Legacy Review: Higurashi Chapter 1
Higurashi When They Cry Hou Chapter 1 : Onikakushi
Genre : Pure Visual Novel
Platform : PC (Windows 10 - Steam)
Developer : 07th Expansion
Publisher : MangaGamer
Playtime : 10 hours
Date Completed : 7/4/2018
Reviewed : 2018
Rank : S+
Higurashi When They Cry is a visual novel set in the rural
Japanese town of Hinamigawa. A town which seems tranquil on the outside but
hides many dark secrets within. In this first chapter, you will follow the
story of Keiichi Maebara, a recent immigrant into the town. You will experience
his joyous interactions with his tightknit group of friends which eventually
evolves into horror as he learns of the evil hidden within the town and has
world flipped on its head.
In the beginning chapters of the novel, Keiichi as well as
the four friends in his group are given proper introductions and the foundation
of their back stories are laid out. This is primarily established by means of
experiencing their day-to-day interactions, which include going to school,
playing games with one another and just simply hanging out. Much of their
conversations and activities also present themselves as childish, playful and
full of nonsensical banter, which is to be expected from kids of their age.
Personally, I found this part of the story very effective at
developing the characters and the backdrop of the town itself. Even though the playful
banter did stretch on for a bit longer than it needed to, it served its main
purpose of establishing information necessary to get deeper into the game and
did so in a remarkably fun and relatable manner. Reading through the initial
chapters really made me feel like a kid again and live the fun times I never
really got to have.
Whilst grabbing the reader’s attention with all the playful
banter, the game then makes an effort to slowly leak bits of information that
would serve to build the foundation for what was to come later in the story. Not
only does that reaffirm the overall strength of the story, it allows readers to
imagine the ways things could potentially turn dire later on, especially as the
game had described itself as a mystery novel. Another point which helps readers
immerse into the story.
About halfway through the game, the story reaches its
climax. After having firmly established the characters, the bonds they shared
with one another and the town itself, the story moves to introduce much anticipated
conflict into the mix. The mood shifts from the friendliness and playfulness
you had been acquainted with to tension and uneasiness. The transition between the two states is
swift and peaks the reader’s curiosity, pulling them in further.
With the mood of the story changed, the town and bonds
between the characters start to suffer next. Bit by bit, all the pleasantries
the game had built up start getting turned upside down and invoke legitimate
fear and anticipation into the reader. I know, because I myself was frightened
by the path the story started to take at this stage. You can see quite easily
how immersive this story manages to be not only at the start, but also
throughout its lifespan.
Right from when the mood of the story changed up to the last
few chapters and the ending, the events that transpire within the story prove
effective at keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, fearing in
anticipation of what madness would happen next. Investing so much effort into
building up an mental map of something (in this case the town and its
characters), only to break it down later on proves effective at achieving its
goal of making the reader experience dread and constantly second guess and
question everything. It’s a special feeling of queasiness that is not easy for
a story to achieve as it requires both high levels of immersion and fantastic
writing. This game however, nails it quite well. At the same time, the story
also succeeds at building up genuine mystery along the way. All the second guessing
you end up doing is testament to that.
Even the sound and music employed by the game, while not a
particularly large selection do their job of setting the mood well and go to
the extent of changing themselves up at the beginning of paragraphs. The mood
of what you are reading almost always matches the mood of the song currently
playing, and that is a good way to keep immersion high.
If I have any complaints to dish out, the playful banter
going on for longer than needed would be one of them. More time could have been
spent in other sections of the game. If the climax of the story did not arrive
when it did, I think it is possible for readers to lose interest as they would
perceive the story as progressing too slowly. For instance, I was questioning at
times when things would start to get more interesting. Also, while there were
times when I did not like the feeling of discomfort I had thanks to the weird
direction the story took, I understand the intention was to cause fear and I
can see that it was successful at doing just that. I also feel like the ending
was not all that good as it felt final. This was supposed to be a chapter 1 out
of a 5 part series so when I saw that the plot actually came to a conclusion, I
wondered how a sequel would be possible. The post-game dialog session however
answered that question for me.
I think overall, there’s nothing much I can really complain
about this game. The writing is good. The characters are lovable. The story
makes it easy to get attached to them and get invested into the plot. The story
also does a good job of invoking fear into the reader when things start to get
hairy. The transition between the two moods was also well executed.
Essentially, the game succeeds at putting you in the shoes of the protagonist
and experience everything he does, fully immersing you into that role. Mysteries
surrounding the town crop up but are not always fully addressed, leaving you
always wanting to know more. This is in my opinion, a well done up story that I
would recommend anyone to read. I for one cannot wait to start digging into the
next chapters in the series.
+ Does an excellent job at introducing the characters and
town.
+ Playful and childish mood at the start of the story evokes
strong feelings of happiness
- That part of the game dragged on for a bit too much
however
+ Easy to get invested into and attached to the lovable
characters and their world
+ Sets the pace for the later part of the story and eases
into it well
- However, the transition to the situation at the end of the
story is somewhat fast. Not necessarily a bad thing though as it helps to evoke
feelings of horror.
- Last few chapters were somewhat uncomfortable. Again, this
did help to evoke fear.
+ Engaging, enjoyable and memorable story
+ Lengthy
+ Sound and music go hand-in-hand with the text to enhance
the experience
- Weird ending
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