The Song of Saya Review Summary

Outstanding music, award-winning visual novel storytelling, a unique plot, and effective psychological horror shine, but the story is too short and the sexual content is controversial.

Outstanding soundtrack and music: The soundtrack is repeatedly praised as amazing, charming, and top-notch, with many calling it a masterpiece. It is noted for contributing greatly to the game's atmospheric and melancholic tone.

Award-winning visual novel praised for dark, emotional storytelling: Reviewers consistently describe the visual novel as beautifully written, deeply moving, and one of the best examples of the medium. Many call it a standout dark visual novel that leaves a powerful aftertaste.

Engaging, unique, and well-written plot: Reviewers find the plot interesting, intriguing, and full of twists, with a unique setting that keeps them captivated until the end. The story is also noted for being short but tightly paced without filler.

Good and enjoyable game overall: General positive sentiments describe the game as good, enjoyable, and highly recommended, with an interesting and atmospheric experience.

Effective psychological horror and dark atmosphere: The game is praised as a crazy, excellent psychological horror experience with a dark, twisted beauty. Its grotesque world is immersive and oddly poetic, creating a unique atmosphere.

Story is too short: Many players feel the game's story is extremely short, leaving them wanting more and impacting overall satisfaction. The brevity also harms narrative buildup and character development.

Controversial sexual content: The game includes underage and rape scenes that many find disturbing and poorly handled. Some reviewers feel these scenes are gratuitous and undermine the narrative.

Gross-out horror elements: The game contains a lot of gross-out horror that some players find excessive and disgusting. This aspect is polarizing, with some appreciating the extremity and others finding it off-putting.

Protagonist engages in cannibalism: The protagonist kills and eats friends without guilt, which many reviewers find disturbing and morally repugnant. This central theme contributes to the game's shocking nature.

Fetishistic content feels unnecessary: Some sexual content seems like the writer's personal fetishes rather than meaningful storytelling, and certain NSFW scenes are pointless. This undermines the narrative for many.

Visual novel format: The game is presented as a visual novel with text, images, and reading progression. Many reviewers describe it as a visual novel experience with narrative focus.

Multiple endings and choices: Player choices lead to different endings, with three distinct endings commonly mentioned. The branching narrative encourages replay to see all outcomes.

Gore and sexual content: The game contains explicit gore, including guts and disturbing imagery, as well as sexual content with scenes some find extreme. An uncensor patch is available for full content.

Psychological and eldritch horror: The visual novel features psychological horror and Lovecraftian elements, depicting grotesque psychological problems and eldritch themes. It is often described as a horror story with unsettling content.

Saya as key character: Saya, a non-human entity, forms a relationship with the protagonist and can be romanced. She plays a central role in several endings and the story's themes.

No gamepad support: Players cannot use a gamepad to control the game. This lack of controller support is inconvenient for those who prefer playing with a gamepad.

Cannot exit game Windows 10: Players using Windows 10 on the remastered version report being unable to exit the game. This could require force-closing or other workarounds, disrupting the overall experience.

No 2560x1440 resolution support: The game does not support 2560x1440 resolution; the highest available is 1920x1440. This limits visual quality for users with modern monitors.

Positive General Recommendations: Many reviewers recommend the game overall, citing its quality and appeal. Some describe it as a must-play visual novel and worth the money.

Negative Overall Recommendations: Several reviewers do not recommend the game, often citing poor value or dissatisfaction. Some even suggest pirating instead of buying.

Not for Everyone: Reviewers note the game is niche and not suitable for all audiences due to extreme content, graphic gore, or disturbing themes. It is recommended only for those who can tolerate such material.

Recommended for Gore Fans: Reviewers recommend the game specifically to those who enjoy gore and horror visual novels. It is also recommended for players who can accept grotesque or physically disgusting content.

Recommended for Dark Themes: Reviewers recommend the game to players open to dark, unique stories and psychological horror. It is suggested for those who appreciate disturbing content and have a strong will.

Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00.

Game completion: 6.0h.

Story completion: 5.0h.

Players often report being hooked by the opening and finding the first hour interesting, but many say the story later drags, becomes repetitive, or falls off in the second half.

Friction: Confusing and boring beginning; Rough and shocking opening; Slow pacing and boring sections; Repetitive visuals; Overly edgy and unlikeable characters; Underdeveloped characters.

Unlock drivers: Playing with friends who enjoyed the game; Interest in Urobutcher's writing.

Transgressive Horror Veteran: Reads with the uncensored patch, seeks out grotesque scenes and endings, and treats discomfort as part of the appeal. Motivation: To experience extreme body horror, cosmic horror, and taboo transgressive content that ordinary games avoid. Stance: buy.

Philosophical Horror Analyst: Reads closely for themes and narrative technique, often plays all or key endings, and writes long analytical reviews. Motivation: To analyze the work's moral, psychological, and metafictional ideas and compare them with horror and literary traditions. Stance: buy.

Curious Mainstream Newcomer: Plays in one or a few sittings, often blind, with content warnings and modest expectations; may not pursue every route. Motivation: To satisfy curiosity about a famous, aesthetically striking, short dark visual novel and see what the hype is about. Stance: sale.

Steam Deck: The available Steam Deck feedback is limited but mostly positive. Multiple users report the game works fine despite an unsupported compatibility label, and there are no mentions of Proton Experimental toggles, external launchers, battery drain, anti-cheat errors, or crashes. One user needed to remap controls extensively, indicating minor tinkering is necessary for an optimal experience.

Monetization: The reviews describe a single-purchase visual novel whose only monetization is a paid DLC required to restore uncensored content on the Steam version. No evidence of in-game currency, lootboxes, gacha pulls, pay-to-win power, battle passes, or a recurring cash shop was found. The main complaints are the paid uncensor DLC, the upfront price, and subjective quality, all of which fall at or below the score ceiling reserved for content/DLC issues.

Steam version is censored: The Steam release is a censored edition compared to the original, with sexual content and scenes removed. An official uncensored patch is available separately from the developer's website or JAST.

Written by Gen Urobuchi: The scenario is written by Gen Urobuchi, known for Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero. This is noted as one of his earlier works and his first horror-themed project as main writer.

Short game length and runtime: Multiple reviewers describe the game as short, with a playtime of around four to five hours to see all endings. The main story is brief and can be completed quickly.

Multiple endings available: The game features multiple endings, typically three story branches with different conclusions including a true ending. Some endings are described as realistic or named like Dandelion and Confinement.

Released in 2003: The game was originally released in 2003 and is over twenty years old. It was designed more than two decades ago.