I heard about this visual novel from this Kotaku review. It's about a medical student who wakes up to find his world covered with rotting flesh. His friends now look like slavering monsters instead of human beings. His new reality is a constant assault on all five of his senses, and he's about to lose his sanity. But there is a glimmer of hope, a link to normalcy.
The story is very good. I feel that, through allegory, it shows how someone whose outlook is warped by depression or loneliness can seek solace in a relationship, to the extent that the relationship becomes all-consuming. If a relationship becomes a person's only reason for living, it can further alienate the person from the rest of the world and make them dissociate from reality and morality. There are also intriguing science fiction elements that comment on the nature of life. The first several hours do a great job building up a sense of dread. It's all backed up by good music and Japanese voice acting with English subtitles.
And now, to unearth the lede I buried. Even though this is not my first explicit visual novel, and I bought the Director's Cut on GOG expecting it to be harsh, I was not ready for this. There are multiple rape scenes, very explicitly shown. The story is a bit too eager to get to these scenes, not doing enough to establish the character motivations for committing them. Even the consensual sex scenes involve someone who looks a little young.
Another problem with this game is it feels too long. Even though there are only two choices to make and three different endings, it took me 10 hours to see everything. Some of the images are recycled too much. The dread and shock just wore off about halfway through the game.
On the whole, I found this game a letdown, though still worth a try because of its thoughtful premise. I think I'll choose a tamer VN next time. Clannad looks wholesome.