If Ryuukishi ever need his d sucked... That's all i'm saying

nothing to nipah about

Hou+ finally brings the original WTC story up to parity in the West, but it's not what I'd consider essential reading for anyone other than the most die-hard fans.

Higurashi Bus Stop is perhaps the most compelling feature of the package. It's a short 2-3 hour story that predates Onikakushi as a genesis point for the entire franchise. Some of the character names are familiar, but the story itself is considered non-canon for a reason. Still, it's really interesting to see the ideas that birthed the franchise, seeing which ones made it, & which ones didn't. For fans of Higurashi, it's a very interesting read.

Outbreak & Kamikashimashi are arcs like any other, without the rise before the fall setting the scene & getting you invested like one of the original chapters. Being thrown in at the deep end led me to being a bit less invested in the story as a whole, but I did enjoy the finale, so I do consider it worth reading. Still, it's lacking the overall development of the OG arcs, so temper your expectations going in.

(I just skipped through Mehagashi for the achievements, but if the idea of a fanservice arc tickles your fancy, well, enjoy).

The expanded staff room/dialogue from Ryukishi is undoubtedly the most touching content in Hou+. It's interesting to get an insight into what motivated him starting out, the lengths he went to to deliver WTC chapters at the breakneck pace he did back then, and what he hopes to achieve going forward. I'll keep my fingers crossed that it'll finally be returning to & finishing Ciconia, but I have my doubts that'll happen any time soon.

Overall, it's a solid package with some interesting material, but if you're happy with the ending of your own Higurashi journey then don't feel like you must read this one. If you're a die-hard fan however then there's some real insightful stuff here that you won't want to miss.

What was he smoking

If you thoroughly enjoyed the main series of Higurashi (from Ch.1 to Ch.8), you might also enjoy the Story Expansion Arc, which includes side stories that expand the Higurashi series universe and encompass the original story.


확장

Only buying this to see the new chapter and get a glimpse of Keiichi's new yummy swimsuit

We get to hig our rashi tonight boys!

Play it with the fan patch.

The journey comes to a true end, no more chapters to adapt. It's difficult to represent what this series means for me, as it was what pushed me to enter the world of visual novels(for better and for worse). Both reading, and working on patching those have given me a wealth of experience I can now convert into other games.

And what better way to end the cycle than with the original version of Higurashi: Bus Stop! There are also Outbreak/Kamikashimashi, Mehagashi and the many staffrooms. They all have their merits even if I'm not a fan of all of it. I prefer the first half of Outbreak, but even the fanservice arc Mehagashi is fairly reasonable(spare me from another batsukoishi please).

Hopefully we'll get more Ciconia at some point...

This game has the 'Higurashi Outbreak' chapter which is worth reading if you've read the mainline arc! Careful not to confuse this with Chapter 1, as I know someone who did and I used to think this was Ch. 1 too. Ch. 1 Onikakushi is free on steam!

81.8 hours later, and I think my Higurashi journey is coming to a close. While I still have some of the anime to watch, the novels end here. My brief thoughts on this installment.

Bus Stop - Really interesting read that was Hig before Hig existed. I can see a lot of similar themes and plot that made it into the final cut. Initially, it seemingly had a much darker/scary tone by this piece.

Outbreak - This installment just has Higurashi turning into the Walking Dead all of a sudden. I was all up for it, till they started adding gods and science again haha. Towards the end, It gets pretty d*gen which I'm not a fan of. Still really cool towards the start.


Mehagashi? (I think thats the name?) - While I do enjoy the characters of Higurashi, and any content is good content, I cannot really stand the d*gen ♥♥♥♥. This was like, near unplayable plot wise for me. There was some good moments but for the most part just made me uncomfortable.

Extras- This is the peak of this game imo. The music player alone is so fkn good. There are so many good tracks and I am happy they are compiled and I can come back whenever I want. The final end party was wholesome and made me oddly nostalgic for the first few chapters. The staff room (while filled with references from early 2000s), made me really appreciate 07 and everything they had going on way back when. I could tell the passion behind this team and product and those staff rooms really let you see how much they cared about making something people would enjoy <3

Till next time Hinimizawa