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S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH – Review

S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH is a visual novel with a typing simulation game added to it. Developed by U0U Games and published by GCORES PUBLISHING, it was released on January 9th. S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH gives players the opportunity to discover love and meaning in a desolate cyberpunk-esque setting.  Story The player plays as Miki, a young woman who is an architect by day and has a side job as an online mouthpiece at Speak4U, or S4U for short. This side job is the main focus of the game. An online mouthpiece takes control of peoples’ electronics and acts on their behalf. This is done for various reasons: confronting a creepy boss, asking a boyfriend if they’re cheating, and so on. The game begins in September of 2011. This is when Miki has saved up enough money to leave Castor Yard, where she currently lives. However, before saying farewell to this chapter of her life, she decides to reflect on her past through an album of memories. The game takes place in the ‘Magic Player’, which is an app that allows Miki to revisit her past actions. You’ll start back on the 17th of June. She uses it to find the exact day she set the password for her album. As you go back in time, you experience Miki’s thoughts on her day job, her side job at S4U, and her late-night smoking sessions, where she often meets and connects with people wandering through Castor Yard. It is here that we have to navigate her memories, shaping and fabricating them as desired. Throughout the story, Miki aims to save up $50.000 so she can leave Castor Yard and find a more meaningful career. Between her online mouthpiece sessions, you have to also manage her impulsive spending habits and interactions with various NPCs. The characters can form bonds with Miki, leading to multiple possible endings as well as various branching storylines. Graphics S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH uses a charming retro pixel art style that gives the game a nostalgic, rustic feel. The high pixel density enhances the immersion of working on an old PC screen. In contrast, the ‘reality’ sections – where you explore the alleyway outside Miki’s apartment – embrace a more traditional aesthetic, more akin to classical side-scrolling RPGs. This blend of retro-inspired visuals with a modern world setting mesh well together. While working at the computer, you have access to a convenient notepad that provides a clear overview of the daily objectives. In addition to tracking the short-term tasks, it also displays the progress toward Miki’s ultimate goal, ensuring that you never lose track of it. Sound As a visual novel game, the sound design of S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH obviously takes a backseat to the story, which is the actual focus of the game. During the main portion of the game, the soundtrack consists of LoFi beats which help focus on the tasks at hand. Not only does this increase focus, but it also adds to the immersion of being intently at work behind your screen. The other scenes follow this general trend of calming, relaxed ambient sounds which dictate the scene change. This helps the short moments that you’re away from your PC feel even more distinct from the monotony of the typing job. Gameplay As a visual novel game, the story is the main focus of S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH, and this story is mostly presented through the part-time job at S4U where you speak for others. This means most of the game is spent in front of a virtual PC screen which you can only navigate with your keyboard most of the time. Because of the focus on keyboard controls, certain parts of the game are easier for people with more experience, such as typing blind, than for others. Most of your game time will be spent in the Chatbox, chatting with people by choosing from prompts. These prompts must first be unlocked using the keyboard’s typing keys. Once all possible responses are unlocked, you can cycle through them to see which you want to send. This adds a unique twist on providing prompts to give the player meaningful choices while also limiting the amount of work needed to anticipate player responses. However, this method adds a lot of unnecessary work to unlock different prompts, which can add to the stress when you have a quick time event that is counting down and you want to find the best prompt to use. While it does add to the real-life stress, it does a great job of immersing you into the stress of a desk job where you have multiple people expecting instant responses. Besides the Chatbox, Miki’s PC includes several other applications that are available to you: Friends, Tico, Console, Notepad, and the Sketching app. The Friends app functions as a contact list, showing everyone Miki can message. Next, we have Tico, which functions as an in-game social media site where you can follow up on the NPCs and gain extra information to choose the correct prompts. The Console app functions as your save button, and the Notepad app allows you to scroll through a transcript of your past interactions.  Lastly, we have the Sketching application which ties into Miki’s work as an architect. The app functions as a mini-game where you have to push the correct buttons as quickly as possible. Success in this mini-game progresses a 3D building design. While outside of the virtual PC, the game functions similarly to a side-scrolling RPG, allowing you to walk around and interact with objects and NPCs. Dialogue options appear as prompts, similar to those in the Chatbox, but they appear immediately. In addition to conversations, you can interact with a vending machine, and the virtual life that runs it. This allows you to buy various items, such as food and toys, that help improve Miki’s concentration while working. Conclusion S4U: CITYPUNK 2011 AND LOVE PUNCH gets a lot of things right but also has a few rough edges. As a visual novel, it really shines – the story is well-paced and engaging, pulling players in with its immersive narrative. The detailed pixel art style adds to that immersion, making it feel like you’re actually working behind a screen. On top of that, your choices matter, shaping both the people Miki meets and how her story unfolds. That said, some gameplay mechanics can slow things down. Unlocking text prompts by typing, along with manually navigating menus using only the keyboard, can make the game feel longer than it needs to be. This becomes especially frustrating during missions where you have to juggle multiple chats at once, particularly under a timer. At times, the game can feel overwhelming, almost stressful. In a way, it’s like a fantastic visual novel with a simulation layer on top – one that adds depth but also a fair bit of pressure.