#HIGURASHI WHEN THEY CRY VISUAL NOVEL SERIES#

Unlike most games in this genre – there is no “season pass” – so there’s no good way to save money if you’re wanting all 14 episodes (although I did pick up Chapter 1 in an awesome bundle from indiegala – I’m hooked now though and will not be waiting for a discount or bundle before ordering Chapter 2. Even with a conservative estimate of 10 hours, to read the entire thing, all 14 chapters, it’d take a minimum of 140 hours. I’ve read that each episode is about 10 hours long but I must read slow because I think it took me about 23 hours to complete the first “chapter”. It spans multiple “episodes” (14 of them to be exact).

If you’re still cool with a game in which you absolutely, do not, interact, at all, ever, then read on to learn what Higurashi has to offer.Ĭoncept: 10/10 Higurashi is a murder mystery.

So I want to preface my review by making it clear what it is, and what it is not. What people don’t like, is when they buy a GAME and discover only later that it has no “Gameplay”. It’s little more, than a story with some pictures and a soundtrack.ĭoes that mean it’s bad? Not necessarily. Click and read, Click and read, Click and read… One story, one end, one “path” - That’s it. This means that unlike other types of visual novels, there are absolutely no choices which you, the player, makes through the game. Gameplay: 1/10: Higurashi is a kinetic novel. With this exciting news, I thought I should review the first chapter of Higurashi for those who have not played it yet. Since there are only 8 days left in this month, it must be sometime soon. MangaGamer just sent out an email that says Higurashi Chapter 2: Watanagashi will be available for preorder “this” month. Keiichi Maebara, who becomes close to every other student as a charming fellow, has recently relocated to the town and he is our main protagonist as he explores the mysteries alongside us as the reader/viewer – unsolved murders, creepy antics and disturbing legends all showcase this town as far from ordinary or tranquil.Affiliate links within this post may be commissionable. This is attributed to a local condition known as ‘Hinamizawa Syndrome’ resembling a contagious paranoid schizophrenia.

#HIGURASHI WHEN THEY CRY VISUAL NOVEL SERIES#

The series has a myriad of timelines to unveil the mysteries underlying the traditional village of Hinamizawa – based on ‘Shirakawa village’ as a World Heritage Site in real life – and follows a clique at the local school as they become embroiled into disturbing events to a point some become berserk with a paranoid rage. The visual novel was originally one of raw focus on the narrative as an innovative ‘sound novel’- scene (extracted from real locations) and audio were the key highlights to the experience, player choice was minimal to have the experience itself as the foremost direction. Over time, the style style has matured and each plot point has developed significantly – it has become cultivated carefully from a meek canon into a profound lore.

The series encompasses two live film, a 2006 anime including feature films, live television series, four light novels from the original creator, drama CDs and multiple manga – a breadth that’s still expanding to this day with the 2020 anime remake. Higurashi When They Cry, or Higurashi no Naku Koro ni in Japanese, is an sprawling franchise of Ryukishi 07 – starting with the amateurish visual novel series in 2002 only initially selling fifteen copies, produced by ’07th Expansion’ and subsequently adapted onto practically every platform to amass exceptional sales.

Higurashi when they cry visual novel