Although there is nothing stopping someone from picking up the original Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai arcs through their website (There does not seem to be a listing for these sets at this present time – although those who have already purchased Higurashi and Higurashi Kai can still re-download them), MangaGamer have been working on a brand new localization for 07th Expansion’s popular murder mystery sound novel series. Known as Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou (Higurashi When They Cry Hou), this new set of releases feature improved translations, updated character portraits and other improvements compared to the original release. What might be a problem for some people however is that, rather than release the chapters by compilation (Eg. “Question Arcs”, “Answer Arcs”, “Bonus Arcs” etc), they will be releasing each chapter individually.
MangaGamer have announced that Higurashi When They Cry Hou: Ch 1 Onikakushi is now available for download via both their own official online store and Steam for $5.99 USD. This will be the very first time that Higurashi will be available for purchase via Steam. Don’t feel locked into purchasing a standalone copy or Steam access however, as every copy of Higurashi Ch 1 Onikakushi purchased via the MangaGamer Online Store also comes with a complementary Steam key.
In this chapter, Onikakushi, players will get to join Keiichi and experience the first arc of Higurashi directly from his POV. When the mystery heats up and the happy life in Hinamizawa turns to one of horror, what’s really going on? Is everyone out to get Keiichi like the others who disappeared from Hinamizawa? Or is Keiichi going paranoid? Can you solve the mystery before its too late?
