Reviews for Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (2024)

Medium by waffletown654 on 2020-11-159/10

<report>Higurashi completely changed my perspective on horror.

The first four chapters--the question arcs--are definitely horror stories. The format is interesting, because each chapter can stand alone as its own short horror tale, but reading each chapter concurrently creates something more than the sum of its parts: a gripping mystery. As you read Higurashi's question arcs, you will find yourself getting sucked deeper and deeper into the lore of the small village, Hinamizawa, and into the secrets that the characters are hiding--the protagonist included.

While the Higurashi anime adaptation is famous for its gory horror, I find that the visual novel's most suspenseful and climactic moments are... Read more »

0 comments 11 points

Short by prrg on 2020-11-20r514279/10

<report>This VN is a horror masterpiece. While the anime adaptation manages to capture some of its charm, it doesn't come close to how tense and terrifying the VN truly is. Compared to the anime, the VN made me feel so much more attached to the characters through stellar comedy scenes at the beginning of each arc. This is an all-star cast, and everyone has a little bit to offer. The plot itself is also very thoughtful and surprisingly topical.

I recommend playing with the 07th Mod on PC for the better art and extra content. The console ports and patch include 3 new arcs: Taraimawashi, Tsukiotoshi, and Someutsushi. The first two are not very good and actually kinda spoilery, but Someutsushi is pretty great, original and very much in the spirit of the original arcs, so it gets my recommendation.

0 comments 4 points

Long by zany25 on 2022-04-12r2602410/10

I will admit that I am horribly biased when writing this.
Like deliriously biased.
Review can loosely apply to both question and answer arcs, I'm just lazy
SPOILERS for the question - answer arcs.

Higurashi was the first visual novel I ever read, and it introduced me to the entire medium of visual novels. It was also my first horror anime, my first horror manga, it's been ten years since I first sat huddled watching the opening and looking up the mangagamer vn it was based on with its clunky sprites and text errors. I dug through the series in high school, I have the entire manga series on my childhood bookshelf, and I definitely caved and picked it up again now as an adult with the... Read more »

0 comments 3 points

<report>This is a combined review of ‘Higurashi no Naku Koro ni’ and ‘Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai’. Both were played with the 07th Mod attachment.

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Higurashi tells the story of a group of individuals whom fate had decided to toy with. Trapped within a village of madness and an unending maze of stagnation, they struggle desperately in search of a light at the end of the tunnel. But all their efforts were for naught – denied by the cruel shackles of their world. To even have a chance of defeating their fate, they must first tread an arduous journey to learn the true nature of their fate – and more importantly, what it means to trust another.

How long have you been sitting there, motionlessly... Read more »

0 comments 3 points

I don't think I've ever gotten so scared of an anime girl in my life.

The four chapters in Higurashi each build-up a mystery that you can never quite wrap your head around. Because of this, and how well-written it is, the plot is interesting to follow along, and becomes gripping at the second half. Madness, horror, and non-explainable situations mix together, beautifully.

In contrast to this. There are long slice of life life sections, which introduce us to our lovely cast of characters, who spend most their time playing games , which are quite fun to watch and are enhanced by their interactions. I especially liked the voice acting, which was quite unique.

Now, this contrast and shift in tone and feel, is what makes Higurashi great, and the lack of choices does it no harm. At all.

0 comments 3 points

Long by Sclane321 on 2023-03-1810/10

<report>Higurashi is a wonderful experience in more ways than one, once you're on the edge of your seat trying to make sense of the horrifying incidents that happen in it, and at last you're crying for the characters who even you yourself didn't understand when you grew so close and attached to

I'm gonna be honest with you, i don't enjoy horror stories, but Higurashi really wasn't just a horror story, every horrible incident or horrifying moment feeled earned as I just grew to know and finally love it's diverse cast of characters, and even in the starting arc where you know next to nothing about them, it manages to showcase each character's core personality traits and foreshadow some of the most... Read more »

0 comments 2 points

Long by edgeyboi on 2022-01-20r808216.9/10

<report>This review will not mention the synopsis or try to introduce the characters since vndb has a rather good spoiler-free version of that.

Instead, it will include a subjective evaluation of the game, with priority as followed:
plot > characterisation > storytelling techniques > enjoyment >>>> voice acting/sound effect
Visuals are mostly pleasing for the MangaGamer (no lip sync) and PS3 (flatter but with lip sync) since I used the 07th mod.

Question Arc: 6.85/10

Overall, all question arcs served well as prologues to the mystery... including the Himatsubushi arc, which I personally considered as a long TIP rather than an arc in itself. More on that later.
One small issue I had with all the... Read more »

0 comments 2 points

Medium by cheekyman07 on 2021-12-079.4/10

<report>Higurashi is one of those VN's that take a little time to set off. It takes a little patience to get through the first few hours. It starts with a slow-paced slice-of-life scenario that does not stand out much and may leave the reader wondering what all the fuss/praise for this game is about. When the story takes shape you are in for a ride.

The VN has a lot of roughness to it, but it has had touch-ups in the sprite and art department which I applied and they help, be sure to add them. I think there's added voice acting as well. However, I read this without voices.

The world of Higurashi had me completely and utterly immersed, there were more than a few incredible scenes that I will... Read more »

0 comments 2 points

Short by ignor on 2023-12-17r6247510/10

0 comments 1 point

Medium by Blossomfall on 2024-03-279.3/10

<report>An absolute masterpiece, ryukishi (the author) truly is a good writer. Just skip the anime and go straight to the vn, if you care about deep and intricate characters, and stories about relationships between them you will not regret it. If you only started this series just because you heard it was "cute lolis killing eachother" and you want to see gore I recommend just watching the anime, as the vn is extremely long and has a lot of slice of life moments. I also personally don't find it that gory, while the scenes that are gory are extremely brutal, they aren't that many, especially in these first games, and a lot is left to the reader's imagination.

Overall i really recommend it, but keep... Read more »

0 comments 0 points

Short by Icewallowcome49 on 2022-07-219/10

0 comments 0 points

Short by theaugusthail on 2020-10-209.5/10

<report>Higurashi no Naka Koro Ni is a visual novel that will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions, filling you with heartwarming and joyful moments before dropping you off the deep end with its disturbing and horrifying scenes.

While excellent in building up to and selling those moments, its reputation as a horror visual novel is a double-edged sword. People dislike the slower slice of life segments due to their eagerness to get to the horrific scenes. But even then, the slice of life is imperative to the narrative and is meant for you to be attached to its characters and their struggles.

It's also highly recommended to install the 07th Expansion Mod, which adds new sprites, backgrounds, video openings, and even voice acting.

Full Video Review: link

0 comments 0 points

Medium by thatnhoxiu on 2024-11-2410/10

<report>I didn't realize they split the game into Question and Answer arcs, so this review will only be covering the Questions arc. I highly recommend sitting down and think about how the mysteries occur because knowing the answer spoils the fun of solving the mystery.

Oh man, this was a roller-coaster of a ride. Who knew that children can become so scary? I honestly didn't know this was a VN, but thankfully I did. I still havent watched the anime, and I'm glad to have read the source material. This VN doesn't give u choices at all. Think of it like a book or a movie. You read through the text and watch the scenes happen as time flies by. Each character's personality is really good and unique, and... Read more »

0 comments 0 points

<report>Honestly, I never really had significant expectations about Higurashi. I had never watched the anime, but it seemed edgy and silly.

Noticing my score, it must be clear that reading it changed my mind. I wasn't expecting such a compelling story and skillful manipulation of my emotions. I'll never forget the first jump scare and how it made me feel all the loneliness and paranoia of Keiichi.

What surprised me the most was how Higurashi explored different genres of horror so masterfully. Perhaps it wasn't the creators' intention, but it sounded like a great homage to me.

Yeah, the beginnings are always slow and dull. And I wish it didn't have some nasty fan service moments. But I can't wait to read the answer arcs.

0 comments 0 points

Short by exoticbankai on 2020-10-05r6247510/10

<report>Hard to write a review because the two higurashi are actually one, this first game aka "question arcs" i love and think is so awesome because i have played the answer arc and can in my mind re contextualize everything.

Writing ishigurashi's best thing, made me feel all type of emotion, from fear to happiness to empathy and much more.

I liked the art and chara design, (ps3 art), i don't know if i would liked the game as much with the original art.

Great music and voice acting (ps3 patch).

A classic, one of the best duology of vn ever, glad i finally played it, will likely never forget it, absolutely recommended !

0 comments 0 points

Short by KitchenCoach on 2023-11-068/10

<report>Visual Novel>Manga>Anime

Anime: I will only recommended it to people who wants something fast pace, simple, edgy, and shallow, the anime is basically just for shock value but it's still enjoyable on it's own especially to those who are new to anime and normies (Also the watch order is to watch it by release order).

Visual Novel: A well written masterpiece, the best way to experience this series to the fullest, the voice acting and soundtracks are really good.

Manga: it's actually a really good adaptation much closer to the Visual Novel, it's an alternate option if you don't have time to play the Visual Novel, however the only downside is that you won't hear the amazing voice acting and soundtracks from what the Visual Novel has to offer.

0 comments 0 points

Short by Zenbofication on 2023-07-2710/10

<report>honestly its the perfect story to me, ive seen the anime like 3 times, played thru all of the vn in a couple of days and am now looking to buy the manga and binge read that. i love higurashi so much and will never tire of it! sure its really long and it could be argued that some of it could be trimmed but honestly i loved all slice of life stuff that happens, seeing them all be friends is so nice and makes what happens later impact me more.

i wish i could forget everything about it and read it for the first time again

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Long by Lambdadeltum on 2023-02-0210/10

I loved the anime based off of this story, but when I visited the source material—this entry—I was delighted.

There was something about this visual novel that captured the true spirit of Higurashi. It wasn't the horror, the suspense, nor was it the mystery.

It was its ability to make me feel joy in just seeing the characters goof off and then make me feel dread with each passing hour as I read these three chapters. I was already familiar with the characters, but this visual novel made me love them further. I cannot tell you just how much I adore them. The characters, even the side ones, manage to make the first part of every chapter more endearing.

One of the most common criticism you... Read more »

0 comments 0 points

Short by Tintan100 on 2023-01-049/10

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Short by arturklesun on 2020-10-17r2539/10

<report>It was boring at start, but after first Watanagashi festival it started to gain the pace.

The text describing feelings was real juicy, Ryukishi-sensei did a good job making reader experience the story from characters' point of view.

Even parts where they were just friends playing games brought some warmth, probably due to contrast with the chapters that start after first murder. This unique repeatative story-telling for episodes made me strangelly treasure these pre-murder slice-of-life moments same as Rika did, even though I hate slice-of-life genre.

I did not initially catch this while watching the anime, but Mion's story with the doll was very sad. Oh, yeah, Mion best girl, btw. Reading the masterfully foreshadowed answers arc was also rewarding.

0 comments 0 points

Higurashi When They Cry, oh boy where do I even start.

If I had to describe my experience with Higurashi in one word it would be a very heavy "disappointing". But that doesn't even come close to the horrible mixed bag of feelings I have for this title.

I'll start off with some positive I guess. I loved, and I really do mean this, *loved* arc 1. The first half was boring, but I gave it a pass for being an introduction to the story and was willing to look past it and enjoy the rest it had to offer. And the rest it offered was genuinely some of the best thriller I've ever experienced. Chaos;Head might be the only other one to come close. It had my blood pumping with adrenaline, my butt on... Read more »

2 comments 0 points

Short by SoulRobin on 2023-07-017/10

0 comments 0 points

The pacing in this is terrible holy shit.

I'm not even talking about the long Sol scenes itself, but mostly how the themes change so frequently.

A good example of it would be watanagashi I believe.

Creepy moment over takano nerding out and explaining to you the lore of the village, then the next day, you'll pass through another 3 hours of random slice of life scenes till the story starts to pick up, tatarigoroshi and the other chapters tried to address this by making the Sol shorter, giving a simple glossary explanation when these scenes picked up, but that isn't enough.

A constant state of tension should be maintained to get you on your tip toes I believe, I get it's more mystery than... Read more »

3 comments 0 points

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Short by ALIp19 on 2022-01-10r624758/10

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7 comments 0 points

Long by hansfranz77 on 2021-01-134/10

<report>FYI: This is a review for the 4 question arcs of higurashi, steam version chapters 1 - 4 only.

This thing is the furthest from "well written" i might have ever played or even seen. (I need to think about that once i'm finally done with all of it). I honestly have no idea how this series got the great standing it has these days in the west. But despite its age this is "modern writing" as in plot driven writing of the worst possible kind.

There is nothing too stupid or over the top to pull out of left field, in favor of the all encompassing "plot" for this thing. With no setup, believability or rationality on any end. Even if the plot involves Keiichi the protagonist going utterly mental... Read more »

16 comments 0 points