"Cyberpunk" was originally a very niche concept. Driven by many games, it has gradually gained a vague understanding in the minds of many players. However, how to define it seems to be unclear. Can't tell a reason why. If you check the information a little, you will find that cyberpunk is a combination of "Cyber-" (digital) and "Punk" (punk), and its background is mostly based on the "combination of low-end life and high-tech" ", usually possessing advanced science and technology, and then contrasting it with a certain degree of collapse of the social structure.
Looking at this series of familiar and unfamiliar concepts, does it seem to be different from the games you have played? Just as Lawrence Poulson, the earliest promoter of this concept, criticized "Cyberpunk 2077" for not being cyberpunk enough, more and more games are just following the trend and borrowing advanced concepts that they seem to understand, and pile up a game that they The "cyberpunk" world that I understand. So is there a "cyberpunk" work that is truly "special cyberpunk"? Today, let us start from this text adventure game "Cyberpunk Bartender Action" produced by the Venezuelan independent game production group Sukeban Games. .
In the future, everyone is implanted with nanomachines. The world is being dominated by corporations. Here, everyone's every move will be monitored by a security force called the "White Knight". In such a dystopian world oppressed by high technology, today I want to come to this bar called "VA-11 Hall-A" to take a breather. The player plays the role of Jill, the bartender who is mixing drinks while listening to the stories of those people.
Strictly speaking, "Cyberpunk Bartender Action" is not a game in the traditional sense. Although it looks like a retro-textured pixel two-dimensional painting style, if you compare it with the beautiful girl game It also seems a bit different in comparison. An "independent game" that originally reflects the creator's inner thoughts is difficult to be defined by an existing game type. Of course, if you insist on labeling this work with two labels, perhaps it should be called an audio game. Visual novel + simulation business game.
After all, unlike bishoujo games where players need to read files repeatedly to find the "best solution" to conquer their favorite character, all the player needs to do is "mix drinks" and then play from Jill's perspective Come and see what this world has to offer. Options in the traditional sense are also used in the game to trigger the plot in the form of "providing different drinks for guests". It can be said that this setting is indeed very consistent with the actions of the bartender's identity. In the game, you have to refer to the recipes in the "C.T.B Bartending Guide" to operate the "Bartending Panel" to control the ratio of five raw materials, and choose whether to add ice and age to prepare a drink.
The game is mainly divided into two parts. In addition to the work of bartending in the bar mentioned above, after the player finishes a day's work, he will return to his home and use his "mobile phone" to save and read. You can also browse the comments of various irritable netizens on various online forums, or read boring news that doesn't matter, or use convenient online shopping to buy and buy to decorate your cabin. When managing every day's income and expenditure, you will experience that this is indeed a simulation business game.
After enjoying a short break after get off work, the player will return to work. It is in this cycle that the game unfolds a story full of cyberpunk style. Choose a song from the music player that best suits today's atmosphere, finish changing clothes while immersed in the music, and then stand in front of the bar again, waiting for the arrival of the guests.
"I have good wine, do you have a story?"
Seeing this, many readers may have difficulty understanding how such a repetitive story embodies "cyberpunk" style. This question may be like asking whether the Jianghu in "Wulin Gaiden" is considered a Jianghu. Jianghu is within the Tongfu Inn created by the sitcom whose number of scenes can be counted on two hands. Cyberpunk Bartender Action also does this.
But what it presents is not a world of martial arts, but a cyberpunk world.
Perhaps you can clearly see the changes that high technology has brought to people's lives in the game. Even the plot of the game itself does not take "dystopia" as its main line, but focuses on Jill. ——A few days of ordinary life for a little person. As Jill, the player cannot even witness the specific appearance of this near-future city from her life perspective. Seeing the big from the small is indeed a very superb skill. It is incredible that even if the stage is just a small bar, the world of "Cyberpunk Bartender Action" is complete and excellent. In such a typical cyberpunk dystopian stage, what the story wants to tell is neither the struggle for power or the surge of conspiracy, nor the comic tragedy of someone who aims to subvert the world. Our protagonist is just an ordinary resident in the city, that's all.
Of course, there are also many strict game critics who say that the core gameplay of this game (that is, bartending) is too repetitive and boring. But think about it from another perspective, it is a visual novel after all. But it also innovatively replaces the options with a more operational and immersive form. As a "novel", this kind of interactivity is the icing on the cake.
The character creation in the game can also be surprising. The characters appearing in the game often have obvious influences from Japan's two-dimensional culture. Sukeban, the name of the production team, is also pronounced "bad girl" in Japanese. The producer himself is the kind of "old two-dimensional" person who posts emoticons of "LOVELIVE", "Sailor Moon" and other works on Twitter. But even though there are cat-eared girls, lolita, sailor suits, and twin ponytails here. However, it is difficult for players to find these characters in them that match the Japanese cute elements, and their work style is also incompatible with the characters in common Japanese works (God knows why they let the cute characters in the game say some strange things) adult jokes). These distinctive characters each show their own style and widely varying thoughts and concepts on the same stage, and the contact with each person appears dramatic without losing the sense of reality.
However, in the end, the most "cyberpunk" factor in the game is not actually in the game. There are only two people in this production team (they also call themselves magical girls), and they live in Venezuela. The world's lowest economic growth rate has brought endless disorder and chaos. Toilet paper and bread are no longer available in stores. Even the developers themselves tweeted that "we can't even eat butter and bread." Power and water outages have become the norm in the capital. Six million guns scattered among the people have brought unprecedented The crime rate and deaths are high, but the police who do not receive wages only think about extortion and extortion. Venezuela is one such country that has collapsed.
Under such harsh circumstances, two nerds used the only resources at hand to create this amazing game. This behavior itself may be the best embodiment of the "cyberpunk" style.
Recommendation index:
Recommended players: Cyberpunk enthusiasts, simulation business game enthusiasts, Japanese two-dimensional culture enthusiasts.
Not recommended for players: players who pay more attention to the gameplay than the plot itself. In addition, the content of this game may still make people feel uncomfortable due to the large number of adult jokes, which is not recommended for children.