A 5-star first half + 1-star second half = A 2.5 star whole.
This review contains spoilers
After having read Minagoroshi, the seventh chapter, I am done with Higurashi: When They Cry. It's over. My deciding not to read the last chapter is based on the opinion that the end of the seventh chapter is, in my eyes, a good enough ending for the whole caboodle, and my aversion to the whole Takano - Elite Corps. fiasco.
There is much to enjoy in this Visual Novel. There certainly are an assortment of dubious elements to it; for one, it definitely drags on and on and on by ceaselessly repeating information that is pretty much made crystal clear to the reader the first time it is explained.
But, as I just said, there is much to enjoy here. The overall original aesthetic of the game is stunning. The world-building and character studies are impressive. Ryukishi07 has clearly put an astonishing amount of care in the slice of life parts of the story, which are far and away my favorite bits. Certain scenes are just incredible, and I am specially fond of the one scene where Ooishi and the Sonozaki family meet at a restaurant to discuss what's going on with the Takano scrapbooks. The Rika-Hanyuu time loop plot point is lovely, and works incredibly well with the novel's structure and the way and order it's told.
This being said, Higurashi has its fair share of problem as well. First and foremost, the English translation leaves a lot to be desired, at the novel's runtime makes it especially grating. However, this is not my main gripe with the game.
After countless hours of reading, you get to Minagoroshi, and you're dying to know what's really going on with these "Oyashiro-sama" killings. Will it be a superatural being's doing, or will it be the work of the Onigafuchi Guardians under the Sonozaki family's command? Maybe a mixture of both? Or they just might possibly really be fundamentally unrelated incidents? The game, up until this point, has very strongly hinted at them. And the answer is... none of them. It's the combination of a disease endemic to Hinamizawa (not too bad) and the mingling of an Elite Corps that are involved in the matter for political reasons. Come on. This has NEVER been slightly talked about in the goddamn novel prior to this chapter! It's so out of place and such a mood killer that it's one of the main reasons I decided not to read the last chapter. The ending of the seventh chapter is enough, and I don't want to deal with a chapter that potientally goes on and on about military and political stuff, when it NEVER was about it before.
Moreover, there are a few more things about Higurashi that I don't quite like. A sizable chunk of the dialogue present in the game is straight up dogshit; same goes for the decision-making process of virtually every character in the novel. Some plot points and scenes are laughably bad, and some recurring jokes (such as Keiichi's father being a loli artist) aren't funny in the slightest. Come on, who told Ryukishi07 that the BB Gun bit is a good story?
I'll leave it at that, since I'm just building up anger at the ramblings present in this review. I am so disappointed at the content in the Answer Arcs, after having thoroughly enjoyed the Question Arcs.
There is much to enjoy in this Visual Novel. There certainly are an assortment of dubious elements to it; for one, it definitely drags on and on and on by ceaselessly repeating information that is pretty much made crystal clear to the reader the first time it is explained.
But, as I just said, there is much to enjoy here. The overall original aesthetic of the game is stunning. The world-building and character studies are impressive. Ryukishi07 has clearly put an astonishing amount of care in the slice of life parts of the story, which are far and away my favorite bits. Certain scenes are just incredible, and I am specially fond of the one scene where Ooishi and the Sonozaki family meet at a restaurant to discuss what's going on with the Takano scrapbooks. The Rika-Hanyuu time loop plot point is lovely, and works incredibly well with the novel's structure and the way and order it's told.
This being said, Higurashi has its fair share of problem as well. First and foremost, the English translation leaves a lot to be desired, at the novel's runtime makes it especially grating. However, this is not my main gripe with the game.
After countless hours of reading, you get to Minagoroshi, and you're dying to know what's really going on with these "Oyashiro-sama" killings. Will it be a superatural being's doing, or will it be the work of the Onigafuchi Guardians under the Sonozaki family's command? Maybe a mixture of both? Or they just might possibly really be fundamentally unrelated incidents? The game, up until this point, has very strongly hinted at them. And the answer is... none of them. It's the combination of a disease endemic to Hinamizawa (not too bad) and the mingling of an Elite Corps that are involved in the matter for political reasons. Come on. This has NEVER been slightly talked about in the goddamn novel prior to this chapter! It's so out of place and such a mood killer that it's one of the main reasons I decided not to read the last chapter. The ending of the seventh chapter is enough, and I don't want to deal with a chapter that potientally goes on and on about military and political stuff, when it NEVER was about it before.
Moreover, there are a few more things about Higurashi that I don't quite like. A sizable chunk of the dialogue present in the game is straight up dogshit; same goes for the decision-making process of virtually every character in the novel. Some plot points and scenes are laughably bad, and some recurring jokes (such as Keiichi's father being a loli artist) aren't funny in the slightest. Come on, who told Ryukishi07 that the BB Gun bit is a good story?
I'll leave it at that, since I'm just building up anger at the ramblings present in this review. I am so disappointed at the content in the Answer Arcs, after having thoroughly enjoyed the Question Arcs.
Junto al console arc, el question arc es lo más rescatable de Higurashi. Una lástima que con la segunda parte tiraran todo a la mierda en todos los sentidos...
Esta parte tiene una de mis escenas favoritas de todos los tiempos por lo excelentemente escrita que es. Amo la escena donde Keishi asesina al tío de Satoko, toda esa escena es brutal.
Esta parte tiene una de mis escenas favoritas de todos los tiempos por lo excelentemente escrita que es. Amo la escena donde Keishi asesina al tío de Satoko, toda esa escena es brutal.
LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. THIS IS HOW YOU DO HORROR
Peak. More uneven than Umineko, in my opinion, but the best bits are like knives in your heart.
very excited for kai
Al principio me dio miedo porque lo jugaba de noche mientras llovia y me cagaba de frio pero despues me parece que no me asuste mas porque el gato me meo la pantalla y tuve que jugarlo en modo ventana pero esta muy bueno aunque me faltan todavia completarlo jaja
ive loved this series for a LONG, long time now; i found it through the anime, way back when i was still a kid in elementary school, way too young to really understand the story it was trying to tell and largely into it because "oo scary blood cool !!!"
revisiting it as an adult, and reading the games subsequently, was the best possible decision. it + umineko share the same space in my heart. i cannot choose between them theyre both incredible. augh.
revisiting it as an adult, and reading the games subsequently, was the best possible decision. it + umineko share the same space in my heart. i cannot choose between them theyre both incredible. augh.
For the love of god please just play it
This is a very long visual novel, expect to spend a couple of months reading the question arcs.
This novel is a horror murder mystery. The first four arcs give you all the mysteries and the last four arcs answer them. I recommend trying to formulate theories and share them with friends. It makes the experience much more interesting.
This novel is a horror murder mystery. The first four arcs give you all the mysteries and the last four arcs answer them. I recommend trying to formulate theories and share them with friends. It makes the experience much more interesting.
Tem seus fortes e fracos, Onikakushi-hen mesmo tendo um começo lento é uma introdução mt boa, Watanagashi-hen é peak e Himatsubushi-hen é uma conclusao boa pra essa metade da história. Lendo a adaptação pela primeira vez, to achando a história mt bem mais contada, sem pressa e com muito mais tensão sendo criada pelos monólogos. obviamente não é 10/10 mas é mt mt bom msm
So far as humble beginnings go, this is as humble as it gets. Though for all intents and purposes, Higurashi's Question Arcs are effectively the trojan horse that prepares you for the 'tour de force' that is the Answer Arcs, so long as you're actively trying to engage with the material beyond the surface.
Kinda hit or miss and long length isn't fully justified, eps 3, 5, 7, and 9 are my favorites
shit
this happened to me once
le spooky, sosa scary
10/10
This is one of my favorite visual novels of all time. You'll some a couple more up the list, but this holds a special place for being one of the first I've ever read/played. I actually had tried to watch the anime years and years ago, when I was an edgy 9 years old searching for gory anime just to see the gore. Good thing I got scared after a couple episodes. Years later I decided to pick it back and it is now one of the greatest pieces of media I have ever consumed. Seriously, that anime is fucking incredible, I could talk about it for hours. As something that marked so much as it did, I decided to go for the source material. While I do still prefer the anime, oh my isn't this spectacular. I really don't wanna talk about much because it's awesome to go into it completely blind like I did, but it is extremely scary and disturbing so please be aware of that.
This is one of my favorite visual novels of all time. You'll some a couple more up the list, but this holds a special place for being one of the first I've ever read/played. I actually had tried to watch the anime years and years ago, when I was an edgy 9 years old searching for gory anime just to see the gore. Good thing I got scared after a couple episodes. Years later I decided to pick it back and it is now one of the greatest pieces of media I have ever consumed. Seriously, that anime is fucking incredible, I could talk about it for hours. As something that marked so much as it did, I decided to go for the source material. While I do still prefer the anime, oh my isn't this spectacular. I really don't wanna talk about much because it's awesome to go into it completely blind like I did, but it is extremely scary and disturbing so please be aware of that.
ryukishi my beloved
Nipah~
Man I love unreliable narrators - the VN
Seriously though, adore Higu, I might be more fond of Umi but all the characters here are great (I love them) and it's theme about being there for the people you love, sifting past miscommunication and misunderstandings, just to be there for them, regardless of anything, is honestly a really beautiful message that gets me choked up thinking about it. I definitely also want to reread it at some point too
Man I love unreliable narrators - the VN
Seriously though, adore Higu, I might be more fond of Umi but all the characters here are great (I love them) and it's theme about being there for the people you love, sifting past miscommunication and misunderstandings, just to be there for them, regardless of anything, is honestly a really beautiful message that gets me choked up thinking about it. I definitely also want to reread it at some point too
overrated
191 hours between all 8 of the chapters I read.
Pacing issues.
You should probably still check it out!
Pacing issues.
You should probably still check it out!
peak
good at the end
when i cry
Très certainement l'histoire de fiction tout support confondu qui m'aura le plus marqué, brillante, profonde et rempli de rebondissements, on passe par littéralement toutes les émotions. Durant ces près de 100h de lecture, on est plongé dans une ambiance unique du village d'hinamizawa. Quand tu finit enfin cette grande aventure t'a vraiment l'impression d'avoir vécu une Oeuvre avec un grand O, rien a dire vraiment, je me rappelerai de cette histoire toute ma vie...
Tomitake
All the praise it gets is so well deserved. A VN the mystery it provides is incredible, with each arc providing a different scenario that makes one question whats real or not, and how it all fits.
Whilst I'm not sure if overlooked, the sound design is also amazing, making good use of enviornment SFX to set tones, whether its by overloading the players senses with the msuic of cicadas, or creapping into a deadly silent atmosphere and vice versa, it just does it so well and has stuck with me since.
Whilst I'm not sure if overlooked, the sound design is also amazing, making good use of enviornment SFX to set tones, whether its by overloading the players senses with the msuic of cicadas, or creapping into a deadly silent atmosphere and vice versa, it just does it so well and has stuck with me since.
An intriguing odyssey into madness and paranoia, interspliced with heartwarming odes to friendship, and the beauty of community. not fond of its pacing however.
Schizo ass game
It was amazing