The Song of Saya ~ Saya no Uta

saya no uta is a miserable, unforgettable, intriguing and captivating experience.
i do have my issues with it - i feel like the most of the porn was added purely for shock value. i think it's very much known what urobuchi hates women, so if you're considering reading saya no uta, read it censored (steam version), its more enjoyable that way. even if rape and porn is a nitroplus staple, sometimes, i don't think these scenes are necessary. and that's just ok.
with it's shortness, i'd definitely recommend this game for new vn readers, specially those who are interested in a cosmic horror. it was the story that got me into visual novels back in 2020, and it's an experience i'll never forget.
the music is extremely remarkable, specially the game's opening track "schizophrenia" - the song truly grips with it's violent noise and twisted sounds, setting the mood for the entirety of the game.
saya no uta made me fall in love this type of cosmic horror mixing beauty and depravity, the enticing visuals of the flesh and gore, mixed with the alluring beauty of human-like creatures.
this story expertly understands the depravity of desperation, of grasping at straws for a semblance of humanity in times of misery.
even though the story has many flaws, i fully believe saya no uta deserves the praise it gets.

Saya no Uta is a visual novel a man who started seing the world as disgusting and putrid after a vehicle accident. The story follows him and his isolation from the rest of the world as well as the development of the relationship with a girl who looks beautiful compared to the rest of the world.

I like how much it speaks about mental illness and social isolation. I would like to see it explore a bit more, the first half of the story is definitly more interesting in that regard. The latter half devolves into action and needless h scenes which feel really out of place. Not as disturbing as people make it out to be though.

In terms of interaction you only get two choices, both of them binary, in the entire game. The whole thing can be beaten in under 4 hours. Despite the short lenght, its pacing is right on and i do prefer VNs who's fat as been trimmed off. Its hard at times to empathize with the main protagonist given how extreme his situation is, and i think that is made purposely to make the morals of the game as grey as possible. It works in the context of the game. What really doesnt work is the hentai scenes. I think that the sexual content had a sort of place in this story, its just the way that it has been handled that it irks me off. It feels more fan fiction than being there to build characters or develop the world that the main protagonist sees. Its a missed opportunity.

Its still a very solid VN, and worth playing due to how original the concept is. Be prepared for some very gruesome text and images though.