In a word, Saya no Uta — The Song of Saya is insane. We’re not just talking typical insanity here, though; this is out and out, someone-call-the-mobile-crisis-unit-and-have-a-doctor-issue-a-72-hour-inpatient-psychiatric-hospitalization-hold kind of crazy. It is a game where the proverbial gloves come off, and players are hit with a dose of gruesome horror-fiction. But is the title worth more than simple shock value?By this point, those who follow visual novels in the slightest probably already know the tale being told here or at least have a rough understanding of the synopsis.

Aiyoku No Eustia - 88.22% Translated, 85.59% edited, partial patch released. Amagami - 'Script translation done. 2008/2329 original edition scenario scripts edited (86.2%)' Amayui Castle Meister - Rough patch released with 63% of dialogue translated.

For the sake of providing a fairly spoiler-free review, and for those that aren’t on the up-and-up, we’ll quickly highlight the plot in vague generalities. The Song of Saya’s primary character Fuminori, a med-school student, has recently lost his parents in a fatal car accident.

Incidentally, he was a passenger in the wreck and hasn’t come out of the situation unscathed himself. In fact, the crash has rendered him on the brink of death and required doctors to perform an immediate, but experimental, brain surgery. While the procedure goes well enough, at least on the surface, all is not right when they close up Fuminori’s skull. As a result of the invasive operation, our hero has had permanent damage done to his neurological system, effectively altering his perception of the world around him.So what has happened exactly?

Well our good dude now has been cursed with the seeing the world through gore-tinted glasses. Walls are covered in heinous entrails; people are no longer their human selves, instead giant blobs of grotesque flesh that are contorted and vomit-inducing in appearance, and speak in indescribably sickening tones that are part animal-being-slaughtered and part demon. While they are not actually like this, to Fuminori they are. This warped view of the world he’s been left with has made life incredibly difficult to adjust to post-car accident, although he hasn’t told anyone of these bizarre side effects.

Instead, he bears the burden aloneuntil he meets a young girl gallivanting through the dark hallways of the hospital’s psychiatric ward. She gets her rocks off scaring the other mentally ill patients, but is intrigued by Fuminori after he says he doesn’t find her very frightening at all. In actuality, for Fuminori, Saya is the only person he sees as an actual human. Much to his delight, he befriends the gal and she eventually moves in with him. Disregarding the fact that the two are obviously moving way too fast for any relationship to have long-term sustainability, they immediately get along as they share many commonalities. As such, our boy begins to fall in love with the enigmatic Saya and thus their twisted story of love unfolds. Saya no Uta’s story is so much more than its strange premise, though.

For starters, it’s not for the faint of heart. Truthfully, I had to turn the game off at one point because the graphic imagery and the implications of what was happening were so unsettling that I just couldn’t take it all in any longer. I felt tense, sick to my stomach and damn near offended. And yet, when I walked away from the computer, it was the only thing on my mind for the next several hours that I didn’t play. Meaning to say, the story is dark and out-of-its-mind bonkers, but also compelling in every conceivable way.Characters are extremely diverse and well-developed with fully detailed histories and personalities to boot; their interactions also perfectly refined making each scene a delight to watch. This is further compounded by the notion that the narrative isn’t afraid to do exactly what you don’t expect or even want it to do.

It’s sort of the George R. Martin of visual novels in that it’s unafraid to make you squeamish and curse aloud when a character gets killed off that you didn’t want to see die. So be prepared to watch the cast get axed slowly but surely. As implied, this is a horror-romance game, if such a thing even exists. There’s plenty of death, the eating of bodies, intestines strewn against walls, threesomes, a budding romance and more weird shit that is both appalling and pretty damn awesome.

The truth is, The Song of Saya is a visual novel with some of the strongest characters and writing around.The fact that the experience is never tarnished by a poor translation is a breath of fresh air, too. Far too many visual novels never hit the high notes they’re intended to merely because of a shoddy “Engrish” localization. There’s hardly ever an instance (actually, I can’t even recall a single time) when a grammatical error or spelling mistake was recognized.

The level of editorial sophistication and overall sharp writing just adds to the enjoyment that comes from the engaging, clever dialog.There isn’t much in the way of interaction with Saya no Uta, it should be said. While many of VN’s will employ minor gameplay mechanics, Saya uses none.

In fact, there’s only a single occasion in which players will have to make a choice. Other than that, the experience is fully linear. That shouldn’t be taken as a negative, however, as the linearity allows for a tight, well-paced story to be told. Fortunately, the one choice comes at the end of the game, and it’s in this decision that the ending is decided.

In total, there are three endings, but even with a triangle of ways to wrap up the story, Uta isn’t a particularly long game. To get all three, players can expect to put in about 7-8 hours, and only 5-6 for a single playthrough. But really, less is more with The Song of Saya, as the notion of quality over quantity is clearly the focus of the experience.Outside of the wonderful writing and bat-shit crazy narrative, The Song of Saya is also quite the looker. While it doesn’t compare to the newest release of If My Heart Had Wings, it’s still an attractive game with interesting character designs and vivid environments.

The best part of this is the fact that backdrops are not used repetitively like in many other VNs, and the characters have a range of sketches allowing for unique portraits to convey scene-exclusive emotions. This is the bane of most visual novels’ existences in that many of them will use the same static three or four portraits over the course of a 20 hour adventure; here, we easily get double that, in half the time, making them seem even less over-used. And it’s really the tremendous, vivacious artwork that makes the excursion so unnerving. Scenes that involve hallways decorated with the most disgusting parts of a torn-apart human are expertly detailed (we guess anyway, as we’ve never seen a spleen stuck to a ceiling in real life), bringing to life the horror that our main character has to see every single day. As a result of this great art the player is able to almost empathize so much with Fuminori, despite his being an ass for most of the game. Bearing witness to the gross, discomforting images makes the player truly feel the anguish of Fuminori’s terrible condition.In addition, the soundtrack to The Song of Saya plays an integral role in how it is experienced. Sound effects accentuate the repulsive sounds of human flesh being torn into, while the haunting hymns are enough to produce goose bumps.

In almost all of the song tracks, there’s a deep sense of sorrow heard in the silky smooth flow of lamenting instruments that play with clarity and meticulous precision. The OST makes the entire ordeal all the more oppressive and disconcerting, making tense moments all the tenser and tragic incidents all the more heartbreaking.If Saya no Uta has any drawbacks it’s in its tendency to tackle hot-button topics that are sure to make some players totally uncomfortable. There’s rape, pedophilia, cannibalism, murder and hardcore sex scenes just to name a few. While the sex can be censored, the rest, and the other topics we didn’t mention, can’t. Therefore, the prudish and easily nauseated will be put-off — that much is certain. Sometimes these things feel hamfisted and only included for the shock factor, which is a shame as the game doesn’t need that to be great. Thankfully, most of the time, when these subjects are explored, it’s done so in a way that’s conducive to moving the overall narrative forward.Closing Comments:In the end, Saya no Uta — The Song of Saya is one fucked up game.

It takes on just about every taboo out there, and does so unapologetically. As a result, some players won’t get into it; but we feel bad for anyone who decides to pass it up, because missing out on this game should be damn near criminal. Flat out, this is quite possibly one of the best visual novels of the past decade. It’s heart-felt, gripping and utterly bizarre in the greatest of ways.

Underneath all of the gore and sex, there’s an important message to be told: it’s one of trying to understand ourselves, our place in this world. The Song of Saya needs to be played by every single person who likes visual novels, and more importantly, should at the very least be recognized by those who aren’t familiar or even into the genre. It’s the Final Fantasy VII of visual novels: a staple, a benchmark, an ode to all other games of its kind — those that have come before it, and those that will surely follow in its footsteps.Platform: PC.

Single playerSaya no Uta ( 沙耶の唄, lit. Saya's Song) is a by with horror elements.Like Nitroplus' heavily Mythos-inspired series, Saya no Uta's plot is somewhat. Avermedia a188 drivers for mac.

Although direct references to the are minimal, the dark, eerie atmosphere is reminiscent of his works.Many plotlines of Saya no Uta are similar to the manga, specifically the life of. At one point of the dialog, the main character explicitly references these similarities.On February 24, 2009, the. The patch, while requiring a copy of the original game, translates the entire script in the game, allowing the fans who may not understand the Japanese language to enjoy the story as well. As of 7/09, this patch was no longer online, as JAST Usa bought the rights.

It is, in fact, using this patch to produce the final version.A comic book based on Saya no Uta, called Song of Saya, is in production. The first issue was released in February 2010. Contents PlotlineFuminori Sakisaka is a young medical student, whose life is changed when he gets in a traffic accident which kills his parents and leaves him heavily injured. Fuminori undergoes experimental brain surgery to save his life, but the surgery has an unintended side-effect - it creates a form of, causing his senses to become 'warped'. He perceives the world as a hellish nightmare with a black sky and buildings covered in pulsating flesh, where all the streets and building interiors are splattered with blood, giant organs and cartilage. Ordinary people appear to him as grotesque, giant grub-like monsters with a hideous stench, and even food that he used to like now tastes utterly disgusting.As he contemplates suicide in the hospital, Fuminori meets a beautiful, human looking girl among the flesh-covered walls.

She introduces herself as Saya, and is apparently looking for her father. Fuminori does not want to be separated from Saya, and asks her to live with him. She agrees.However, just as Fuminori sees normal things as monstrously twisted abominations, ordinary observers are able to see that Saya is actually a hideous creature from another universe. She is rarely ever seen by anyone but Fuminori, and those that do see her are immediately killed and consumed by her.

Though her true form is never directly shown, it is described in the text, and an apparently identical being appears onscreen toward the end - and, ironically, is similar to the raw-looking, misshapen monstrosities which haunt Fuminori's world. The ultimate goal of her life is to spread her life-form into this universe through the original life-form with the highest level of intelligence: the human being. She learned everything about humanity from her 'father', an eccentric Bio-medical scientist named Masahiko Ōgai, the first person to interact with Saya. She finds out the motive of human reproduction is 'love', and the process is carried out by females. Consequently, she considers herself as a girl, looking for 'love' to prepare for the final reproduction. However, because of her grotesque appearance, she had no chance to succeed - until she met Fuminori.After her first contact died, she stayed in the hospital to continue her study and to look for the next relationship with a human being, which unfortunately results in a horror story in that hospital.

Fuminori's experience also provides her the chance to learn the skills of modifying brains and bodies of human being.The truth is revealed when Fuminori comes home to see Saya eating the slime-covered corpse of Ōmi, a girl he knows which appears as a yellow-green -like thing in Fuminori's eyes. The smell and texture was described by Fuminori as 'herb-like scent, looks like a variety of succulent fruits'. When he tries it, he actually finds the human flesh delicious due to his twisted senses.EndingsThere are three endings to the visual novel, depending on the choices that the player makes during the course of the game:. Ending 1Saya helps Fuminori return to normal, but suddenly leaves because she does not want to reveal her true form to Fuminori. Fuminori contacts the police, is charged with murder, and becomes confined in a for the rest of his life.

Saya visits Fuminori once and, refusing to let Fuminori see her and hear her real voice, communicates using texts messages in a cell phone passed through an opening in the door. Fuminori confesses his love and promises to comfort her at any time. Saya leaves to search for her father, whom she believes could help her 'go back to where she came' (possibly alluding to the other dimension from which Saya came), and Fuminori continues to wait for her eventual return in his cell.

It is implied that the two never meet each other again. Ending 2Fuminori accepts what has happened to him and decides to remain the way he is to stay with Saya. To keep what has happened a secret, Fuminori decide to kill Kōji by setting a trap for him in Masahiko Ōgai's abandoned house in the mountains. However, Kōji is saved by Dr. Ryōko Tanbo, and they discover Ōgai's log with information of Saya. Kōji returns with plans to kill Fuminori in vengeance, and Ryōko offers to help him.

After getting Fuminori's location by blackmailing him with information of Saya, the duo enter to kill Fuminori, and in the ensuing struggle Kōji kills a hideously mutated Yoh while Fuminori mortally wounds Ryōko. Before dying, Ryōko, with the help of some liquid nitrogen, manages to inflict a fatal wound to Saya. Upon seeing the state of Saya's body, Fuminori loses all will to live and commits suicide. Saya uses her last strength in order to crawl to Fuminori's body while being repeatedly hit with an iron pipe by Kōji. She dies soon after being reunited with him. After everything he went through, Kōji's mind shatters: he is left with delusions and paranoia, constantly plagued by nightmares of his deceased friends and vivid hallucinations of Ryōko.

He keeps a single bullet for his handgun, implying that when his nightmares will become unbearable he will commit. Ending 3The events in this ending are similar to the previous one, except Kōji refuses help from Ryōko in an attempt to kill Fuminori by himself. Without Ryōko's interference, Saya and Fuminori kill Kōji together.

Afterwards, it turns out that Saya has reached the last stage and ultimate goal of her life:. Saya dies while releasing a -like matter into the atmosphere—a mutating agent aimed at humans, created by researching the human obtained during sex with Fuminori. The agent is spread across the globe by updrafts, slowly turning the entire human population into members of Saya's species. The end of the story is seen from Ryōko's perspective, and it is implied that Fuminori, although without Saya, will see beauty in the world once again since it will be filled with her kind. This ending could be seen as the 'true' ending, due to it seeming most connected with the title.Characters Fuminori Sakisaka ( 匂坂 郁紀, Sakisaka Fuminori ) Voiced by: The protagonist of the game.

A student, he suffers a near-fatal traffic accident which kills his parents and leaves his perception of life permanently altered. As he wades through the 'world gone berserk' of flesh and blood, he seeks the affection of the only thing he sees as normal — a mysterious girl named Saya. Over time due to Saya's influence, Fuminori views normal people with apathetic disdain and becomes willing to kill others without remorse with only Saya and later, Yō as exceptions.Saya ( 沙耶, Saya ) Voiced by: Saya is a being from another dimension who materialized in this universe for the sole purpose of reproduction.

She has no memories of where she came from and is guided only by her instincts. Due to Fuminori's condition, he perceives her as a lithe young girl in a white dress, but in actuality she is some sort of, tentacled, fleshy monstrosity that emits a putrid stench.

She preys on creatures of all sizes, from to human beings, typically killing them by snapping their necks or through some unknown means, and then feasting on their internal organs. Because Fuminori is madly in love with her, he gradually becomes a. Her true form is never fully revealed, as she immediately kills and consumes any third-party observers.

The small amount of information regarding her actual form is gleaned entirely from in-game descriptions, which themselves are rather vague.Kōji Tonoo ( 戸尾 耕司, Tonoo Kōji ) Voiced by: Fuminori's friend. After Fuminori's accident he has been trying to help Fuminori's life get back to normal. After Kōji is almost killed by Fuminori and learns the truth of Fuminori's new character, Kōji directly confronts Fuminori's actions and attempts to kill him.Ōmi Takahata ( 高畠 青海, Takahata Ōmi ) Voiced by: Kōji's girlfriend and Yō's best friend. After Fuminori's accident she has become worried for Yō's sake. After Fuminori blatantly rejects Yō, Ōmi investigates by going to Fuminori's house. Inside Fuminori's house, Ōmi is killed by Saya.Yō Tsukuba ( 津久葉 瑶, Tsukuba Yō ) Voiced by: A friend of Fuminori's who has a crush on him. K-drama whats wrong with secretary kim (subtittle indonesia ep 1-16 line today.

Since his accident she has been worried and heartbroken at his sudden change of attitude towards the world. When she goes to investigate the disappearance of Ōmi, Yō is captured by Saya. Yō is subjected to an experiment by Saya and becomes genetically altered into the same type of creature as Saya after twenty hours.

Fuminori was then able to view Yō as he originally did afterwards. However, the change caused Yō unbearable pain and she begged Kōji to kill her later in the story, which he obliged.Ryōko Tanbo ( 丹保 凉子, Tanbo Ryōko ) Voiced by: The in charge of Fuminori's condition. She becomes suspicious that Fuminori has been hiding something during his routine checkups after he recovers from his injuries.SoundtrackMade by ZIZZ STUDIO. 'Schizophrenia'. 'Sabbath'. 'Seek'. 'Spooky Scape'.

'Song of Saya I'. 'Song of Saya II'. 'Sin'.

'Sunset'. 'Shapeshift'. 'Scare Shadow'.

'Scream'. 'Savage'. 'Silent Sorrow'.

'Song of Saya' ( 沙耶の唄, Saya no Uta ), sung by. 'Shoes of Glass' ( ガラスのくつ, Garasu no Kutsu ), sung byReferences. Manning, Shaun (March 4, 2010). Retrieved August 16, 2010. THEoDEAD (April 22, 2010). Retrieved August 16, 2010.External links.