Since there is no gameplay, Higurashi banks completely on its story being the main draw. In my mind, a visual novel is supposed to be a game, but this piece of software has zero gameplay so its gameplay score is a big fat zero. Why couldn’t this game have had branching pathways and decisions at crucial points that open up each of the four scenarios as available pathways within a single game? A horror mystery game like this screams for active player participation, and the passive spoon feeding I received here offends me as a gamer.
And even if there is only one true path to a single ending, at least make me hunt for it like EVE: Burst Error did. I want the Choose Your Own Adventure style decision making toward multiple outcomes. Now, I thoroughly enjoy reading, adore my Amazon Kindle, and will gladly read 1000 page epic fantasy novels, but when I play a visual novel game, I demand a modicum of interaction. There is absolutely no gameplay beyond pressing a button to advance the text. My absolute biggest gripe is that this “game” takes the term Visual Novel way too literally. I normally love visual novels with dark and twisted storylines, but Higurashi When They Cry made me cry like I was slammed in the gonads by a sledgehammer. Unfortunately, my masochism only goes so far and I gave up on this atrocious game at the halfway point. This decade-old doujin (fan made) game has the most minute glimpse of potential, but that potential is buried so deep under a pile of dung that only the most masochistic gamers would even dig deep enough to see it.
Higurashi When They Cry is one of the least enjoyable visual novels I’ve ever played. Editor’s Note: This review covers Ch.1 Onikakushi.