"As long as you’re cool with the kinetic nature of Higurashi When They Cry then this is a must-own title for visual novel and horror fans."

Hardcore Gamer

"The characters are believable and stick with you even after the game. The plot is a great with twists and turns you would have no way of ever predicting. The setting is extremely creepy and most of all the mystery is superb. "

Rice Digital

"From the depth of the story to the extreme tension that ramps up during each chapter, Higurashi is a unique and memorable world that I recommend everyone to try, one way or the other."

Save Or Quit

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni takes place during June 1983, at a fictional rural village called Hinamizawa, which has a population of approximately 2000.

The main character, Keiichi Maebara, moves to Hinamizawa and befriends his new classmates Rena Ryugu, Mion Sonozaki, Rika Furude, and Satoko Hojo. Keiichi joins their after-school club activities, which consist mostly of card and board games (and punishment games for the loser, usually him.)

Hinamizawa appears to be a normal, peaceful, rural village to Keiichi. However, the tranquility abruptly ends after the annual Watanagashi Festival, a celebration to commemorate and give thanks to the local god, Oyashiro-sama. Keiichi learns that every year for the past four years, one person has been murdered and another has gone missing on the day of the Watanagashi Festival. Keiichi himself soon becomes drawn into the strange events surrounding the Watanagashi Festival and Oyashiro-sama.

(From VNDB)