<reposted from my steam review>
An extremely interesting first chapter, pulls you right in through it's narrative, giving you a great idea for what's to come.
The game showcases extremely well written horror, rather than relying on traditional jumpscares or hideous monsters the story provides an eerie, realistic take on horror, with a blend of supernatural elements that leave you guessing the true reality of the situation, pulling you deeper into the mystery of the story.
The plot and horror is aided tremendously by the first person viewpoint the narrative is written around, you see the events through Keiichi's eyes and witness the events firsthand, you don't see the danger before he does, and through witnessing everything from a grounded viewpoint creates a far larger feeling of suspense in the events, you know just as much as he does about what is going on in Hinamizawa, and that creates a far scarier, more frightening yet interesting atmosphere.
An incredible introduction all for free, if you're interested in what Higurashi or Visual Novels as a medium has to offer, Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi is a great place to start, and remember, if you can't stand the visual design of the text or characters, the 07th-Mod is perfect for updating the game into an easier to read style by having the text placed in a box at the bottom of the screen while utilizing sprites from the Japanese Nintendo Switch release of Higurashi!
An extremely interesting first chapter, pulls you right in through it's narrative, giving you a great idea for what's to come.
The game showcases extremely well written horror, rather than relying on traditional jumpscares or hideous monsters the story provides an eerie, realistic take on horror, with a blend of supernatural elements that leave you guessing the true reality of the situation, pulling you deeper into the mystery of the story.
The plot and horror is aided tremendously by the first person viewpoint the narrative is written around, you see the events through Keiichi's eyes and witness the events firsthand, you don't see the danger before he does, and through witnessing everything from a grounded viewpoint creates a far larger feeling of suspense in the events, you know just as much as he does about what is going on in Hinamizawa, and that creates a far scarier, more frightening yet interesting atmosphere.
An incredible introduction all for free, if you're interested in what Higurashi or Visual Novels as a medium has to offer, Higurashi When They Cry Hou - Ch.1 Onikakushi is a great place to start, and remember, if you can't stand the visual design of the text or characters, the 07th-Mod is perfect for updating the game into an easier to read style by having the text placed in a box at the bottom of the screen while utilizing sprites from the Japanese Nintendo Switch release of Higurashi!