Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Difference between revisions

}}

{{nihongo|'''''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni'''''|ひぐらしのなく頃に|Higurashi no Naku Koro ni|lit. ''When the Cicadas Cry''}}, known simply as '''''When They Cry''''' in the North American release of the anime adaptation, is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft sound novel series written by [[Ryukishi07]] and produced by [[07th Expansion]]. The series is focused on a group of young friends and the strange events that occur in the rural village of [[Hinamizawa]], where they reside.

== Gameplay ==

Higurashi is a murder mystery game described as a "sound novel" by 07th Expansion. A sound novel is similar to a visual novel in that the gameplay requires relatively little player interaction as most of the game is composed of text dialogues. The original release contained no voice acting for the characters. While a visual novel's basis would be the visual aspect, as the name suggests, a sound novel's basis takes more care in producing an atmosphere via the music, sound effects, and the story itself.

== Story ==

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni takes place during June 1983 in a fictional rural village called {{nihongo|Hinamizawa|雛見沢}} which is based on the village of [[Wikipedia:Shirakawa, Gifu (village)|Shirakawa, Gifu]], and has a population of approximately 2,000. The main character, Keiichi Maebara, moves to Hinamizawa and befriends his new classmates Rena Ryugu, Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude, and Satoko Houjou. Keiichi joins their after-school club activities, which consist mostly of card and board games (and punishment games for the loser – usually him). Hinamizawa appears to be a normal, peaceful, rural village to Keiichi. However, the tranquility abruptly ends after the annual Watanagashi Festival, a celebration to commemorate and give thanks to the local god, Oyashiro. Keiichi learns that every year for the past four years, one person has been murdered and another has gone missing on the evening of the Watanagashi Festival. Keiichi himself soon becomes drawn into the strange events surrounding the Watanagashi Festival and Oyashiro. In each story arc, he or one of his friends becomes paranoid, and a crime is committed. Usually, the crime involves the murder of one of their own friends. While it seems impossible to tell their delusions apart from the mystery of Hinamizawa, slowly the truth is revealed.

== Reception ==

Over 100,000 copies of the original games were sold in Japan by 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eg.nttpub.co.jp/news/20061130_07.html|title=Article about Higurashi no Naku Koro ni from eg|accessdate=2006-12-27|language=Japanese}}</ref> a feat not attained by a [[Wikipedia:dōjin game|dōjin game]] since [[Wikipedia:Type-Moon|Type-Moon]]'s ''[[Wikipedia:Tsukihime|Tsukihime]]''. Many fans attribute the game's success to the suspense and horror the novel portrays, with no definite answer provided. Fan-based community boards emerged where fans began discussing their own theories. The popularity of the games grew exponentially as many took interest in their well-outlined script and story, which eventually led the game to be showcased in large gaming magazines with positive reviews. The enhanced PlayStation 2 port, ''Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri'', has sold over 140,000 copies to date,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alchemist-net.co.jp/products/higurashi_matsuri/kakera.html|title=Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri: Kakera Asobi official website|publisher=[[Wikipedia:Alchemist (company)|Alchemist]]|accessdate=2007-12-12|language=Japanese}}</ref> and has received a total review score of 31/40 (out of the four individual review scores of 9, 8, 8, and 6) from the Japanese gaming magazine ''[[Wikipedia:Famitsu|Famitsu]]''.<ref name="Fam">{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/gaming/kotaku-magu/kotaku-magu-this-weeks-famitsu-scores-237248.php|title=Famitsu scores for the PS2 version|publisher=Kotaku|date=2007-02-16|accessdate=2008-04-24}}</ref> The game was voted the tenth most interesting [[Wikipedia:bishōjo game|bishōjo game]] by readers of ''[[Wikipedia:Dengeki G's Magazine|Dengeki G's Magazine]]'' in an August 2007 survey.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://gs.dengekinet.com/ranking/index.html | title = 読者が選ぶ MY BEST ギャルゲーランキング | trans_title = Readers Choose My Best Galge Rankings | accessdate =February 15, 2013 | publisher=[[Wikipedia:ASCII Media Works|ASCII Media Works]]| work= [[Wikipedia:Dengeki G's Magazine|Dengeki G's Magazine]] | language = Japanese | archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20071011213916/http://gs.dengekinet.com/ranking/index.html|archivedate = October 11, 2007}}</ref>