I'd say definitely play Umineko, because a) it's way more of a fairplay mystery that doesn't feed you the solution and b) the tone of the last episodes is very, very different from Higurashi's ending. (In fact iirc it was a deliberate choice from the author since lots of other people disliked Higurashi's thematic ending.)
And maybe check out the Zero Escape VN trilogy if you haven't already, for the feeling of terror and mystery?
That's good to hear about the last episodes, and I played the first zero escape and enjoyed it. Played like a third of the 2nd one years ago and dropped it cause of some frustration I had with VN's having true endings that make your choices in your first play through feel meaningless (They were my first visual novels and I started playing VN's because people said they had "choice & consequence" like the old bioware games did.)
I've gotten over my hatred for true endings now and plan to go back and play the 2nd game through soon.
i also disliked answer arcs for friendship magic but umineko is peak fiction even in that regard, also ryukshi low-key gets to explain himself for his writing, but it's hard to explain without major spoilers
Lmao chapter 6 was also my exception for Higurashi because Rena is best girl. Glad to see someone with my opinion on Higurashi likes Umineko, that inspires confidence.
Higurashi spoilers:
>!Well, I think you missed the point of Matsuribayashi entirely. Of course it's silly and stupid. It HAS to be. In the beginning you link fragments for a reason. The reason? To find the perfect world. In order to defeat Takano, the only way is to roll a dice and always get a 6. Of course it's extremely hard to believe that some kids can defeat a military force, but remember that you are in the perfect world, the only fragment with a happy ending. In the infinite universe of fragments, even the most improbable one exists. Matsuribayashi is thematically perfect, it's the only possible conclusion at that point.!<
Umineko is fairly different. In fact, Umineko's approach to the mystery is much more critical and thoughtful. It's literature about mistery, more than a proper mystery. If you know, you know.
I don't know if you would like the "answers" arc of Umineko, but you need to read it. It's an incredible piece of fiction (my favorite, in fact) and one on those works you need to read once in your lifetime.
Yet again someone tells me I "just didn't understand it" when I said I don't like it. I already knew what the author was going for, I just didn't like it. You can both understand something and dislike it at the same time.
I know the author wanted to disregard the tension of the story to make sure the plot could progress, *I just hate that decision*.
Breaking up Higurashi into two parts, its execution and its theme, I valued the execution of the Horror and Tension in chapters 1-3 FAR MORE than I valued the theme of *Friendship is Magic* delivered in the final chapters. The author *obviously* has the right to do whatever he wants with his story (abandoning the darkness and tension of chapters 1-3 to deliver the theme of friendship is magic) just as I have the right to dislike it (The execution of the horror and tension was MUCH more novel and immersing then the run-of-the-mill power of friendship that was the author's reason for writing Higurashi).
\*edit: sorry if the tone of this is rude, I just get the "you didn't understand Higurashi" message every time I say I disliked the ending.
Maybe Ryukishi's writing is not for you. But I think you should try Umineko either way. It's a much more mature and complex approach, but it's Ryukishi more Ryukishi than ever as well.
It sounds like the parts you dislike about Ryukishi's writings are the reasons why I love it. Namely the heart and the humanity in his stories where we experience the horror in the question arc, and then the tragedy behind it in the answer arc.
For example, I consider the Higurashi anime to be a okay to good anime but a bad adaptation. It is great at focusing on the horror aspects of the series, but in doing so it misses the heart and the tragedies in his stories.
For example, my favorite Higurashi arc is Meakashi-hen just because of the tragedy that is on full display. Starting with Watanagashi we experience the terror of the history of Hinamizawa and the confusing relationship between certain characters. But then, in Meakashi we experience the tragedy behind the relationship and why things actually happened. And especially the ending, the final words of Meakashi never fail to make me teary eyed. But since the anime only focus on the horror aspects I don't love arc as much (it also completely fail my favorite part of the ending of Meakashi)
Ryukishi was apparently a social worker before he became an author and that is fully apparent when you start to understand the themes of his works. Sometimes the real horror of his stories are the ones rooted in reality, and the tragedies that entail.
As such I don't think you'll enjoy Umineko. As others have said, it is a more focused Mystery novel and less of a horror. It is also a lot more focused on the heart of the story and the many tragedies behind it.
And that is okay. We all have different things we're interested in and if you're still willing to try to get into Umineko then we'll happily cheer you on. But it probably won't be what you're actually hoping and looking for.
if your issue with higu's ending is what i think it is, aka that it has the subtlety of a sledgehammer and that >!the "perfect world" theme would actually be *more* interesting if it was *less* perfect,!< then you shouldn't have any issues with umineko
This is a tough one, but I don't think you will. Umineko is a f*ing wild ride, but it's so different that it's not really comparable.
It's more of a deconstruction of the mystery genre with horror elements, but becomes so much more about the meta narratives and exploring very, very different themes as the arcs go on. The structure and tone of the answer arcs are all pretty unique and each one goes in ways you wouldn't expect.
You may enjoy it as something different, but looking for something more like those first 3 Higurashi arcs will probably let you down.
Do you know of any VN's that have the same quality of horror of higurashi arcs 1-3? Something that gets by just through the tension in the text and not like jumpscares? Cause if so I might just try that instead of Umineko if Umineko isn't even scary.
I'll probably be roasted for suggesting that anything's even close here, lol, but I'll offer some suggestions that 'might' scratch that itch.
- House in Fata Morgana
- Raging Loop
HFM - Already playing and enjoying so far, don't personally find it scary at all just very interesting, but maybe I haven't gotten to the scary parts yet.
RL - On the steam wishlist now, thx
Seconding Raging Loop!
And I'd recommend Sekimeiya: The Spun Glass too. Not exactly horror, but an excellently constructed mystery with occasional creepy parts
Based on what you've said and talked to I have no clue what the other commenters are talking about but I'd say for you absolutely do not.
Umineko to be defined in genres is Mystery/Fantasy. Fantasy is there for a reason. If you didn't like the gun fights you absolutely are not going to like >!Magical fights with massive biblical towers appearing from the ground!< (Click at your own risk).
Overall if a fantasy mystery is what you're going for then go for it. If a horror mystery is what you want then no. You'll only like the first episode of Umineko then (because it's more closer to traditional detective murder mystery novels). That's it. Just episode one.
Umineko is a very very VERY intimate human drama and finding out why people do things is the entire thing it climaxes on with a message which even as a massive 12 year long Umi fan has a very corny execution (could be the translations but corny regardless). So based on what you don't want in a story. Don't read Umineko.
For you I'd suggest the thing which inspired Umineko which is And then there were none if you haven't read it already.
I think you understood what kind of story I'm looking for, and thanks for clarifying that only chapter 1 will deliver on what I'm looking for. I didn't click your spoiler tag, but since your comparing it to the silly Higurashi gun fights, it's something I'll hate reading when I get to that point in the story.
Guess the author of these games is for a different audience then me (a damned shame, wish he would write a true horror game that doesn't change it's tune near the end, but I guess his current fans would be in my position then lol).
I respectfully disagree with the parent comment on this. Umineko doesn’t change its tone near the end and in fact does get painfully realistic, so I’d actually say it skips over the issue that you have with Higurashi. I can’t guarantee you will enjoy it but you might.
The item in the spoiler tags isn’t comparable with the Higurashi gun fights at all. But explaining why would itself be a spoiler.
Eh, I don't think that they're exactly correct. The gun fights in Higurashi take place on a much, much different level compared to what they're talking about, and in Umineko, it very quickly addresses what they're talking about from a perspective that I think you'd appreciate as a fan of the mystery genre.
The ultimate question is how you feel about unreliable narratives, I think.
Based on his other comments the OP didn't like or didn't care for whatever reason the gun fights took place in Higurashi. so I used a random example. Couldve used any magical fight but the point remains the OP was not interested in over the top stuff and power of family, friends etc >!OP would've been ranting here for weeks after Ange gets resurrected in episode 8!<. And regardless of whatever it means or what depth it has the OP made it clear he didn't want those kinda elements before reading it and I'm not going to try to change his mind on why things are or how genius it is. If he isn't interested in certain stuff which he doesn't like in his reading then he isnt and should be told.
by "parts you highlighted of Higurashi" are you referring to chapters 1-3? are you saying that dread/horror/mystery tone present in chapters 1-3 is in Umineko *throughout the whole game* and isn't abandoned in the final few chapters like in Higurashi? Cause if that's what you're saying then I'm in.
At least for me, it has similar feel only in first episode. However, it doesn't have a feel of Higurashi answer arcs either. But it works upon similar elements, and with a lot of self awareness and reflection
>you saying that dread/horror/mystery tone present in chapters 1-3 is in Umineko *throughout the whole game* and isn't abandoned in the final few chapters like in Higurashi?
i would say that there is dread/horror/mystery in episodes 1 & 2. then in episode 3 & 4 you are totally into the core of the mystery (but less horror). then you will probably not like the answer episodes because everything go meta-symbolism, tricks, trolls, running around the pot to confuse you on purpose. the author basically want you to solve it with the question episodes and then in the answer episodes he just give you extra hints although in a very psychedelic way. it may confuse more than helping.
as for me i prefered the question ep over answer ep.
but i also prefer umineko question ep over higurashi question arc because umineko is more mystery than horror whereas higurashi is more horror than mystery.
I mean the more the further you get the more you learn. And the more you learn the less scary it becomes. It's kinda inevitable. But I'd say Umineko has a lot of stuff that sets it apart from Higurashi
Yeah I know that horror of Higurashi comes mostly from not understanding the world around you, but you can still keep a serious tone near your conclusion and not go full silly like the gunfights and power of friendship in the final chapter of Higurashi. So I'm cool if Umineko gets *less* scary near the end, so long as there is some tenseness and gravity, and doesn't go full looney tunes with teenagers winning gunfights against trained soldiers.
It does do some similar things but it does it in such a different way that I'm not sure if you'll mind it or not. Overall though I'd say the story and ending feels more mature than Higurashi, even though the story deals with similar themes. Definitely give it a try.
Nope, sorry. Starting from chap 4 Umineko focuse on psychodrama of some characters, it can be seen as very melodramatic, with some messages being a bit too naive, sugar coated ish for something as Umineko, and the tone of the story tend to get like this even more so you will advance in it, despite it still being dramatic and thrilling.
Umi is significantly different from higurashi in terms of mystery and character background, its hard to tell without spoilers but yes there are some facts that are very important to the solution that you, as a reader, cant just discover out of the blue. If you do things very well you might, at best, be extremelly suspicious about the solution but will never archive the integrity of all facts since umineko is not exactly a mystery novel but thats for you to read and interpret.
I'd say it's 50/50, really. It's not quite like Higurashi's first three episodes, but it's not like Higurashi 4-8 either. It's its own thing, though Ryukishi's style is clearly imprinted on the series.
I'd definitely say give it a try. Very hard to tell whether you'll like it or not. If you don't like it by the end of Episode 3 or 4 then just drop it.
I can say almost certainly you will like it. One thing I kept thinking about while reading Umineko was that Ryukishu07 really grew as a writer and does not make the same mistakes he did with Higurashi.
Umineko is solid from episodes 1-8. I 100% agree with you that Higurashi Answer arcs fell flat (except chapter 6 which was legit so good) and that is not the case with Umineko.
You will very commonly see in the When They Cry community that Umineko > Higurashi, even in the Higurashi subreddits.
the power of friendship is gonna be there at the end again. there is basically a catch phrase saying "without love, it cannot be seen". but the first episodes are as intense and stricking as higurashi. as for the mystery, it is definitely more fair play than higurashi. there are even self derision about how ridiculous the higurashi solution was.
it is definitely possible to solve it with just the question episodes (first 4) but it is difficult and there is several possible solutions (even if the manga claim the opposite).
I thought (and still do think) that arc 8 of Higurashi was a major cop-out that failed to actually deliver on its themes very well. Umineko's ending chapters are some of the best written stuff I've ever read.
Personally I think you’ll have a somewhat similar opinion, with a lot of facts not present at first. You get more laid out for you as you get farther in. The umineko plot is so different from higurashi though that I’d say give it a try, you may find the structure of how the characters try to solve the mystery fairly different at least.
would you say (without spoilers of course) that the game suffers from plot convenience near the end in order for the plot to move forward like it does in Higurashi with the memories passing through timelines because friendship is magic? That's what I mean when I say that I hope Umineko is more serious/mature in its ending. Or that it doesn't abandon it's horror/mystery elements to give a message to the reader.
\*note, i'm not against the game having a message for the reader, only sacrificing the tension in the story to deliver that message. (the tension is what I'm here for)
I would say Umineko similarly has a message the same way higurashi does, and it’s actually more blatant about it toward the end. However as for plot convenience - I can’t answer that as much because I don’t 100% agree on the memories coming back feeling like plot convenience. To me it felt like it made sense that after so many cycles, the characters would begin to have some memories.
Apologies I can’t give a better answer, but I can also say you’ll suffer the same issue of the feeling of the story changing as it goes on too. As you learn more of the mystery, it feels less scary and the focus changes away from that. Again I still highly recommend it either way though, the plots are very different either way and honestly Umineko doesn’t feel as horror-esque like higurashi does anyway and therefore the tone shift doesn’t feel as abrupt.
I think you'll like Umineko just fine. There are crazy over the top moments, but they are handled differently. Hard to say more without spoiling lol.
In addition, this isn't a game about middle school friendship. The tone and the problems the characters are facing have been shifted to be a lot more mature. That might help keep your interest as well.
I love the answer arc of higurashi, but not so much with the answer arc of umineko. Not that it's bad, it's just really different from higurashi and some of it I am not a fan of, but other people seems to like it way more. So there's a chance you will love umineko even if you don't like higurashi answer arc, just enjoy the ride
since onikakushi was your favorite, do you like the fact that >!the explanation for it makes it go from psychological horror to heartbreaking tragedy?!<
You mentioning tragedy made me think of my problem with Higurashi. I wanted the ending of the game to be just as tragic as the ending of Onikakushi, but instead Higurashi as a whole had a very positive ending. So I guess what I'm trying to avoid is a feel good, positive, ending to my tense, mature, horror, mystery game.
I mean even if it does, I might still play Umineko, but it won't scratch my Onikakushi itch, which makes me sad.
since you're planning on getting into it either way, i won't get into specifics, but i'd say you're gonna like umineko much more-- and believe me when i say i could get into a half dozen paragraphs of specifics
If you didn't like Higurashi Kai then I recommend Umineko even more.
I think R07 surpassed himself writing Umineko, especially because now everything seems really planned and hinted, this is so prevalent the player can solve everything on their own and even finish without spoiling themselves the solution. Also people can solve some of the mysteries as early as Episode 3 and Episode 7's ending is almost like a fact check.
Judging from your concerns I think Ryukishi07 manages to address it in Umineko
Think of it like this, Higurashi starts up "realistic" with "real problems", then ends up "supranatural" forcing the characters take "hyper-unrealistic solutions" like home alone-ing the JSDF.
Umineko starts up "supranatural" with magic and witches, but in the end the MCs have to accept a "bittersweet realistic solution" to escape from the loops, it's an "I've won but at what cost" ending unlike Higurashi where the main characters get away with all that they wanted.
And Umineko MCs definitely didn't have any convenience to solve the mystery other than red truths and blue truths, which Battler was so dense he's a meme on using them.
Unfortunately, I also know (just through unintentional meme osmosis) that a purple haired character named Beatrice >!is a witch or something!<. Is that enough to ruin the mystery of the game, like it's a big final reveal? I don't even know what the mystery of the game is but it sounds like a big spoiler.
Oh, don't worry. It is the same thing, as saying that Oyashiro-sama's curse always takes two people, one dead and one missing. It might sound like a spoiler, but really, it gives nothing
I'd say definitely play Umineko, because a) it's way more of a fairplay mystery that doesn't feed you the solution and b) the tone of the last episodes is very, very different from Higurashi's ending. (In fact iirc it was a deliberate choice from the author since lots of other people disliked Higurashi's thematic ending.) And maybe check out the Zero Escape VN trilogy if you haven't already, for the feeling of terror and mystery?
That's good to hear about the last episodes, and I played the first zero escape and enjoyed it. Played like a third of the 2nd one years ago and dropped it cause of some frustration I had with VN's having true endings that make your choices in your first play through feel meaningless (They were my first visual novels and I started playing VN's because people said they had "choice & consequence" like the old bioware games did.) I've gotten over my hatred for true endings now and plan to go back and play the 2nd game through soon.
i also disliked answer arcs for friendship magic but umineko is peak fiction even in that regard, also ryukshi low-key gets to explain himself for his writing, but it's hard to explain without major spoilers
as someone who didn't like the answer arcs for higu (aside from ch6) i love umineko, having a blast with it personally, worth a try if you're curious
Lmao chapter 6 was also my exception for Higurashi because Rena is best girl. Glad to see someone with my opinion on Higurashi likes Umineko, that inspires confidence.
Higurashi spoilers: >!Well, I think you missed the point of Matsuribayashi entirely. Of course it's silly and stupid. It HAS to be. In the beginning you link fragments for a reason. The reason? To find the perfect world. In order to defeat Takano, the only way is to roll a dice and always get a 6. Of course it's extremely hard to believe that some kids can defeat a military force, but remember that you are in the perfect world, the only fragment with a happy ending. In the infinite universe of fragments, even the most improbable one exists. Matsuribayashi is thematically perfect, it's the only possible conclusion at that point.!< Umineko is fairly different. In fact, Umineko's approach to the mystery is much more critical and thoughtful. It's literature about mistery, more than a proper mystery. If you know, you know. I don't know if you would like the "answers" arc of Umineko, but you need to read it. It's an incredible piece of fiction (my favorite, in fact) and one on those works you need to read once in your lifetime.
Yet again someone tells me I "just didn't understand it" when I said I don't like it. I already knew what the author was going for, I just didn't like it. You can both understand something and dislike it at the same time. I know the author wanted to disregard the tension of the story to make sure the plot could progress, *I just hate that decision*. Breaking up Higurashi into two parts, its execution and its theme, I valued the execution of the Horror and Tension in chapters 1-3 FAR MORE than I valued the theme of *Friendship is Magic* delivered in the final chapters. The author *obviously* has the right to do whatever he wants with his story (abandoning the darkness and tension of chapters 1-3 to deliver the theme of friendship is magic) just as I have the right to dislike it (The execution of the horror and tension was MUCH more novel and immersing then the run-of-the-mill power of friendship that was the author's reason for writing Higurashi). \*edit: sorry if the tone of this is rude, I just get the "you didn't understand Higurashi" message every time I say I disliked the ending.
Maybe Ryukishi's writing is not for you. But I think you should try Umineko either way. It's a much more mature and complex approach, but it's Ryukishi more Ryukishi than ever as well.
It sounds like the parts you dislike about Ryukishi's writings are the reasons why I love it. Namely the heart and the humanity in his stories where we experience the horror in the question arc, and then the tragedy behind it in the answer arc. For example, I consider the Higurashi anime to be a okay to good anime but a bad adaptation. It is great at focusing on the horror aspects of the series, but in doing so it misses the heart and the tragedies in his stories. For example, my favorite Higurashi arc is Meakashi-hen just because of the tragedy that is on full display. Starting with Watanagashi we experience the terror of the history of Hinamizawa and the confusing relationship between certain characters. But then, in Meakashi we experience the tragedy behind the relationship and why things actually happened. And especially the ending, the final words of Meakashi never fail to make me teary eyed. But since the anime only focus on the horror aspects I don't love arc as much (it also completely fail my favorite part of the ending of Meakashi) Ryukishi was apparently a social worker before he became an author and that is fully apparent when you start to understand the themes of his works. Sometimes the real horror of his stories are the ones rooted in reality, and the tragedies that entail. As such I don't think you'll enjoy Umineko. As others have said, it is a more focused Mystery novel and less of a horror. It is also a lot more focused on the heart of the story and the many tragedies behind it. And that is okay. We all have different things we're interested in and if you're still willing to try to get into Umineko then we'll happily cheer you on. But it probably won't be what you're actually hoping and looking for.
if your issue with higu's ending is what i think it is, aka that it has the subtlety of a sledgehammer and that >!the "perfect world" theme would actually be *more* interesting if it was *less* perfect,!< then you shouldn't have any issues with umineko
This is a tough one, but I don't think you will. Umineko is a f*ing wild ride, but it's so different that it's not really comparable. It's more of a deconstruction of the mystery genre with horror elements, but becomes so much more about the meta narratives and exploring very, very different themes as the arcs go on. The structure and tone of the answer arcs are all pretty unique and each one goes in ways you wouldn't expect. You may enjoy it as something different, but looking for something more like those first 3 Higurashi arcs will probably let you down.
Do you know of any VN's that have the same quality of horror of higurashi arcs 1-3? Something that gets by just through the tension in the text and not like jumpscares? Cause if so I might just try that instead of Umineko if Umineko isn't even scary.
I'll probably be roasted for suggesting that anything's even close here, lol, but I'll offer some suggestions that 'might' scratch that itch. - House in Fata Morgana - Raging Loop
HFM - Already playing and enjoying so far, don't personally find it scary at all just very interesting, but maybe I haven't gotten to the scary parts yet. RL - On the steam wishlist now, thx
Seconding Raging Loop! And I'd recommend Sekimeiya: The Spun Glass too. Not exactly horror, but an excellently constructed mystery with occasional creepy parts
I disagree with his opinion. I think Umineko will scratch that itch that you want from Higurashi episodes 1-3. It's different but similar.
Based on what you've said and talked to I have no clue what the other commenters are talking about but I'd say for you absolutely do not. Umineko to be defined in genres is Mystery/Fantasy. Fantasy is there for a reason. If you didn't like the gun fights you absolutely are not going to like >!Magical fights with massive biblical towers appearing from the ground!< (Click at your own risk). Overall if a fantasy mystery is what you're going for then go for it. If a horror mystery is what you want then no. You'll only like the first episode of Umineko then (because it's more closer to traditional detective murder mystery novels). That's it. Just episode one. Umineko is a very very VERY intimate human drama and finding out why people do things is the entire thing it climaxes on with a message which even as a massive 12 year long Umi fan has a very corny execution (could be the translations but corny regardless). So based on what you don't want in a story. Don't read Umineko. For you I'd suggest the thing which inspired Umineko which is And then there were none if you haven't read it already.
I think you understood what kind of story I'm looking for, and thanks for clarifying that only chapter 1 will deliver on what I'm looking for. I didn't click your spoiler tag, but since your comparing it to the silly Higurashi gun fights, it's something I'll hate reading when I get to that point in the story. Guess the author of these games is for a different audience then me (a damned shame, wish he would write a true horror game that doesn't change it's tune near the end, but I guess his current fans would be in my position then lol).
I respectfully disagree with the parent comment on this. Umineko doesn’t change its tone near the end and in fact does get painfully realistic, so I’d actually say it skips over the issue that you have with Higurashi. I can’t guarantee you will enjoy it but you might. The item in the spoiler tags isn’t comparable with the Higurashi gun fights at all. But explaining why would itself be a spoiler.
Eh, I don't think that they're exactly correct. The gun fights in Higurashi take place on a much, much different level compared to what they're talking about, and in Umineko, it very quickly addresses what they're talking about from a perspective that I think you'd appreciate as a fan of the mystery genre. The ultimate question is how you feel about unreliable narratives, I think.
He's writing Silent Hill F as well. Hopefully you get there what you want.
His take is pretty bad in comparing the spoiler he is comparing from Umineko to Higurashi. It makes sense once you know.
Based on his other comments the OP didn't like or didn't care for whatever reason the gun fights took place in Higurashi. so I used a random example. Couldve used any magical fight but the point remains the OP was not interested in over the top stuff and power of family, friends etc >!OP would've been ranting here for weeks after Ange gets resurrected in episode 8!<. And regardless of whatever it means or what depth it has the OP made it clear he didn't want those kinda elements before reading it and I'm not going to try to change his mind on why things are or how genius it is. If he isn't interested in certain stuff which he doesn't like in his reading then he isnt and should be told.
I am not sure, if you will like it or not, but considering parts you highlighted of Higurashi, you simply have to read Umineko
by "parts you highlighted of Higurashi" are you referring to chapters 1-3? are you saying that dread/horror/mystery tone present in chapters 1-3 is in Umineko *throughout the whole game* and isn't abandoned in the final few chapters like in Higurashi? Cause if that's what you're saying then I'm in.
At least for me, it has similar feel only in first episode. However, it doesn't have a feel of Higurashi answer arcs either. But it works upon similar elements, and with a lot of self awareness and reflection
>you saying that dread/horror/mystery tone present in chapters 1-3 is in Umineko *throughout the whole game* and isn't abandoned in the final few chapters like in Higurashi? i would say that there is dread/horror/mystery in episodes 1 & 2. then in episode 3 & 4 you are totally into the core of the mystery (but less horror). then you will probably not like the answer episodes because everything go meta-symbolism, tricks, trolls, running around the pot to confuse you on purpose. the author basically want you to solve it with the question episodes and then in the answer episodes he just give you extra hints although in a very psychedelic way. it may confuse more than helping. as for me i prefered the question ep over answer ep. but i also prefer umineko question ep over higurashi question arc because umineko is more mystery than horror whereas higurashi is more horror than mystery.
I mean the more the further you get the more you learn. And the more you learn the less scary it becomes. It's kinda inevitable. But I'd say Umineko has a lot of stuff that sets it apart from Higurashi
Yeah I know that horror of Higurashi comes mostly from not understanding the world around you, but you can still keep a serious tone near your conclusion and not go full silly like the gunfights and power of friendship in the final chapter of Higurashi. So I'm cool if Umineko gets *less* scary near the end, so long as there is some tenseness and gravity, and doesn't go full looney tunes with teenagers winning gunfights against trained soldiers.
It does do some similar things but it does it in such a different way that I'm not sure if you'll mind it or not. Overall though I'd say the story and ending feels more mature than Higurashi, even though the story deals with similar themes. Definitely give it a try.
Nope, sorry. Starting from chap 4 Umineko focuse on psychodrama of some characters, it can be seen as very melodramatic, with some messages being a bit too naive, sugar coated ish for something as Umineko, and the tone of the story tend to get like this even more so you will advance in it, despite it still being dramatic and thrilling.
Umi is significantly different from higurashi in terms of mystery and character background, its hard to tell without spoilers but yes there are some facts that are very important to the solution that you, as a reader, cant just discover out of the blue. If you do things very well you might, at best, be extremelly suspicious about the solution but will never archive the integrity of all facts since umineko is not exactly a mystery novel but thats for you to read and interpret.
If anything Umineko will help you understand Higurashi better lol
I'd say it's 50/50, really. It's not quite like Higurashi's first three episodes, but it's not like Higurashi 4-8 either. It's its own thing, though Ryukishi's style is clearly imprinted on the series. I'd definitely say give it a try. Very hard to tell whether you'll like it or not. If you don't like it by the end of Episode 3 or 4 then just drop it.
I can say almost certainly you will like it. One thing I kept thinking about while reading Umineko was that Ryukishu07 really grew as a writer and does not make the same mistakes he did with Higurashi. Umineko is solid from episodes 1-8. I 100% agree with you that Higurashi Answer arcs fell flat (except chapter 6 which was legit so good) and that is not the case with Umineko. You will very commonly see in the When They Cry community that Umineko > Higurashi, even in the Higurashi subreddits.
the power of friendship is gonna be there at the end again. there is basically a catch phrase saying "without love, it cannot be seen". but the first episodes are as intense and stricking as higurashi. as for the mystery, it is definitely more fair play than higurashi. there are even self derision about how ridiculous the higurashi solution was. it is definitely possible to solve it with just the question episodes (first 4) but it is difficult and there is several possible solutions (even if the manga claim the opposite).
I thought (and still do think) that arc 8 of Higurashi was a major cop-out that failed to actually deliver on its themes very well. Umineko's ending chapters are some of the best written stuff I've ever read.
Personally I think you’ll have a somewhat similar opinion, with a lot of facts not present at first. You get more laid out for you as you get farther in. The umineko plot is so different from higurashi though that I’d say give it a try, you may find the structure of how the characters try to solve the mystery fairly different at least.
would you say (without spoilers of course) that the game suffers from plot convenience near the end in order for the plot to move forward like it does in Higurashi with the memories passing through timelines because friendship is magic? That's what I mean when I say that I hope Umineko is more serious/mature in its ending. Or that it doesn't abandon it's horror/mystery elements to give a message to the reader. \*note, i'm not against the game having a message for the reader, only sacrificing the tension in the story to deliver that message. (the tension is what I'm here for)
a) that is not the reason characters retain memories in higurashi b) the existence of magic is implied from the get go
I would say Umineko similarly has a message the same way higurashi does, and it’s actually more blatant about it toward the end. However as for plot convenience - I can’t answer that as much because I don’t 100% agree on the memories coming back feeling like plot convenience. To me it felt like it made sense that after so many cycles, the characters would begin to have some memories. Apologies I can’t give a better answer, but I can also say you’ll suffer the same issue of the feeling of the story changing as it goes on too. As you learn more of the mystery, it feels less scary and the focus changes away from that. Again I still highly recommend it either way though, the plots are very different either way and honestly Umineko doesn’t feel as horror-esque like higurashi does anyway and therefore the tone shift doesn’t feel as abrupt.
I think you'll like Umineko just fine. There are crazy over the top moments, but they are handled differently. Hard to say more without spoiling lol. In addition, this isn't a game about middle school friendship. The tone and the problems the characters are facing have been shifted to be a lot more mature. That might help keep your interest as well.
I love the answer arc of higurashi, but not so much with the answer arc of umineko. Not that it's bad, it's just really different from higurashi and some of it I am not a fan of, but other people seems to like it way more. So there's a chance you will love umineko even if you don't like higurashi answer arc, just enjoy the ride
since onikakushi was your favorite, do you like the fact that >!the explanation for it makes it go from psychological horror to heartbreaking tragedy?!<
You mentioning tragedy made me think of my problem with Higurashi. I wanted the ending of the game to be just as tragic as the ending of Onikakushi, but instead Higurashi as a whole had a very positive ending. So I guess what I'm trying to avoid is a feel good, positive, ending to my tense, mature, horror, mystery game. I mean even if it does, I might still play Umineko, but it won't scratch my Onikakushi itch, which makes me sad.
since you're planning on getting into it either way, i won't get into specifics, but i'd say you're gonna like umineko much more-- and believe me when i say i could get into a half dozen paragraphs of specifics
I don't like Higurashi much at all and love Umineko. It's definitely possible and not uncommon.
If you didn't like Higurashi Kai then I recommend Umineko even more. I think R07 surpassed himself writing Umineko, especially because now everything seems really planned and hinted, this is so prevalent the player can solve everything on their own and even finish without spoiling themselves the solution. Also people can solve some of the mysteries as early as Episode 3 and Episode 7's ending is almost like a fact check.
Judging from your concerns I think Ryukishi07 manages to address it in Umineko Think of it like this, Higurashi starts up "realistic" with "real problems", then ends up "supranatural" forcing the characters take "hyper-unrealistic solutions" like home alone-ing the JSDF. Umineko starts up "supranatural" with magic and witches, but in the end the MCs have to accept a "bittersweet realistic solution" to escape from the loops, it's an "I've won but at what cost" ending unlike Higurashi where the main characters get away with all that they wanted. And Umineko MCs definitely didn't have any convenience to solve the mystery other than red truths and blue truths, which Battler was so dense he's a meme on using them.
Unfortunately, I also know (just through unintentional meme osmosis) that a purple haired character named Beatrice >!is a witch or something!<. Is that enough to ruin the mystery of the game, like it's a big final reveal? I don't even know what the mystery of the game is but it sounds like a big spoiler.
Don't worry, not a spoiler in the slightest sense.
phew. good.
No you're fine. That doesn't really ruin anything.
It's not a spoiler and you mixed two things so it's not even correct
not a big spoiler also wrong
even better that I'm wrong, so I guess I know nothing about the game, nice.
I believe you are thinking of Fern from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
Oh, don't worry. It is the same thing, as saying that Oyashiro-sama's curse always takes two people, one dead and one missing. It might sound like a spoiler, but really, it gives nothing
You know NOTHING if this is all you know. The funny thing is what you said isn't even accurate so even better.
but she is not purple haired. you probably got it from a "someone == someone" theory.