's essentially a ''major'' Lilim fetish.

* AngerBornOfWorry: [[spoiler: Stella slaps Sei for making the former worry so much for the latter's safety due to Sei disappearing for a few days after the bank bombing]]

* CentralTheme: Even in a dystopia, most ordinary people remain decent individuals worthy of the time you need to get to know them -- and they look after each other.
* CrapsackWorld: Glitch City, obviously. While corporations are given carte blanche to use the population as guinea pigs and the tyrannical Mayor QUINCY causes suffering with his every whim, food shortages are commonplace, hyperinflation has drastically increased commodities' prices ([[UsefulNotes/RamenAsDehydratedNoodles cup ramen]] is about $60 and the cheapest drink at the bar, a Gut Punch, is $80), many university graduates moving to other places that marked its brain drain, and the streets are home to large amounts of violence, either from thugs and gangs or the corrupt White Knights. Although Glitch City is stated to be especially bad, Dana states that Panama is in an even worse state.
** The developers are from Venezuela, a country where things like food riots and street violence have become commonplace ever since the nation's economy collapsed, and drew much of their inspiration from their surroundings.
** CrapsackOnlyByComparison: Though it is implied that only [[WretchedHive Glitch City]] is much worse off state than other places, which has pretty decent living standards that attracted discontent Glitch inhabitants, except Panama. (Apparently piracy is nothing to mess around with.)
** On the other hand, Glitch City is the ''only'' city-state in the world that has granted full autonomy to the AI Lilim, treating them as fully sentient beings on par with humans. Conversations imply that outside Glitch City, the Lilim are forced to live with a lot more restrictions, though it is also mentioned that that is changing for the better.

* {{Cyberpunk}}: The main aesthetic of the game; RidiculouslyHumanRobots are almost fully integrated into human society, many people have cybernetic implants or replacements, and nanomachines can do anything from change the color of your walls to lethally suppress riots.

* DevelopersForesight: You don't come back to your apartment during Day 6, but there are messages if you somehow end up there (most likely by cheating), [[BreakingTheFourthWall taunting the player]].

* EveryoneIsBi: It may be a cyberpunk dystopia, but the general public at least seems a lot more accepting of homosexuality with many characters openly flirting or crushing on people of the same sex. Jill herself is bisexual, having had boyfriends and at least one girlfriend, and currently has an obvious crush on her female boss and can outright admit to either Dana or Anna that she'd have sex with Alma if given the chance. Homosexuality still has a stigma attached to it by older people however, as it's said Lenore was disowned by her mother for being gay simply because her high-society friends didn't agree with the thought of it. Also, while apparently being accepted, Transexuality seems to be still quite unique as Alma struggles a bit with having one as a brother.
* EvolvingTitleScreen: Completing the game once will show [[spoiler: Gaby now standing by Jill on the title screen, symbolizing their restored bond]].

** 'PG-rated shows' favorite Beer ersatz since 2040.'

* GargleBlaster: The Zen Star, which is composed of four of every ingredient mixed together. It's considered absolutely revolting as a drink. This seems to be the case with any "Manly" drink.

* HeroicBSOD: Jill goes into one in Chapter 2 after [[spoiler:learning that her ex-girlfriend is dead.]]

* {{Imageboards}}: Jill can browse Danger/u/ in her room, which is essentially 4chan but with a majority female userbase.
** [[spoiler:This is how Gaby finds you at VA-11 Hall-A as a bartender]]

* LoserProtagonist: Downplayed with Jill, who traded a fulfilling life, a steady partner, and good future prospects for "freedom". For Jill, this translated to three years of living alone in a shitty apartment, within which she kills time drinking beer, browsing imageboards, mulling on her [[ChristmasCake sexual]] [[TheOneThatGotAway frustrations]], and holding conversations with her cat. In general, she has very little in the way of a social life beyond her work. [[spoiler:Her boss and some of her clients-turned-friends help her get better over the course of the game.]]
* TheLostLenore: Literally, as Jill's ex-girlfriend's name is Lenore and Jill hasn't gotten over the relationship. [[spoiler:Becomes even more literal after she dies and Jill has a breakdown.]]

* NeverGotToSayGoodbye: [[spoiler:Jill]] has been putting off closure for her explosive fight with [[spoiler:Lenore]] for years. She learns the hardest way possible that she'll never get the chance to, and it almost destroys her.

* WhamLine:
-->'''Jill:''' So, how's Lenore doing?\\
'''Gaby:''' [[spoiler:She's dead.]]

** Virgilio's Ending: Linked to Dorothy's ending, obtained by fulfilling the conditions of her ending and [[spoiler:getting all of his cryptic requests correct. Virgilio opens up a curry shop, and Jill reveals that his real name is Timothy Mercury, the former White Knight who saved Sei and Stella from a corrupt White Knight and had to go into hiding as a result. Jill, Sei, and Stella all happily eat curry together.]]
*** The ending can be gotten without fulfilling all of the conditions of Dorothy's ending.

* PlayfulHacker: Alice_Rabbit, a parallel to Anonymous who vandalizes government pages and releases government files in the name of fighting corruption. [[HotScientist Alma]] has some shades of this but mainly treats it as a job, and even rants early in the game about how Alice_Rabbit endeared the PlayfulHacker trope in the youth and made them want to hack to stick it to the man, when doing such a thing is not only very difficult but also incredibly dangerous. [[spoiler:It's subtly implied that Alma is associated with Alice_Rabbit in some way.]]

* DevelopersForesight: You don't come back to your apartment during Day 6, but there are messages if you somehow end up there, [[BreakingTheFourthWall taunting the player]].

* DirtyCop: The White Knights, who suppress any "crime" with brutal lethality and are prone to robbing and beating up ordinary citizens for little to no reason. Sei, a client and White Knight, is an exception and one of the most pure-hearted characters in the game, but even she acknowledges that their bad reputation is completely justified. [[spoiler:In Chapter 2 the White Knights are disbanded after a massive leak links them to various criminal groups, and mass lynchings of White Knights occur in the streets.]]

* EveryoneIsBi: It may be a cyberpunk dystopia, but the general public at least seems a lot more accepting of homosexuality with many characters openly flirting or crushing on people of the same sex. Jill herself is bisexual, having had boyfriends and at least one girlfriend, and currently has an obvious crush on her female boss and can outright admit to either Dana or Anna that she'd have sex with Alma if given the chance. Homosexuality still has a stigma attached to it by older people however, as it's said Lenore was disowned by her mother for being gay simply because her high-society friends didn't agree with the thought of it.

* FutureFoodIsArtificial: Many alcoholic drinks, especially Beer, are cocktails of edible chemicals that can get you drunk rather than actual alcohol brewed from grains and/or fruits.

* InvisibleToNormals: [[spoiler:Anna Graem is revealed to be completely invisible to everyone else but Jill.]]

* LOL69: Jill used the OnlineAlias [=Shadowmaster69=] back when she blogged about occultism, a username she eventually became ashamed of and moved on from.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: {{Discussed}}: some patrons ask why Jill doesn't [[FlairBartending add theatrics to her serving drinks, like tossing and catching her mixer]]. She explains that it wouldn't really improve the quality of the drink and it would also take more time than simply making and serving them.

* YouMeanXMas: Christmas is now Mega Christmas in this universe. Festivus is also celebrated and it's no different from how it is in ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''.

* CrazyPrepared: [[spoiler: The Zaibatsu Corporation implanted a hidden kill switch in the White Knights' power armor, only to be activated should they ever go rogue. Once credible proof of their crimes are exposed to the public and the White Knights begin rebelling to take over the city in response, Zaibatsu activates the kill switch, leaving many White Knights trapped in their power armor, with only the lucky ones managing to get out of their armor before outraged lynch mobs gets them]].

** The various stories about Dana's days before bartending become this, seeing as there seems to be dozens of them and they come up frequently.

* AccidentalInnuendo: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] when the PlayfulHacker Alma accidentally turns Dorothy on when she describes hacking to Jill.

* TheCameo: The game throws several references at ''VideoGame/ReadOnlyMemories'' (Ads for Hassy Cola, a regional office of the Augmented Eye news agency, at least one off-handed mention of Neo San Francisco), but a series of cameos from [[spoiler: TOMCAT, Jess, and Lexi]] confirm that the games either take place in the same setting, or at least one is canon to the other, besides Dana's cameo in ''ROM''. Going beyond that, in said cameo, Dana tells the player of a drink that can be served in this game. Serving the Flaming Moai to [[spoiler: Alma, Stella and any other customer]] will make the aforementioned show up.

* CataclysmBackstory: Years before the game's story, the Great Earthquake happened that collapsed a good chunk of a surface, and Australia is... [[NoodleIncident complicated]].

* DoWellButNotPerfect: There are a number of times that giving something other than what the customer asked leads to either completely different dialogue or, in one case, a scene you wouldn't get if you gave the drink they asked for. That said, you still get the flawless customer service bonus in these cases and payment for the drinks (barring giving Ingram sweet drinks for the latter), so you aren't punished for it.

* EvenEvilHasStandards: Stella reveals that the Zaibatsu Corporation isn't evil, just greedy since they're only interested in becoming rich and continuing their profitable experiments. Thus they are horrified [[spoiler:when they learn about the White Knights' rampant corruption and their ties to various crime groups. After the White Knights' crimes are exposed to the public and the Knights attempt to take over the city in response, the Zaibatsu Corporation activates the kill switch in the White Knights' power armor to prevent the catastrophe]].

* FutureFoodIsArtificial: Many alcoholic drinks, especially Beer, are cocktails of edible chemicals rather than brewed from grains and/or fruits.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: In many ways, VA-11 is a story about a traditional Cyberpunk setting told through the lens of somebody who's of no consequence to any of it. As the bartender of the local GoodGuyBar, your clientele includes the PlayfulHacker Alma, the augmented HitmanWithAHeart Jamie, the White Knights resident TokenGoodTeammate Sei, and the DefectorFromDecadence [[spoiler:Virgilio]]. Your boss is the in-universe MemeticBadass Dana Zane, and your coworker is Gil, who has a MysteriousPast that implies he's actually rather dangerous.

** Good Ending: Obtained by paying your rent. [[spoiler:Jill and Dana (who are now dating) go on a vacation to Panama.]]

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Virgilio is based on a character portrayed by [[WebVideo/{{Jimquisition}} Jim Sterling]]. [[spoiler:In his ending, Virgilio more closely resembles Sterling, with shorter hair and the orange shades he wore at the time of the game's release.]]

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: A two-sided variant on Day 10. [[spoiler:Virgilio's Bad Touch order, which usually cracks Jill up, doesn't even get a chuckle out of her after finding out about Lenore's sudden death]]. Clearly realizing that something is wrong, [[spoiler:Armandio]] completely drops his usual bizarre, pseudo-philosophical attitude and calmly tells [[spoiler:Jill]] that she needs to be prepared to forgive herself, or it will leave a hole in her that will never heal.

* RidiculousFutureInflation: A Beer in Valhalla will run you $200 and in various TV Advertisements in the background, you'll often see $60 Ramen Cups, [[JustifiedTrope although the economy is stated to be in the shitter, not unlike the developer's home country of Venezuela.]]

* RunningGag: Every time Jill ends up talking with someone outside the bar, she asks if they want a cigarette. ''Every single person she does this with'' will say something to the effect of "No, I don't smoke, but I won't stop you if you want to."
** The various stories about Dana's days before bartending can become this.

* SelfDeprecation: While this future has Sukeban Games upgrade into Sukeban Soft, a prominent first-party developer of specialized gaming computers, the only franchises people know them for are Monster Girl RPG, Monster Girlfriend, Monster Companion, and Monstergirl Puzzle. During an interview, art designer-turned-janitor Kiririn 51 summarizes the company's current business plan is all too similar to how VA-11 HALL-A was marketed.

* SliceOfLife: The story does not focus on any major conflict (the closest we get is Jill coming to terms with some of her past mistakes). Rather, the world is examined peripherally through the characters and their everyday interactions with each other at Valhalla.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: {{Discussed}}: some patrons ask why Jill doesn't [[FlairBartending add theatrics to her serving drinks, like tossing and catching her mixer]]. She explains that it wouldn't really improve the quality of the drink and take more time than simply making and serving them.

* DrivenToSuicide: It's heavily implied that Dana rescued Kim from a suicide attempt, rather than having simply found her unconscious in the street as she claims. By the time Kim reappears on Day 14, she's gotten much better due to having quit her job at The Augmented Eye.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: [[spoiler:Virgilio's Bad Touch order, which usually cracks her up, doesn't even get a chuckle out of her the day after finding out about Lenore's death.]]
* OutOfFocus: The game starts with a small plot point where VA-11 HALL-A is being considered for part of a blanket downsize by its parent company BTC in an effort to curb alleged money laundering. Outside of a handful of conversations referring towards it, the issue is never resolved.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: A two-sided variant on Day 10. [[spoiler:Jill]] has just learned that [[spoiler:Lenore]] died suddenly of an illness, and that she NeverGotToSayGoodbye. [[spoiler:Armandio]], in the space of a few seconds, completely drops his usual bizarre, pseudo-philosophical rambling and calmly tells [[spoiler:Jill]] that she needs to be prepared to forgive herself, or it will leave a hole in her that will never heal.

** Every time Anna, who is invisible to others, shows up, Jill has mental conversations with her. Other characters will ask if she's okay, as she's "making lots of faces".

* {{Imageboards}}: Jill can browse Danger/u/ in her room, which is essentially 4chan but with a majority female userbase.
** [[spoiler:This is how Gaby finds you at VA-11 Hall-A as a bartender]]

* [[spoiler:InvisibleToNormals: Anna Graem is revealed to be completely invisible to everyone else but Jill.]]

* EvolvingTitleScreen: Completing the game once will show [[spoiler: Gaby now standing by Jill on the title screen, symbolizing their restored bond].]