Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa Review

Title: Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa (うみねこのなく頃に翼)
Alias: When the Seagulls Cry: Wing
Release date: 2010-12-31 (2011-01-30 in English)
Developer: 07th Expansion
English publisher: various translators (as a partial fan-patch)

Just days ago I reviewed one of the fandiscs for "Umineko", known as "Hane". "Hane" was a disappointing release and included only two short stories that weren't even enough to whet my appetite. The second fandisc - "Tsubasa" contains whooping fifteen stories. Let's rip their guts and see the insides.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Hane Review

Title: Umineko no Naku Koro ni Hane (うみねこのなく頃に羽)
Alias: When the Seagulls Cry: Feathers
Release date: 2011-12-31 (2012-05-23 in English)
Developer: 07th Expansion
English publisher: Ars Magica (as a fan-patch)

In my review of “Umineko Chiru” I have mentioned the two fandiscs that are also available. One of them – “Tsubasa” – is just a regular fandisk that was sold separately. “Hane” on the other hand was never sold in stores by itself and was only available in a bundle with “Higanbana the 2^nd Night” and the fighting game “Ougon Musou Kyoku”. This time I’m gonna review “Hane”.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru Review

Title: Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru (うみねこのなく頃に散)
Alias: When the Seagulls Cry: Breakdown
Release date: 2010-12-31 (2011-12-17 in English)
Developer: 07th Expansion
English publisher: Witch Hunt (as a fan-patch)

"Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru" is the second half of Ryuukishi07's "When the Seagulls Cry" saga and contains the four remaining chapters that finish the tale. Well, I'll concede that there are two more fandiscs for this specific tale - as I said in my review of the first game, Ryuukishi07 just loves making money out of additional material. Still, I cannot fault him for monopolizing of the doujin scene. He is a very prolific writer that does his own art too. In a short period of time he did "Umineko", finished "Higanbana" and started onto "Rose Guns Days" and I barely managed to follow his progress. It's time to rectify my sloppiness and finish the Seagull tale that I started last year already.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Review

Title: Umineko no Naku Koro ni (うみねこのなく頃に)
Release date: 2008-12-29 (2009-06-07 in English)
Developer: 07th Expansion
English publisher: Witch Hunt (as a fan-patch)

"Umineko no Naku Koro ni" or "When the Seagulls Cry" is the second visual novel in eight chapters (this game contains four of them) created by Ryuukishi07 of "07th Expansion" fame (counting Higurashi saga as a single work). Both Higurashi and Umineko have garnered huge following both in Japan and in the other countries and despite being made by a doujin group have already become franchise names with manga, anime, live movies and other crazy shit based on them ruling the wallets of impressionable masses. Can I say "Moooo"? I have already reviewed the Higurashi series earlier on this blog and can honestly say those were some of the best VNs I have ever played. Can Umineko hold up to that achievement? One way or the other, comparisons to Higurashi are unavoidable.

Higurashi series Review

Titles: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (in English as Higurashi: When They Cry)
            Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai (in English as Higurashi: When They Cry Kai)
            Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Rei
Release dates: The 4th arc in 2004-08-13 (2009-12-15 in English)
                          The 8th arc in 2006-08-13 (2010-07-15 in English)
                          Rei in 2006-12-31 (2009-03-27 Saikoroshi arc in English)
Developer: 07th Expansion
English publisher: MangaGamer (Saikoroshi translated by some dude at Animesuki forums)

Intro

What do you think, when you hear the word "horror"? Stephen King, Clive Barker, H. P. Lovecraft, "Dragon's Balls"? I say: "Screw them" (Lovecraft literally if I ever get to reviewing Saya no Uta or Demonbane). After playing Higurashi I can say that I can't remember the last time I have read such intense and chilling piece of work.
So, what is Higurashi..? A series of visual/kinetic/sound (however you may call them) novels set in a (semi) fictional Japanese town of Hinamizawa.