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Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi

Nintendo Switch, Mac, PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux • 2015

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Quick resume

Higurashi When They Cry is a sound novel. The music, backgrounds and characters work together to create a world that is the stage of a novel for the user to read. They laugh and cry and get angry. The user takes the point of view of the protagonist to experience the story.

Global score

96/100

Genres

Adventure, Visual Novel

Pros

  • Deep and immersive psychological horror story
  • Highly praised narrative and character development
  • Free first chapter with many hours of content
  • Option to mod graphics and sound for customization
  • Strong atmosphere created by sound design and music

Cons

  • Slow pacing and slice-of-life sections early on
  • No player choices or branching paths
  • Dated graphics and ui without mods
  • Lack of voice acting in base steam version
  • Some players find early parts boring or tedious

Motivations

  • Autonomy
    4

    "Kinetic visual novel with no player choices, but players control reading pace and can mod assets freely"

  • Competence
    3

    "Requires attentive reading and puzzle-solving to understand complex mystery"

  • Competition
    -4

    "Single player experience focused on personal engagement, no competitive elements"

  • Continuation
    4

    "Highly immersive story encourages long play sessions and continuation through multiple chapters"

  • Cooperation
    -5

    "Entirely single player, no cooperative gameplay or social collaboration"

  • Creativity
    3

    "Players can mod character art, backgrounds, and sound, enabling creative customization"

  • Domination
    -5

    "No social dominance or power exertion; experience is individual and narrative-driven"

  • Escapism
    5

    "Strong psychological horror and mystery elements provide immersive escape from reality"

  • Expectation
    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of interest and intrinsic motivation for story and mystery"

  • Experimenting
    2

    "Some novelty in exploring story branches and modding, but gameplay is linear and scripted"

  • Exploration
    2

    "Exploration of narrative mysteries and character secrets, but no physical world exploration"

  • Expression
    3

    "Ability to switch between original and updated sprites and apply mods allows self-expression"

  • Fantasy
    4

    "Supernatural and psychological horror themes create an imaginative fictional experience"

  • Fellowship
    -4

    "Minimal social interaction; primarily a solitary reading experience"

  • Growth
    4

    "Players develop understanding of complex plot and character psychology through reading"

  • Health
    -5

    "Sedentary reading experience with no physical activity involved"

  • Idle
    -4

    "Requires focused attention and continuous reading to follow story and clues"

  • Intimacy
    -3

    "Limited emotional connection mostly through narrative; no direct social intimacy"

  • Leadership
    -5

    "No leadership or group management roles; purely individual experience"

  • Progression
    3

    "Narrative progression through chapters and unlocking story tips and after party content"

  • Relaxation
    2

    "Slow build of tension balanced with slice-of-life moments; some players find it relaxing"

  • Sensation
    3

    "Sound design and music create emotional and sensory engagement, especially horror atmosphere"

  • Status
    -5

    "No social status or recognition mechanics; experience is private and personal"

  • Story
    5

    "Strong narrative focus with deep mystery, psychological horror, and character development"

  • Strategy
    3

    "Players engage in mental challenge of piecing together clues and theories from story"

  • Thrill
    4

    "Psychological horror and suspense create tension and thrilling emotional experience"

  • Value
    4

    "Free first chapter with many hours of content; good value for story-driven players"

  • Violence
    4

    "Themes include murder and psychological violence though no graphic visual gore"

  • Survival
    3

    "Narrative involves protagonist trying to survive mysterious threats and uncover truth"

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    Last update: 06/03/2026