S4U: CityPunk 2011 and Love Punch, which I will just be referring to as S4U from this point on, is an intimate and clinical look at life. Set in a fictional 2011, Cyberlife and humans share the world together, and much like the role AI is taking today, some folks aren’t exactly happy about these Cybercitizens. In the role of Miki, I took on my day job as an architect while working as an “Online Mouthpiece” during my free time. However, some of the story’s impact is lost through localization gaps. But if you’re willing to sit through the occasional typo and limp translation, S4U is one of the most interesting visual novels you can engross yourself in.

‘s4u’ Is Cynical When It Needs To Be, and Heartfelt When It Matters the Most

Miki is a 20-ish-year-old. Stuck in the eternal struggle of trying to find themselves while staying afloat in a world that seemingly doesn’t care. It’s something many players, myself included, can relate to on more than one occasion. Trying to fight to stay above water while working yourself to the bone. It’s a rough world out there. Functioning while performing two jobs is familiar to many of us. And just like real life, the goal here is to save up 50,000 units to… well, do something with our lives.

Castor Yard is a place where dreams come to thrive and end up dying. While watching their friends and loved ones leave this town, Miki is determined to make a name for themselves. The primary gameplay method of S4U takes place in chat rooms, much like many of us may have visited during our youth. Omegle, MSN Messenger, AOL; all of those places we likely shouldn’t have been browsing at that particular age. But our goal here is something a bit more friendly than you may imagine. Working alongside Nil, our anonymous seagull-avatar’d friend, Miki helps people solve those problems that they don’t want to solve themselves.

Sometimes, this is trying to discover if someone is cheating on their significant other. Other times, it’s pretending to be someone with a large online presence while trying to put out more content. Each situation is different, and the ending of the game depends on how well I can handle the stress of each situation. Multitasking skills are a must in this type of role.

Wander the Streets of Castor Yard When the Day Is over, and Maybe Get a Bite To Eat

Breaking up the monotony of sitting behind a screen is important. As someone guilty of spending too much time behind his own, getting out into the real world is a delightful treat. S4U doesn’t forget that basic principle either, giving me the chance to roam a small section of Castor Yard. Interactions with people are brief, but touching. You can comfort a crying girl, speak to a lonely man, and just find out what is making the world turn.

But just as those experiences we have in the outside world can shape us, so do our online lives. That’s where the beauty of S4U really lies. Some of these online interactions are humorous. Others are emotionally and mentally devastating. Watching someone who you’ve never met as you roleplay as they are constantly berated by their supposed “friends” is horrifying, and yet? It’s something many people face regularly, as they don’t know how to stand up for themselves. That’s why, as an “Online Mouthpiece”, it’s our job to help them out. Help them to become who they are truly meant to be.

Alongside these light explorative elements, some cutscenes flesh out the lives of Miki and their friends. These intimate moments allowed me to peel back the facade and let my friends and family know exactly what was going on in my life. Or, I could keep lying and pretend like everything was fine. The choice was completely up to me.

Localization Is Touch and Go, but I Promise ‘s4u’ is Worth Sticking Through

My biggest — and really, only — gripe with S4U is the rough localization. I was lucky enough to get to experience this game after the first major patch went out. But even still, there are many typos, alongside some awkward phrasing that make some parts of the story more difficult to understand. But even with this issue, I continued to press on. I didn’t want to sign out from S4U and bring another day to a close.

The importance of timing in messages, as well as bouncing between multiple conversations, keeps things interesting throughout the runtime, as well. I could completely miss out on conversation points because I was too busy in another chat. Life moves fast in Castor Yard, so I needed to, as well.

I’m hoping in the future, the localization issues can be ironed out. S4U has the potential to be a massive indie darling. It’s a cult hit in the making. No matter if you consider yourself a Visual Novel expert or someone new to the genre, S4U is worth looking into. Just be patient with the game, reread a few lines of text to get things back into perspective, and give this one a go. It’s a beautiful and bleak world that may resonate with you more than you originally anticipated.

Verdict: Strongly Recommended

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S4U: CityPunk 2011 and Love Punch is available now on Steam. A code was provided by the publisher for the sake of review. Reviewed on PC.