Saihate Station Review – A Short and Sweet Ride Through Codependency and Horror (PC)

Fiction can be a great medium to look at a variety of things you’d never want to deal with in reality. Sure, I’ll dive into an ocean in a game, but don’t put me anywhere near an actual ocean. My big guilty pleasure for fiction is stories with yandere lovers. Growing up on anime like Higurashi and Elfen Lied gave me an appreciation for the more bloody things in life. Especially if there’s a cute boy or girl covered in my blood! Saihate Station is just the right game to fill that craving with some gay longing sprinkled in. A boy that’s looking a little too crazy? Give me that. Only in fiction though. There can only be one crazy guy in my life, and I already filled that role.

This brand new horror game dares to ask you: do you want to ask that creepy stalker guy out on a date? He’ll force his way into your room whether you want to or not, but maybe liven up the place a little bit. Set out some candles before he takes out the knife. Saihate Station takes a look at the typical depressed milquetoast boyfailure and gives him a cute crazed boyfriend to fawn over. Only a serial killer could like someone so lame, so why not accept it and ride it out? There’s skeletons in the closet to deal with, but don’t we all have a body we buried in a backyard once or twice? …Only me?

Wander through a hell train, talk about those coworkers you wish got murdered, escape your issues! Who wants to remember the bad things we did in our life anyways? 

Saihate Station is available on Steam and itch.io for free.

Story – Trapped Together

Saihate Station sets out with the usual tropes within the genre; the main character is stuck some place and needs to find a way out. Haru and Shion, office coworkers, wake up on their usual train route but something seems amiss: there are no passengers and a strange red sky looms outside. Scattered about are items that seem to be related to people in Haru’s life, implying a strange connection to our protagonist. 

Unable to handle the horrors within Saihate Station’s train, Haru is quickly aided by his coworker. Shion seems unfazed by the horrifying sights, in fact, seeming a little too eager to impress his senpai. He is very romantically interested in Haru, and his love comes off as obsessive, very stalker-ish.

Shion knows his boundaries with Haru: It involves a hammer and some rope

The Relationship – Toxic Yaoi At Its Finest

The two boys harbor a secret, though Haru is unaware at the start of the game. Like any good anime, there’s an interesting twist that reconstructs your view on the entire game once you get to the big reveal. Saihate Station makes Shion come off as suspicious, and the game’s endings depend on how the player decides to interact with him. Whether it’s talking to him in front of a broken mirror or making a nice apple pie, each interaction can change how the story ends.

I found Haru cute at the start of Saihate Station, but more and more frustrating the further the story progressed. He has no backbone and can be a bit insensitive to those that care about him. At one point he ghosted his own girlfriend for standing up to his bullies. Watching him be so inconsiderate in the flashbacks was especially grating because a lot of his issues revolve around his inability to speak up for himself. If that kind of thing bothers you, Haru definitely will get on your nerves.

Shion, on the other hand, rescues this by being the best yandere boy ever. He came out of this being my favorite character in Saihate Station, though like Haru, your mileage may vary. Depending on your views on obsessive stalkers, you might find him super cute, like I did, or super horrifying. He has a lot of issues, which tracks with the whole yandere creepy stalker thing. His backstory made me sympathetic to him as it unraveled. Even if he is definitely a criminal, it’s fine to excuse it when they’re a cutie. I do wonder why out of all the people in the world, the guy he likes has to be Haru, but, well. I suppose boyfailures are his thing.

Is he whispering sweet nothings or a murder confession?

Gameplay – Who Put This Push Puzzle on a Train?

Saihate Station isn’t survival horror. Instead, it puts you through a series of puzzles scattered throughout the train as you try to escape with your yandere boyfriend. The real meat and potatoes of the game, however, revolves around your relationship with Shion and how you treat him. The game scatters optional interactions throughout to give you more chances to talk to Shion, so keep your eyes open!

All of the puzzles featured in Saihate Station are short and sweet. Push puzzles, item fetching, and password puzzles are some of the trials you will face along the way.  By the time Shion joins as a party member, he can even give you the answer to puzzles if you can’t figure them out on your own. They’re easy enough to navigate without his help, and it’s a useful option if you find yourself stuck – but beware, he will spell out the answers blatantly. There’s a quick time event near the end as well as two chase scenes, but they’re really forgiving with plenty of time to react; unless of course you’re caught off guard looking at the two pretty boys.

Endings revolve around how willing you are to examine things and talk to Shion, so be sure to explore thoroughly. You never know what you might be passing up as you go along. I wound up having to do another playthrough since I had forgotten to go back to get an ingredient that let me bake pie with Shion. Saihate Station is relatively short with plenty of save slots, so even if you mess up it shouldn’t take you long to get back to where you were.

Before you stab me, I’d really appreciate a kiss first.

Graphics & Audio – Adorably Cute and Terrifyingly Unsettling

I was Immediately struck by the beautiful artwork done by Saihate Stations’ creator. There’s cute chibi sprites for the overworld and beautiful anime dialog sprites that hit just the right notes of unnerving when they want. The couple has really simplistic designs, with Shion’s being especially charming, which helps set up the players’ idea of him. His white hair and red-ish pink eyes give off the image of a cute and friendly character, masking a more menacing side.

The art really is the shining point of Saihate Station, with many flashbacks and CGs to oogle that makes collecting the endings fun. The soundtrack has some nice bangers, especially the title screen. Unlike a good chunk of other horror games, the audio doesn’t use screeching noises during its more intense moments. After playing games like Silent Hill, I consider that a blessing.

My big issue with the audio is there’s a bit too much silence. There are a few corridors with no music, instead focusing on environmental sounds. It helps set the mood, but can sometimes go a bit too long. There’s no voice acting in the game, which is understandable, but a shame, as even a few simple sound bites would be much more immersive. I’d love to hear Shion give a wicked laugh while he chases Haru for a kiss.

Saihate Station was reviewed on PC.