The Song of Saya



The Song of Saya (or Saya no Uta) is a psychological-horror visual novel released in Japan in 2003 and North America in 2013, developed by Nitroplus and written and directed by Puella Magi Madoka Magica creator Gen Urobuchi. It follows the story of Sakisaka Fuminori, a med-school student who develops agnosia after an incident that killed his parents and slowly finds himself falling into depravity when he meets and falls in love with a strange and beautiful girl named Saya, the only one he sees as human in a terrible world.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Excellent disturbing atmosphere, the game doesn't rely on jump-scares at any point and instead on the strength of it's story to scare.
 * 2) Like Dead Space (which would come out five years later), it doesn't rely on gross visuals, but claustrophobia and slow-burning terror to be scary, which is highly effective.
 * 3) Interesting characters, with particular standouts being Fuminori and Saya, who manage to be relatable despite the horrific things they do. It doesn't try to justify their actions, quite clearly vilifying them, but also showing how once decent people can be pushed too far. There's also characters who are likeable in addition to being more complex like Tonoh Koji, who is probably the most realistic character, and Tsukuba Yoh who's an interesting deconstruction of toxic positivity.
 * 4) Great storyline written by Gen Urobuchi. He's known for creating series with dark, nihilistic themes, and tragic plot twists, and that kind of writing fits right in with Song of Saya. There are many interesting plot twists and moments, and it's story style is somewhat Lovecraftian in nature which makes it more interesting. This is also one of his only stories that's an outright horror.
 * 5) Excellent, disturbing art style that helps with the atmosphere.
 * 6) Whenever the story is seen from Fuminori's perspective, it shows a horrific world full of gore and other horrible sights, whereas when it plays as Omi, Koji, or Yoh, it shows a perfectly normal world (with the exception of places Fuminori has altered), which makes the story even more unique and disturbing. It also has a first-person narration for Fuminori and a third-person narration for the others.
 * 7) Easily one of the most disturbing and violent visual novels of all time, yet it avoids going overboard at any time with it's imagery.
 * 8) Great soundtrack. Many disturbing songs that really help the atmosphere and get into your mind.
 * 9) Good Japanese voice acting.
 * 10) Three different endings depending on your choices, all of which are widely different and tragic in their own right, as well as exceptionally written.
 * 11) Great writing that's not too descriptive to the point where it becomes boring, nor too quick to the point where it's confusing.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The game is only about eight hours long. That may be a good thing, however, as it can make it more accessible to people who haven't yet played a visual novel and prevents it from getting overly complicated.
 * 2) An americanised comic-book adaptation was made that was panned or forgotten by just about everybody.