Umineko When They Cry - Question Arcs
Ryukishi07, you sadistic bastard, I love you.
Before getting this one, I would recommend you to at least try to read the Higurashi When They Cry series. They’re amazing visual novels that have some connection to Umineko’s plot. Don’t worry, they’re not required, but they’re also great stories that, if you finish them, you’ll have a whole different view on some of Umineko’s important characters.
Umineko is a story about sin, punishment, guilt, trauma and especially love. Written by Ryukishi07, who had experience as a social worker, it’s a mystery in it’s core, but not entirely. The content ranges from bittersweet love stories to chuuni fantastic logic and reasoning battles, where arguments take form as weapons. How can you have so many different kinds of dilemmas in one story? Well, just look at the hour counts which people who read this series have on Steam. It’s easily an 100+ experience.
– Real player with 112.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Great Soundtrack Visual Novel Games.
This is a review of the whole of Umineko, not just the Question Arcs. Just so you know.
Mystery stories are, at their core, just one big puzzle. An author writes a story, gives you hints, and typically tells you all you need to know before the story’s conclusion so that you have a fair chance at figuring it out if you’re perceptive enough. Good mystery authors make it possible to figure out the killer long before they are revealed in the story. But it has gotten to the point that many people either don’t try and figure it out, or if they do, their guesses are far more lukewarm, because they know the story will succinctly reveal everything at the end of the story and wrap everything up in a nice little bow. Umineko, on the other hand, does not do this. Umineko lays out clues for you and tells you to figure it out yourself, not directly revealing the answer to a majority of its individual mysteries, and, while giving you more hints to its biggest mysteries, never outright stating the answer. What makes the story even more difficult to solve is the constant questioning of whether what you’re seeing is true or false, and whether or not the murders are truly being done by magic, not helped by the constant seemingly impossible closed room murders. Can you figure out the truth? That’s up to your observational skills.
– Real player with 108.7 hrs in game
Umineko When They Cry - Answer Arcs
The second, more uneven half of Umineko. There is some fantastic content in these four arcs, particularly with the introduction of a new character from the fifth arc. Continuing with the ongoing trend of deconstructing the detective fiction genre, the fifth and sixth arcs provide a stark contrast to the preceding ones that reveal further truths, mostly on the rules governing the game board and its pieces. The new character uses the limit of the rules to play with the game boards in novel ways not seen before, and makes for the series' best antagonist. You’ll hate her, but love every moment she’s on screen. Like the games in the Question Arcs, there is an exciting back and forth interplay between characters arguing the logic and reasoning behind what is shown. These two arcs are the highlight of the Answer Arcs, and perhaps of the entire series.
– Real player with 115.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Great Soundtrack Visual Novel Games.
It takes two to create a universe and undoubtedly it must have taken more than two to create this universe of umineko. After a long journey of exploring theories and techniques of logical arguments and mysteries, it is no secret that the reader must have gained some skills in interpretation and analysis. Although, the creators describe this novel to be fictional and fantastical in nature the story is undoubtedly philosophical. Compared to the first installment of the visual novel, the answer arcs are far more focused on unnecessary details and fights and seems elongated like how a bollywood soap opera would cleverly add endless episodes of drama to just get more room for ads. In my personal opinion this whole story would have ended in in the answer arcs with just two long episodes and I will stand by that. When I was reading the question arcs I felt refreshed and amazed by each episode, but I expected more from answer arcs. The whole two visual novels revolve around this one single incident : the murders of Rokkenjima, when a whole visual novel with like 4 episodes were given based on twisting the same story it would be impossible to enjoy it fully in the 5th or 7th time. I was mainly bored in the 5th 6th episodes and what mostly interested me was the last two. On the terms of the mystery genre and explaining mysteries I have far not read any visual novel that would impress me. So that credit would go to Umineko alone. IT should also be noteworthy to mention that I like Higurashi novels better no matter how repetitive it was- it was different each time with the same setting much better than umineko.
– Real player with 73.1 hrs in game
Notch - The Innocent LunA: Eclipsed SinnerS
Notch - The Innocent LunA: Eclipsed SinnerS is the first Angels Blue novel published on Steam, and a fairly solid entry at that. Despite being clearly inspired by Higurashi When They Cry, the intriguing story, imaginative ideas and gorgeous artwork make up for a somewhat shaky translation.
The story opens with Yuhito Asakawa trapped in a dream-like world filled with death and horror. He discovers his childhood sweetheart amidst the mayhem and attempts to escape together, only to end up lost and alone before he awakens from what was only a nightmare. He soon realizes that the nightmare may not have ended as young, mutilated girls begin appearing throughout town. Determined to catch the murderer, his pursuit will lead him on a nightmarish journey that will change his understanding of the peaceful world he’s always known.
– Real player with 31.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Great Soundtrack Psychological Horror Games.
Memories are so vulnerable in the face of cruel reality. What is goodness? What is evil? What is love? What is hatred? Your world has become an inverted image in my dream…
Notch - The Innocent LunA: Eclipsed SinnerS is a Chinese Visual Novel that tells the tales of broken forms, iron wills and unbearable truths. Through my many experiences with either emotional, philosophical or psychological narrations in visual novels, I’ve rarely felt thoroughly shaken until this one little tale of loss and misunderstanding…
– Real player with 30.7 hrs in game
Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon
See the world through the eyes of an arachnid in Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon!
Spider: RotSM is a puzzle-platformer type game that’s a sequel to an earlier title by Tiger Style, Spider: The Secret of Bryce Manor. It’s a game with a unique premise to it - you’re a tiny lil' jumping spider, living her spidery life in the mysterious Blackbird Manor where you hatch. As a spider, your only goal in life is to hunt down insects and eat them, either by catching them in webs or tackling them like real jumping spiders do. The gameplay for this part of the game is really quite fun and interesting. It’s really fun to plan out where you should spin your next web, how to lay webs in sequence, how to catch each insect, and where to find secrets, all in lush hand-drawn and hand-painted levels with soothing music. The game’s smart too - it can look up the weather and moon phase in your area, and use that to change the way the levels work. In fact, that’s a big part of the game’s mechanics, since some insects only come out at night or during certain weather conditions, and some puzzles can only be solved during certain moon phases. The game really, really encourages you to try and find all of its secrets, neatly and intricately tucked away in the hidden corners of its mansion locale, all of which is only made more fun by its surprisingly deep lore.
– Real player with 43.3 hrs in game
Spider: Rite of the Shrouded Moon is a unique experience and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a change of pace.
As a spider, you will puzzle your way through each level by catching insects, either in your webs or with your swift predatory leap. Once you’ve caught enough, a portal will open somewhere enabling you to finish the level. Scuttle everywhere: under the floorboards, up the walls, and inside the many cracks and crevices of the old estate, seeking prey.
As a player, you will be driven by curiosity about the story behind the scenes your spider explores, and the secret, hidden spaces that your spider finds its way into. A winning example of “show, don’t tell”, Spider succeeds in striking an unusual balance. Finding secrets and “Clues” to solve the mysteries of this place feels rewarding and it’s often unexpected. You will learn to eagerly search everywhere you can to uncover the things that may be hidden in unexpected corners, or in a place which will open to you when you find the right mechanism and figure out how to trigger it.
– Real player with 37.6 hrs in game
The House in Fata Morgana
Full review (including score):
Written review below!
The rundown:
Pros:
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Unique art style
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Great use of atmosphere
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Excellent storyline
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God-tier soundtrack
Cons:
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Rough first few chapters
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Lossy soundtrack compression
The House in Fata Morgana proved to be quite the journey for me. It took me nearly three months of on-and-off playing to finally clear, but in the end, it was totally worth it. Not only does the game provide an excellent story with a great sense of atmosphere, but it also does so with a unique art style and a soundtrack that quickly became one of my favorites.
– Real player with 65.6 hrs in game
Introduction
The House in Fata Morgana was an incredible surprise for me, as visuals novel are not something I would actively seek to play. However, this game is the one that might change my mind, and I definitely want to play more similar games like that in the future. The game’s story is amazingly written and has several interesting characters and thrilling plots, accompanied by an astonishing soundtrack and a beautiful art style.
Story
At the start, you wake up at a mysterious mansion with no memory of yourself whatsoever. However, you are not alone here. A woman, who calls herself The Maid, claims you should know each other, as you have been here before. In pursuit of regaining your memory, you follow The Maid through the mansion, where you witness multiple tragedies that happened to its previous residents throughout the years. What secrets do their stories hide? Why are you connected to this place? That is something you need to discover by yourself.
– Real player with 44.4 hrs in game
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case
The 25th Ward is a sequel to the previous entries in the series, The Silver Case and Flower, Sun, and Rain, and also exists in an overall bigger picture universe known as “Kill the Past”…
The 25th Ward is a visual novel with light adventure games elements, puzzles, and a few surprises…
The 25th Ward is a story about the Heinous Crimes Unit investigating “transmittable crime”…
The 25th Ward is a story about the Regional Adjustment Bureau adjusting undesirable citizens…
The 25th Ward is a story about the reporter Tokio Morishima regaining his lost memories…
– Real player with 52.1 hrs in game
I was expecting the 25th Ward (for the purpose of this review I will call this game The 25th Ward) to be way weaker story wise compared to the Silver Case, this wasn’t the case (pun intended). The 25th Ward is a disjointed sequel that takes place after the events of the Silver Case. if you want the full experience I advice you to first play The Silver Case which is a seperate game currently on Steam, then read Case 4.5 Face by Naoko Korekata, after that play Flower, Sun, and Rain for PS2 or Nintendo DS (the PS2 version is Japan Only) and after all that play this game.
– Real player with 39.7 hrs in game
428: Shibuya Scramble
Fans of the visual novel genre have probably heard of Spike Chunsoft (formerly Chunsoft before the merge), the developers of the acclaimed Zero Escape and Danganronpa series. While Spike Chunsoft’s VNs don’t put a focus on cute girls or romantic drama, over the last decade or so they have gained a strong cult following with their intriguing mystery thriller plot and eccentric characters. What if I told you SC made another game that predates those two series and showcases arguably even better mastery of their strong suits? Enter 428: Shibuya Scramble.
– Real player with 60.5 hrs in game
To be honest, I already knew what my conclusion on 428 would be when I had gotten about halfway through it. For the sake of total disclosure, though, I decided I’d best complete the game in its entirety before pushing out a review. In short: 428 is a good game. It’s an exceedingly competent visual novel that stands out with its stylization and user interface. Its choice to use live action models as opposed to animesque sprites may have alienated a good portion of its Western audience, but I found it made the game more distinctive and engaging. Overall, I don’t regret playing it, and I can definitely see the average visual novel fan taking a lot of enjoyment from it, if they’re willing to accept the lack of anime stylization.
– Real player with 56.9 hrs in game
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die -Season One-
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die is a true hidden gem. I consider it to be a masterpiece. It is among my favourite games, and one of the finest examples of the interactive movie subgenre. It’s also among the most immersive games, both overall and specifically due to how great it is with giving you a lot of different emotions. It’s sad, mysterious, weird, funny, and somewhat scary. It has a great balance of brightness and darkness, and not because it only plays on contrasts, but because it has bright, dark, and in-between moments, and they are placed appropriately, as well as equally good at what their purposes are. While some might claim the game is unfinished, it’s not exactly so, it’s more of a somewhat unfinished game, but worth it without a doubt. You can see it this way - even if a truly beautiful painting is unfinished to some degree, it still remains beautiful. Now let’s talk about the essential video game aspects.
– Real player with 27.0 hrs in game
8.5/10
My likes include 100% de Agave tequila. My dislikes are mainly drugs… And chewing gum.
Overview
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die -Season one- is the first part of a planned episodic adventure games series developed by Access Games in the same vein as Telltale’s cinematic titles. D4 is a crazy story filled with wacky characters and ridiculous situations somehow fittingly wrapped into a serious, moody detective crime story.
Story
D4 follows the tale of David Young, middle-aged ex-cop and widower turned private detective in order to find D, a mysterious individual whose only known initial was Little Peggy’s (Young’s wife) dying breath.
– Real player with 16.1 hrs in game
Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
This game sparked my love of Danganronpa and it is without a doubt one of my favorite games. I guess I could go so far as to say it -is- my favorite game. I’ve put 152 hours into the game, I’ve completed all the achievements. I’ve been through every game in the game universe. There is Danganronpa 2, Danganronpa Another Episode, Danganronpa V3 and then the anime. I’ve collected different things from this game. I can’t recommend it more. It’s hard to define but
This is a murder mystery game. It’s deep, chilling and brutal at times. You have to collect evidence and then present it at the class trial, convicting one of your classmates and the trial is rife with things you need to do in order to succeed. You have a trust meter. If it runs out, your classmates no longer believe anything you have to say. I highly…HIGHLY encourage you try it. This one game I bought on a whim, captured my heart. So yeah, of course I’m going to give it a massively positive review!
– Real player with 152.6 hrs in game
PLEASE VOTE #Danganronpa as LABOR OF LOVE!!!
My Hubby and I known this game since we’re kinda younger hehe
And we love the story so much, actually the whole Danganronpa franchise!!!
They have a lot of fans all over the world and we’re surprised that its community is big. ♥
They deserve the LOVE people! Thank you and Kudos to all the developers and the whole team who established Danganronpa Franchise!
*edited: We stream the gameplay and we will stream the other games too
SUBSCRIBE to our Youtube Channel! 🥰
– Real player with 40.7 hrs in game
Forgotten Sound 2: Destiny
bad, not interesting, lame gameplay and puzzles. Weak interface.
– Real player with 1.3 hrs in game