Planing to buy this game

[aaaaaaaaaa]

Hello, I've never played a visual novel before. I have no idea what it's like.

After reading some stuff regarding visual novels, I decided to post this here in order to get more explanations.

In this game do you just sit and read? Or can you make choises, leading to differen endings and stuff?

Thanks in advance,
Phobius/My current steam nickname

[XX //]

there's 2 types of visual novel; 1 where you sit and read, and the other where you make choices that affect what kind of ending you get (think of choose your own adventure books). some VNs have only a few endings, others have 20+ endings, and some (like Higurashi) are linear with no choices; it only has one ending and the achievements occur when you have read it in full at certain points in the chapter or extra notes/footnotes for the story/hints at what's going on in the story (( i don't really know what to call them but each chapter comes with these 'notes'))

also there's arguably 3rd type of visual novel, like the HyperDimension Neptunia series where there are many 'VN" sequences and multiple endings, but it is not a passive linear or passive (click to make choice) type game and it's the action/RPG elements that effect the event sequences in that game.

as for Higurashi: not sure i would recommend it as your first visual novel, it somewhat depends on your age and your taste in story-telling styles and whether you are OK with the fact that is linear (so basically, you can think of it as 'digital manga')

also picking the right genre is just like picking the right genre of anime/ manga/ fiction/ movie etc. VN is just the format, it's the genre and quality of writing, artwork, music/sound effects and your preferred style of VN that will affect this kind of choice.

TL;DR - Higurashi isn't a bad VN *FOR ME*, but i wouldn't recommend it to someone until i knew them well enough to know that they would enjoy it.

i also didn't like the Higurashi anime, it was boring to me, but i found the Steam port of the VN pretty good so far.

[XX //]

ohyeah, i'm going to shill here: i trade games and i have steam keys and steam copies for several VNs... there is a lengthy but incomplete list that includes theses titles on my profile but you need to know what you're looking for if interested, you may check it out.

[aaaaaaaaaa]

I was mainly going to buy this because I liked Higurashi, even though I've only watched season 1,2 and the outbreak movie, because people told me season 3 and 4 (rei and kira) were non canon.

Knowing this is a "seat and read" I'll probably reconsider. I guess I prefer games where you can actually make choices.

Regarding trading, thank you for the "invitation" (sounds rude, but I am not being rude), but I have no experience whatsoever regarding VNs, and I'd only buy VNs if they were based/adapted from an anime I've seen.

Thank you very much for the kind explanation ^.^

Edit: Nice profile! My jaw dropped when I saw the amount of stuff you have on your steam inventory

[Doppelganger4827]

Like everyone else said, it's a sit and read. If you get the mods that are linked here on the forum that give you wide screen, better backgrounds and japanese voice acting (which is well done and helps establish the characters better), it's a lot more enjoyable and immersive.

I watched the anime first, so playing the VN is like reading the book version. Even though I know what happens, it still was able to deliver the suspense I got from watching the anime.

Also, buying it through mangagamer.com will give you a copy on their site and a Steam key from what I read here in the forums, plus you'll get points you can use towards other items on their site.

[XX //]

no problem, it's rude of me to shill but since i DO have a steam copy of Higurashi (tradable) i have to mention it, haha. thanks for the compliment on my profile, i like redecorating it every week

also fwiw, the Higurashi anime is based on the original version of the VN and not the other way around. this is a rebooted version where you can pick whether you play with the original graphics or updated graphics that are more true to the anime adaptation.

if you asked a Japanese anime fan to describe it, they might say it's a "light novel" series in a digital format since it isn't the type of VN with any branched choice making or other system to affect the outcome (another example of VNs closer in the category of Neptunia, which is a VN-JRPG hybrid as far as i'm concerned, is the War of Human Tanks series which is a timed turn based strategy game based on 'Battleship' - the events in the story react to winning or losing certain battles in that game)

a lot of VNs regardless of style are original works. Higurashi was an original work and there was no anime/manga of it for a very long time. it originally came out in 2002 and was probably sold at Summer Comiket on a CD/DVD (guessing this based on what wikipedia says about the specific date)

just like manga or light novels, you will often find VNs that are original standalone works which never appear adapted to any format, this actually used to include Higurashi and also accounts for the majority of VNs on Steam.

[XX //]

PS. if you do get this VN, then @Doppelganger4827 gave some great advice.

[Cap'n Crazy]

If you've never played a VN before, my first one was 999, shortly followed by its sequel, Virtue's Last Reward. I felt that both were pretty beginner-friendly and they come highly recommended.

[Chibikii]

This is a sound novel, where you sit and read. However, there have been console ports of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, which implement choices to decide which arc you will lock onto. The first one, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Matsuri was released on the PS2 inJapan (Japan-only right now and forever), and was highly successful. The second one, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kizuna, was released as a series of four games on the Nintendo DS as a Japan-only release; this game involved an "Emotion Wheel" to decide how said protagonist (Kizuna involves many protagonists, and there are actually three entire "plots" through the entire series; the original eight arcs, the Onisarash-hen alternate arcs, and Minai Tomoe arcs) will react to said situation. The latest one is Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Sui released on PS3 and Vita this year in March, and involves the regular choice making in Matsuri. Sui has all arcs from Matsuri and Kizuna, and also adds Hajisarashi-hen as a bonus arc, the water park arc from Rei.
All three have been Japan-only releases, but look at Sekai Project porting the Vita version of The Fruit of Grisaia to PC. If enough fans wish for it, Sekai Project could possibly port the Vita version of Sui to the PC (the PS3 and Vita versions are literally identical and the exact same) and translate it to English. It's a lot to translate twenty arcs, but I'm sure fans will back a Kickstarter a ton.

[Yurie]

Originally posted by Raiden:

I was mainly going to buy this because I liked Higurashi, even though I've only watched season 1,2 and the outbreak movie, because people told me season 3 and 4 (rei and kira) were non canon.

If you have watched the anime of Higurashi... this chapter, Onikakushi, covers the first four episodes of the first season.

[BobbyG]

Originally posted by Raiden:

I was mainly going to buy this because I liked Higurashi, even though I've only watched season 1,2 and the outbreak movie, because people told me season 3 and 4 (rei and kira) were non canon.

I´m pretty sure Rei is canon, there even is a VN of this season, so that is as canon as it gets.

Also I would recommend the VN if you liked a lot the animated series. It offers a more depth story than the anime (which is also good), adds details the the events and what is going on insied the character´s head.