Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni Visual Novel Review
Developer – 07th Expansion (Ryukishi07)
Translator – Mangagamer
Length – Chapters 1-iv – 30-l Hours
Chapters 5-8 – 50+ Hours
Version Played – PS2 Sprites & BGM Patch, Original Mangagamer Translation
Permit me offset off by saying that Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is generally viewed in a very positive way, and I tin can see why so many people have enjoyed it. For me, however, Higurashi is fabricated up of some very proficient ideas, some very practiced scenes and, unfortunately, a large number of slow connecting pieces that drag the whole experience down. Though it may not be every bit bad equally some other, newer visual novels, I tin can't quite detect it in myself to recommend it.
Maebara Keiichi has simply moved to Hinamizawa, a village of about 2000 that'due south a far cry from the large urban center he's used too. While he rapidly makes new friends and finds himself part of a tight-knit and exciting afterschool club, he before long begins to suspect that in that location'south something not quite right about his new dwelling house. The series of deaths occurring each yr might have tipped him off. Or possibly information technology was Hinamizawa'southward dark past of man cede. Or mayhap…just maybe…it was the ominous presence he can't quite run into out of the corner of his eye, the extra step he hears every fourth dimension he stops, and the looks of his classmates that aren't quite sane…
Higurashi has some really practiced moments. There were times I felt worried and apprehensive, times I felt thrilled and triumphant, and times I felt downright freaked out. For a number of scenes the writing, despite Mangagamer's best efforts, is pretty decent. The problem for me begins with the chapter format in which Higurashi is presented. A short department at the showtime of each affiliate to innovate new characters and plot points would have been fine but data and thought processes from earlier chapters are repeated so often that the gap between "Holy crap, what'southward going on?!" sections is simply besides big to keep you interested and wanting more. The reiteration isn't simply express to the starts of chapters either; repetitive inner monologues grow as if the game expects usa to forget what's happening after every scene. In addition to this the vast majority of each affiliate's content is basic slice of life stuff which e'er has the same formula; there's nada new to keep things fresh and make those portions special.
Since I'yard on the topic of genre, it'south worth noting that Higurashi doesn't actually seem to know which one it belongs to. In that location's a smattering of horror (which is rather quickly put to residuum), a little thriller, quite a bit of slice of life…and beyond that there'due south the mystery it tries so very hard to be. A skillful mystery shares all of the data its reader/viewer needs to figure things out over time via clues and hints that may seem insignificant at first, gradually drawing the reader towards a conclusion yet e'er staying simply i step ahead. In comparison, Higurashi leads you lot effectually past the nose, excitedly pointing you lot at misleading clues before revealing the not-so-obvious truth all at one time via information dumps of text. While I will acknowledge that the degree to which some of the events and grapheme motivations are intricately interwoven is impressive, the manner in which they and the mysterious revelations are delivered is simply underwhelming; there was never an "Oh! So that's what happened!" moment, if yous will.
As a final few notes on the story itself, a number of chapters focus on side characters, which I felt drew my focus away from the main plot and served as yet another break from what I was really interested in, and one affiliate in detail begins telling one story and then appears to switch tack completely before suddenly ending without concluding either of the storylines it had been following. I approximate the points I desire to make here are that not all of the capacity contribute positively to the story as a whole, and not all of the chapters are satisfying in their own right, which feel like real weaknesses to me. Though I'grand normally willing to look past a visual novel'southward weaker sections because of how amazing its concluding reveal and ending are, in Higurashi'southward case the slog to go to the finish merely isn't worthwhile.
For once I actually have a few comments to make on technical aspects. Higurashi's OST absolutely blew me away. Even when I wasn't enjoying the story I was able to appreciate how well the background music was able to convey the feeling of the scene in question. Would I mind to the music on its own? Maybe non, simply if I did hear it once more I'm certain it would bring back memories and that'due south exactly what a good OST should do. The other aspect I take to praise Higurashi for is its creative utilise of text color. There's one particular affiliate where a character undergoes a fairly dramatic personality change and as this occurs the text used for her thoughts gradually darkens. It's subtle, but small things similar that are what allow visual novels to differentiate themselves.
Now for the technical aspects I took upshot with. Whatever others may say, I really can't stand Higurashi's original sprites. I'm non usually a stickler for graphics but I sincerely believe I would non take finished Higurashi without a graphics patch. The backgrounds, in comparison, are fine. They're more often than not altered pictures of existent scenery and I felt that they meshed well with Higurashi's overall experience. The trouble with them (and I'll admit, this may be a patching result), was that the electric current background often clashed with text descriptions. When characters were on the run and looking for aid there were cars patently present in the groundwork shown, and the lighting would randomly change between day, dusk and nighttime, sometimes in the centre of conversations. It'south not a big deal but it does have an impact on any immersive feeling Higurashi might have been trying to build.
Summary – Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a well-known and loved story for many people. Unfortunately information technology'southward another one of those visual novels with multiple 10/10 votes on VNDB that I merely haven't enjoyed. Information technology's an instance of what you go when you accept an interesting concept and decent writing and do a poor job of splitting them upward into episodic form. The excitement and compelling narrative are there merely they become bogged down in layers of repetition and fluff, resulting in a stop-and-start experience that isn't quite sure which genre it belongs to. Chances are you'll like it, especially if you've disagreed with me in the by, merely it'due south not a visual novel I could recommend in practiced conscience.
Score: 6/x – Average
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