Japanese media Denfaminicogamer recently brought together scenario writer Gen Urobuchi and voice actress Koiwai Kotori, who happens to be an avid fan of Urobuchi’s cult classic visual novel Saya no Uta, for a joint interview. In the article, Urobuchi brings up the dark and dramatic narrative of the game, where “every ending can be seen as a bad ending,” and talks about its position within Nitroplus’ catalogue. However, he also mentions how the depressing (and sometimes shocking) themes of Saya No Uta and other works by the studio may not be something that modern audiences are looking for, especially considering the current state of the world.
For context, back in 2013, Urobuchi participated in a special interview with Shimokura Vio to celebrate the release of Nitroplus’ famous fourth wall breaking visual novel You and Me and Her: A Love Story. Discussing the signature style of the studio, he noted that “Nitroplus caters to people who prefer excitement over reassurance,” comparing the experience to restaurants that serve spicy and sour food despite “spicy and sour being signs that something is poisonous in nature.”
Fast forward to the Denfaminicogamer interview, the scenario writer was asked whether he still stands by this stance.
“That was my opinion at the time. However, I also feel like audiences nowadays aren’t looking for ‘poison.’ They’re probably craving an ‘antidote’ within fiction precisely because the real world is so cruel,” Urobuchi explains. “And that kind of ‘comfort’ should be made by younger generations. I’m thinking it would be better if I took a step back for a bit.”
On a lighter note, Urobuchi also mentions that he is still very interested in developing games, and that the creative potential of the medium as well as the popularity of digital distribution platforms like Steam is what’s been fueling his motivation. “The reason why I was finally able to believe that ‘now is the time when making games is truly worth the struggle,’ is because video games were freed from the constraints of specific hardware thanks to the popularization of platforms like Steam,” Urobuchi says. “Back then, when hardware became obsolete, games would inevitably be forgotten along with it […] But a big thing for me is that now we have a system that allows us to play games whenever we want, regardless of the era.”
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