Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi

First of all, don't buy this if you're one of those people who absolutely MUST have gameplay beyond pressing A or Enter or whatever to advance text. This is a kinetic novel, meaning there's no choices, no minigames, etc. It's all text, music, sprites, backgrounds, and a few menus. That's it. Also of note, there's eight parts to the full story, of which this is only the first (don't worry, it's VERY lengthy even just by itself, and the later games are equally so), and parts 6 - 8 haven't been translated yet as of this post. Now, for those of you that this didn't scare off, prepare for one hell of a story. There's a reason I'm giving this game five stars. This game at first seems like a sweet little slice of life story, and takes its sweet time introducing the characters, the setting, the backstory, etc. And it's great stuff. Keiichi Maebara is forced to move to the countryside town of Hinamizawa when his parents' work takes him there. In the process, he meets several new friends, and learns about the storied history of the town. Key phrase there though is "seems like." Soon enough though, Keiichi gets involved in... well, I don't even wanna say much more than that. But suffice to say, this is no slice of life anime or dating sim. This game is justifiably historic in visual novel and anime circles. Its storytelling is nothing short of brilliant, and the absolutely mind blowing amount of build up that goes into the game's bait and switch style plot would give many "real" novels and series a run for the money. It's a testament to what one person (07th Expansion is mainly comprised of this game's author Ryukishi07, his brother, and a now deceased third member) with a vision can achieve even with modest storytelling tools when they put their mind to it.

If there is a top 10 of the greatest stories I have experienced, in a videogame or a book or a movie, this would be in it. And one of those which brought me a new viewpoint on how stories can be told. To give an idea about some of which has the same effect on me : 999, Ghost Trick, Drakengard, ... It begins slowly, but you should be hooked at the end of ep1 or beginning of ep2. This is pretty long story (maybe 80 hours I think). But you will think about it and try to understand. The characters are really developped, some of the stories put the focus on one or another. And it's really well done. The visual/sound novel choice is the right medium as it brings something more than a book. I read some other good VN, but this one will stay the best for me.

A completely non-interactive visual novel that starts as slice-of-life harem drama and takes a sharp turn into horror. With minimal art, generic music, and no meaningful gameplay, Higurashi When They Cry stakes everything on the strength of its story. Chapter 1 presents light-hearted school shenanigans, a significant festival, and then escalating paranoia and horror. It'll take you a good number of hours to read - this is legitimately a novel. So does the story stack up? Maybe. It's certainly a slow burn. The slice-of-life sections have heart, but they're nothing you haven't seen ad nauseum in anime and manga. The horror - and more importantly, the mystery - are where the meat lies. Are events in the village of Hinamizawa the work of a curse, conspiracy, or pure coincidence? Believing in any answer has real emotional consequences, and the story works hard to drag your suspicions back and forth across all three possibilities. In the end, Chapter 1 has many questions and no real answers. You won't find satisfaction here, and you'll need to invest in many following chapters - some equally slow - to get closure. As someone new to the franchise, I can't promise that an investment of that kind will be rewarded, but the internet seems to suggest it's worth your time.

Higurashi Chapter 1 is a horror novel that starts out like a fun slice-of-life for the first 1/3rd of it. Even though it says it is chapter 1 it is a full story and the chapters are each different stories. The translation is great and the art is fantastic. This is a kinetic novel so there are no choices or mini games.