Higurashi: When They Cry, also known as Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni, is a mystery doujin soft novel series started by 7th expasnsion. Higurashi is the first entry in the series, followed by another entry entitled Umineko: When They Cry. The series has had its share of appeal; having been made into an anime adaptation, OVA, and a manga of its own. The VN still stands out as the best medium to tell the tale out of all of them to this day, however.\
It's kinda wrong to label it as a true VN, as it merely consists of art, music, and expressions.
You do not make choices as in other visual novels. You just sit back, and watch the truth unfold. In that sense, it's not a 'game' at all, to some people. However, it depends upon how you take the challenge. You're provided the necessary pieces episode by episode in your private quest to figure out the truth, and the 'game' part kicks in when you try to make sense of the things. The faster you do it, the more precise your guess is, the more entertaining, the story will get. Which is, I dare say, top notch and NOT predictable in the slightest. This is one of the prime examples which go to show what only art and music can accomplish by themselves, without moving animations or anything of the sort, as I'll be detailing in the review.
Higurashi was the one that got me into the When They Cry series in the first place. First of all, let's lay down the setting. This basically going to be similar to a synopsis of the story, so you don't need to worry about being spoiled.
The story is basically divided into two arcs: A question arc, and an answer arc.
The games; or "episodes", as they've been termed, for both are four. The first arc, that is the question arc, has been named "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni". It's comprised of four gruesome episodes that puzzle the player, or the 'reader' in this case, through their setting. I won't go into that here, as they're bound to spoil some critical plot points. The second arc, "Higurashi no Nak Koro ni", is the answer arc for the various 'riddles' you've been put through. In a way, THIS is the arc in which the 'game' part of the sound novel will kick in. You'll be told whether your guesses and theories about the mysteries to that point have been right on the track, spurious, or utterly frivolous.
You're put into the shoes of Maebara Keichhi; a boy who just recently transferred to an isolated village called Hinamizawa. You're engulfed in the series of mysterious murders that have took place in the past in the village, and need to disclose the truth.
As for the story, I'll reiterate that it's top notch, albeit it might seem surreal at times. The constant hallucinations the protagonist faces in the question arc, and the feeling of deception and utter helplessness might tick off some people. But keep it to the end, and you'll see what's coming to you.
Pro-tip: If you require even a single chance to get CLOSE to the mystery in the question arc, you'll need to pay undivided and unadulterated attention to the dialogues. The characters' tongues DO slip, but so can your eyes wink at that precise moment you could have gotten a lead.
The art style is well....depends upon which version of the game you'll be playing. If it's the PS2 version, which isn't out in the US and only in Japanese, it's got the right and the fluid art style. If it's the translated versions we're talking about here, that is, the PC, Android, and the iOS versions, then you're in for THIS: http://daverost.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/higurashiliepc1.jpg
And that is just the PC version. The iOS and the Android version possess far worse art styles, albeit the same direction as the aforementioned one. Luckily, the PC version has a "patch" from the PS2 version, that is capable of undergoing metamorphosis from the above screen to this one: http://daverost.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/higurashilieps22.jpg
Pretty neat, huh? I won't be going into how to patch your PC copy or anything here. Do the homework yourself.
The soundtrack is just superbly befitting. The developers KNEW what to do to intensify, depress, or exhilarate the player's moods with the right track at the right moment. Aside from it mixing with the atmosphere perfectly, the cry of cicadas also makes the player aware of an approaching omen, or other phenomena quite well. There are only a few tracks in the entire OST, but their constant repetition isn't annoying at all. Though the 'club activities' can get a bit boring.
This probably doesn't need to be said, but if you've watched the anime and are expecting gut-wrenching gore and bloodshed from this too, then you might want to look somewhere else. The sound novel is completely devoid of the sheer insanity and gore the anime was teeming with. Though it does promises to shake you psychologically, even if its for a second or two.
In short, Higurashi: When They Cry is probably one of the examples of the novels that were, well, done exactly right. There aren't any particularly diminishing flaws in the story, nor in the OST. This is what I would call everything done right.
Also, here's something extra. While the patch DOES add much more refined visuals, it takes away half the 'horror' vibe of the series. The 'ancient' feel to the original, 2OO2 art style adds to the psychological thriller aspect of the novel, in my honest opinion. So, if you're going to get around to playing this, I'd recommend you to play the first arc WITHOUT the patch, as that is the arc where things get from bad to worse and stuff, and the second arc WITH the patch. In this way, you wouldn't get too unnecessarily spooked OR happy, either.
My verdict for this will be no less than a 9/1O.
Pros:
-Great story.
-Great OST.
-Good art style[ provided you're playing the PS2 version OR have applied the patch to the PC version]
-Not predictable in the slightest.
-Not full of unnecessary details.
Cons:
-The club activity scenes can get a bit tiring.
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