This review contains spoilers
Has a strong hook and an interesting concept that is ultimately bogged down by a lack of any substance whatsoever. While the score is fantastic, I'm afraid I can't give the story the same praise - it's edgy torture porn that leaves much to be desired.
I think it does a great job at setting a tone, and it's packed with some genuinely chilling scenes - the mystery, disgust, and morbid curiosity I felt going through them had me on the edge of my seat, and that's one of the few things I'll give this game credit for. The h-scenes, however, were completely unnecessary; there's one in particular that serves no purpose to the plot other than appealing to the author's barely disguised rape fetish. And in the off-chance it's not that, it's just a cheap way of making the story "dark" with minimal effort.
The plot itself was barebones. The build-up was there, but the climax was unsatisfying no matter what ending I got. And while I can normally appreciate a game that leaves me unsettled and uncomfortable, by the time I reached the final ending I just had a sour taste in my mouth from how cheap and pointless it all felt.
The characters were just... boring, too. I found myself mixing up the main character's friends names so many times it's not even funny. Saya herself was interesting for about a minute, but it felt like the author got too tired to finish developing her and decided to whip his dick out instead. She spends about half of her screen time having sex and sucking the cock of the most irredeemable protagonist ever conceived in fiction.
There genuinely could've been something here - the twisted relationship between the protagonist and Saya could've been so much more, and it frustrates me that the author chose to make it so shallow and honestly gross. There's a few attempts to dive into psychology - particularly the fragility of the human psyche - but they ultimately don't lead anywhere other than highlighting the apathy and despair these characters feel.
Honestly, I'm disappointed that such an incredible OST was wasted on something like this, because it was the track "Song of Saya" that got me curious about the game in the first place.
It has some cool ideas and I ended up reading it all the way through, but ultimately, I don't think I'd ever read this again. I don't recommend it unless you've got thick skin, a strong stomach for gore, and enough self-loathing to justify making a purchase like this.
I think it does a great job at setting a tone, and it's packed with some genuinely chilling scenes - the mystery, disgust, and morbid curiosity I felt going through them had me on the edge of my seat, and that's one of the few things I'll give this game credit for. The h-scenes, however, were completely unnecessary; there's one in particular that serves no purpose to the plot other than appealing to the author's barely disguised rape fetish. And in the off-chance it's not that, it's just a cheap way of making the story "dark" with minimal effort.
The plot itself was barebones. The build-up was there, but the climax was unsatisfying no matter what ending I got. And while I can normally appreciate a game that leaves me unsettled and uncomfortable, by the time I reached the final ending I just had a sour taste in my mouth from how cheap and pointless it all felt.
The characters were just... boring, too. I found myself mixing up the main character's friends names so many times it's not even funny. Saya herself was interesting for about a minute, but it felt like the author got too tired to finish developing her and decided to whip his dick out instead. She spends about half of her screen time having sex and sucking the cock of the most irredeemable protagonist ever conceived in fiction.
There genuinely could've been something here - the twisted relationship between the protagonist and Saya could've been so much more, and it frustrates me that the author chose to make it so shallow and honestly gross. There's a few attempts to dive into psychology - particularly the fragility of the human psyche - but they ultimately don't lead anywhere other than highlighting the apathy and despair these characters feel.
Honestly, I'm disappointed that such an incredible OST was wasted on something like this, because it was the track "Song of Saya" that got me curious about the game in the first place.
It has some cool ideas and I ended up reading it all the way through, but ultimately, I don't think I'd ever read this again. I don't recommend it unless you've got thick skin, a strong stomach for gore, and enough self-loathing to justify making a purchase like this.