That's.. a lot of money. Let's discuss it.

[Hex]

Worth it? Y/N

I'll be ignoring ''ItS a WhEn ThEy CrY sErIeS'' comments ngl.

I love Higurashi and Umineko but that doesn't give it a pass.

[Norbac]

I don't think any vn is worth $160.

[Alice]

The production quality is vastly higher. Ryukishi’s justification was that it took far longer and was a much larger project with many more hands on than Higurashi or Umineko (which were solo protests he pumped out every 6 month). I actually think it’s worth the jump — it’s fairly in line for VNs of this quality.

However, I understand it may be limiting. My steam group (Are You Ready For Watanagashi) will be doing a ton of giveaways in the coming weeks in order to try to ameliorate that.

[Remisite]

Honestly if every chapter is the same price as this I don't think I can justify spending that kind of money for the rest of them, has it been confirmed that every chapter is the same price?

[Rennikz]

I came to this discussion page seeking similar answers, I just needed to clarify what I was seeing for myself as someone who has never heard of the They Cry series.

So let me make sure I understand this. This is essentially the first chapter of a LN / VN (first, implying you will need to buy more to get the full story), with no game play and, let's be honest here, a sub-par art quality, for £30?

Now, I don't want to bash people for their tastes here, but I can't in sound mind understand why anyone would pay that much for this.

[orian34]

Originally posted by Rennikz:

I came to this discussion page seeking similar answers, I just needed to clarify what I was seeing for myself as someone who has never heard of the They Cry series.

So let me make sure I understand this. This is essentially the first chapter of a LN / VN (first, implying you will need to buy more to get the full story), with no game play and, let's be honest here, a sub-par art quality, for £30?

Now, I don't want to bash people for their tastes here, but I can't in sound mind understand why anyone would pay that much for this.

It does make sense that someone having never heard of WTC would find it ridiculous.

But it is Ryukishi's writing, and as shown in the previous ones, it is pretty good. Now it is true the price is high, and he apologized for various reasons, so at least we know the price is higher, and it's our choice.

I have yet to read that first new chapter, but based of the previous works, I would say it's worth it.

Maybe wait for reviews to come in as more people finish reading it, maybe that should give you enough matter to decide.

edit:
I will answer here again with more details after I finish it as well. Should help.
The art was never the main appeal of WTC, though it becomes charming as you stick with it.

[Toffel]

Originally posted by Rennikz:

I came to this discussion page seeking similar answers, I just needed to clarify what I was seeing for myself as someone who has never heard of the They Cry series.

So let me make sure I understand this. This is essentially the first chapter of a LN / VN (first, implying you will need to buy more to get the full story), with no game play and, let's be honest here, a sub-par art quality, for £30?

Now, I don't want to bash people for their tastes here, but I can't in sound mind understand why anyone would pay that much for this.

I definitely wouldn't recommend jumping into this as your first When They Cry game. Check out Higurashi or Umineko (or both) instead as they are already complete experiences. There are also mods for those that add voice acting and better visuals.

I haven't played it myself, but I'm considering buying it, since I'm kinda starving for more When They Cry (and I've heard that it should be great) having completed both Higurashi and Umineko a while ago.

But yeah, if you are new to the When They Cry series go for Umineko or Higurashi instead as they are both great and you get more bang for your buck.

[Poutchouli]

It's worth it if episodes 2-4 unlock for free or at a much lower cost. Otherwise, Imma advocate for *getting the episodes through other means*. If they're all $40, buy one and *get the other episodes through other means*

The production is higher I guess, but it's still not to par with most company vns. It could be top of the line for all I care and written by Tolkien, 10-15 hours of content is not worth $40, especially when its not the whole product. Imagine if they charged $15 for each episode of a telltale game.

[MechaMarshmallow]

Since everyone has different levels of spending money and we're not entirely sure how much the entire series will cost yet, it's hard to make a definite statement on the issue.

I've read to about chapter 11 or 12 so far, and I don't think I'm half way through yet. At my reading pace I can see 15-20 hours of narrative being the most likely amount of content in Ciconia.

Your reading speed probably isn't the same as mine, so that's about 50% more than an Umineko episode and twice as long as a Higurashi VN for reference. I also overall feel that Ciconia is a superior product from a technical writing perspective - pacing and the like. Naturally the less technical aspects of the writing are a lot more subjective in quality.

I like Ryukishi's writing and would rather pay $40 for 15-20 hours of WTC VN than a Telltale series of similar length or an 8-hour first person shooter campaign, so I found this game to be a good price for me.

That doesn't mean it will be a good price for you, though. Also, while Higurashi and Umineko are weaker from a technical writing perspective (Higurashi's pacing being particularly rough early on), they are also much cheaper and still very good in their own right. I'd advise anyone who's interested in Ciconia but put off by the price to consider at least looking into Umineko first. By the time you're done reading it, we might know more about the pricing structure of Ciconia as a whole!

For people who liked Higurashi and Umineko but aren't sure about the price, the game asks that video uploaders not show off content from after chapter 7. Putting aside whether anyone will actually follow that request, I think chapter 7 is actually a great point to watch up to and get an idea of whether you're interested in where Ciconia is going with its story and characters. I like Ciconia and it was worth my money, but writing quality is really subjective so I can't tell you if it's worth YOUR money. The best way to know if it's worth the price is to see for yourself.

[Corey]

If you like his writing (Higurashi or Umineko), buy it and you'll enjoy it. In my eyes, if you enjoyed something to it's fullest extent, however long it is, you will get your money out of it. If this is your first WTC game (which is fine but read Umineko and Higurashi and they are both masterpieces) then this is what I would recommend:

-Watch a playthrough or get the demo to see if you like this storytelling style and determine if the VN is interesting
Or
-Wait until a remaster drops (which might not even happen or it may take ages to happen) which will be fully voiced and have improved art, but will probably be more expensive
Or
-Wait until all Phases drop and cop them all in a package for cheaper (which will take 2-4 years probably, aka a Phase every half to full year at the pace he released Umineko and Higurashi)
Or
-Wait until a manga drops and read that (you will wait the most time for this if you wanna wait until it ends because we don't even know if an artist or company will pick it up... but with Umineko and Higurashi the manga read exactly like the VN and even had more content at times, and amazing art)

My personal decision was to buy this the hour it dropped because... well I loved Umineko and Higurashi and 100% want to support Ryukishi07 and Witch Hunt in their indeavors. Like I said, if this is your first VN or WTC you will probably not get 40$ out of it... if you like VNs or WTC you will get your money's worth 100%.

[961]

Assuming all chapters are gonna be the same price and we're gonna get 4 chapters, yes, 40$ is a very steep price to pay for each one.

However, I personally don't mind as I think it'll be worth it and I'm happy to support them. Based on the demo and previous works by 07th Expansion, I have a general idea of what to expect and have faith in the quality they can deliver. I'm especially happy that they've even had Witch Hunt work on an official English translation that's available day 1 alongside the Japanese release -- Ciconia is notably more ambitious than anything else they've previously released. Yes, Ryukishi's art is still subpar in contrast to other VNs, but the focus is more on writing than visuals here.

For people who are on the fence, I'd say wait for a sale or price drop, or check out a playthrough on Youtube instead (if there's any up yet). I also believe Witch Hunt still has the demos up. If this is your first WTC novel though, it's probably not gonna be worth it for you and I'd definitely recommend starting with Higurashi or Umineko first as they're a lot cheaper and still very good reads.

[Gaoh]

Originally posted by Card House Dreamer:

The production quality is vastly higher. Ryukishi’s justification was that it took far longer and was a much larger project with many more hands on than Higurashi or Umineko

Yet they apparently did not judge appropriate to bring on board a dedicated, professional artist among those additional hands. For a medium with such a strong visual component. Might as well have made it an actual book.

Originally posted by darksagerk:

Have any of you considered getting a job?

What kind of dumb provocation is that? I have a job, so I provide value to my employer and I earn money in return for that value. If you want me to part with my earnings, you have to earn it in turn. Some feel Ciconia's value proposition falls short of $40 so it hasn't earned their purchase. It's not hard.

[Hex]

Imagine assuming grown up men not having jobs.

Great bait. I'll gladly take it.

[Rena Ryuugu]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/1162560/discussions/0/1631916887497860440/

[The Sylvan Learning Center]

as a huge Umineko fan, the price tag is insane and offends me.

I was very excited for this game, but I won't be paying over $100 for it. period.


Would've gladly supported you 07th, if you hadn't lost your minds with this price tag. I'm sure I'll be able to play it for free eventually and I'll enjoy knowing I evaded your weird attempt to extort so much money from your fans

[davidb11]

The game is literally $38 on sale from $40.
Why are people claiming it's over $100?
It wouldn't even be over $100 in Australia!

Which is saying something, because of how Australia works.
I never heard of this series before, but it does seem interesting.