48. The Song of Saya (Steam)
Within the great and wide world of visual novels, Saya no Uta (or The Song of Saya, which is a literal translation) occupies its own little niche. A Lovecraftian tale of terror and romance (using the term "romance" loosely here), it's undoubtedly the most "extreme" VN to receive a mass-produced mainstream release. Written by Gen Urobuchi and developed by Nitroplus, several variants of The Song of Saya have been made available since it was first unleashed in 2003. As of 2019, it's easiest to obtain digitally. The Steam version is censored, naturally, but a patch that restores all cut content is available from Jast USA. And one can simply elect to bypass Steam and download the uncut game from Jast directly, of course. Note that the patch costs money, but the Steam game itself is discounted -- this means that both uncensored variants end up the same price.
The game's opening pulls no punches. A screen-filling blob, deformed beyond recognition, begins screaming at the protagonist (and, in turn, the player). Its speech is represented by an incoherent string of characters. The screaming is unceasing, but eventually letters begin to take shape and form somewhat lucid sentences. Something about a ski trip? It's here that we're introduced to the decidedly unlucky protagonist: a medical student named Fuminori Sakisaka. Prior to the events of the game, Fuminori suffered severe neurological injuries from a car crash that left his parents dead. Despite receiving some experimental treatment, Fuminori is left coping with an extreme form of agnosia. To him, the once "normal" world is now a disgusting mess of decaying ooze, slime, and rotted meat. Fellow humans are similarly disfigured, quivering gelatinous chunks of bloody flesh. All sounds have morphed into unpleasant screeches and all food tastes rotten. As such, Fuminori finds himself repelled by his friends and the once-mundane daily activities. He lies to his doctor who's shrewd enough to suspect that something's gone awry.
The only relief for Fuminori lies in something even more insane: Saya. Taking the form of a young woman (using the term "woman" loosely here), Saya first encounters Fuminori during his hospital stay. She's the one thing that violates the rules of "meat vision" as she appears as a cute and perky female. But if she looks beautiful to Fuminori that means that in the "real world" she's obviously... something else altogether. Saya, while initially presented as mischievous and endearing, is soon revealed to have an insatiable bloodlust. And her influence on Fuminori is undeniable.
The story is taut and well-written, with plenty of twists and little filler. Technically speaking, the game employs the "NVL" style of presentation, with large blocks of "storybook" text covering the screen, as opposed to frequent back-and-forth bits of dialogue/thoughts. It suits the narrative well, as The Song of Saya tends to lean towards the descriptive with lengthy stretches of character silence. The game flirts with some moral quandaries. Fuminori is like the classic tragic vampire: malicious but lamentably so, due to circumstances beyond his control. And as for Saya herself, she's an "alien" who surely can't be bound to the human concept of morality, right?
At least that's how things are presented initially, though Fuminori's quick transition to the "dark side" along with the unrepentant Saya leaves little room for sympathy. However, this feels like an intentional move by the author. Fuminori isn't designed to be relatable or the typical "stand-in" for the player. His first-person narration progressively gets more absurd, the rantings of an absolute madman. And as the viewpoint deftly switches to third-person we're left looking at two pathetic perverted creatures. The typical themes of "cosmic horror" are present here -- the terrors of incomprehensible phenomena, the unveiling of uncomfortable truths, the fragility of sanity -- but The Song of Saya works best as a cautionary tale, of the dangers of unbridled egoism and maladaptive codependency.
Getting back to the plot itself, some foils to the Fuminori/Saya blood-soaked rampage present themselves, in the form of three concerned friends (one of whom is the aforementioned "blob") and Fuminori's physician (who may have some ulterior motives of her own). This group works, separately and cohesively, to uncover the mysteries of Fuminori's newfound mindset and the nature of the "thing" that's been driving him into madness. These interpersonal conflicts drive the tale forward, to a riveting climax... maybe? The Song of Saya, though mostly a "nothing but reading" VN, does contain two choices and three possible endings. The first choice can lead the player to a premature ending, while the second choice leads to one of two "final" endings that are about equal in length. In contrast to most visual novels, there are no definitive "good" or "bad" conclusions here, as all are uncomfortable in their own way. One ending is marked by feelings of impending paranoia, while the other is bizarrely extravagant and grandiose (perhaps a bit too much). Some could argue that that "premature" resolution is the best, as it spares a good many humans from inevitable carnage.
Okay, time to address the, uh, "selling point" of the game: The Song of Saya contains a heaping of sex, violence, and sexual violence. It's graphic, it's uncompromisingly brutal, and, yes, it's mostly "necessary" to advance the plot. The "h-scenes" are undeniably the most disturbing part of the entire experience, owing to the fact that Saya doesn't exactly resemble a grown adult. It's a purposeful juxtaposition, that between the innocent and the profane. As Fuminori plunges deeper into the relationship and ups its intensity we're left wondering if perhaps the human element here is more twisted than the "alien" itself. Note that much like other "great" dysfunctional relationships seen in media past, the game is totally unapologetic about this one, leaving the acceptance or revulsion completely up to the observer.
The game's aesthetics are extremely striking. The character art is great: it's certainly "anime" but everyone looks wholly realistic and proportional. The backgrounds are incredible. Fuminori's "meat vision" is finely detailed, his world a dripping oily mess of red and pink pustules, twisting entrails, blood in various states of clotting. And the "normal world" (as seen by everyone else) is additionally unsettling, as the characters travel to an arrangement of drab, burned-out, broken-down, skeletal locales. In a (morbidly) humorous way, it's oftentimes Fuminori's world that looks the most engaging and comfortable. As for the soundtrack, this is one of the best heard in any visual novel. Every song (they all start with the letter "S") is fundamentally spooky, albeit in various fashions. There are industrial pieces that verge on being intentionally "annoying" used to highlight some of more manic episodes. Fuminori's treks through vomitous urban wastelands are aided by the presence of electric guitar: heavily distorted and slowly played, accompanied by some seriously gorgeous delay and reverb. But it's those literal "songs of Saya" that rule over all: catchy, synth-driven, with creepy vocalizations that sound as if they may be emitted by the alien dame herself.
Strangely enough, despite the persistent horror, I often see The Song of Saya recommended as a "starter" visual novel. This is likely owing to its length. Fast readers will blow through this in a matter of hours. It's a single-day visual novel (though a single "sitting" may be pushing it). And that's just fine: stretching this one out could/would cross a line from properly disturbing to an overindulgent gross-out marathon. As it stands, this may not be one of the elite all-time best VNs, but it's certainly unforgettable. Highly recommended to some, hesitantly recommended to most.
