Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 8

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  7 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 202025
 

We’re finally here.

After 4 years of talking about Higurashi, ever since I played Onikakushi back in 2021, it’s time to talk about Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 8: Matsuribayashi.

Wrapping up Higurashi during our spooky games celebration only feels fitting, but at the same time, it almost feels out of place. This final chapter of Higurashi might be the one where the “horror” description applies the least. After the previous chapter finally provided clear answers about what is happening, this chapter was all about finding the solution.

As a result, it’s much more straightforward, with no huge shocks or twists, and there were a few points where it felt like things went a little too smoothly.

Click for major Higurashi Chapter 8 spoilers
The main thing I disliked was how easily the Mountain Dogs were taken out. The previous chapter introduced them as a dangerous force to be reckoned with, even though the kids managed to hold their own for a while, but here it felt like they took them out a little too easily.

Rika catching the bullet also felt a bit strange. Just saying it’s a miracle wasn’t satisfying when the previous miracles are specifically due to characters coming together and helping one another. I know, we’ve got some overt supernatural elements already, but I’m not sure how I feel about that specific part.

But I’ll forgive it everything for the emotions it managed to make me feel this time around. Last time, I wondered if we’d get to learn the antagonist’s motivations, and not only did this chapter deliver, but it did so to such an extent that I found myself feeling bad for the antagonist despite everything.

Whenever a story can provoke such an emotional reaction toward a character who previously seemed irredeemable, that’s great writing. I love that sort of thing. It makes the conclusion that much more satisfying.

Now that we’re at the end, I want to take a look back at Higurashi as a whole. The first chapter still stands out to me as the most intense, especially since you know nothing about what’s going on. The sheer paranoia of that chapter is unmatched. The next few chapters each had their own focus, showing tragedy from different angles and provoking more emotional moods. Chapter 4 in particular was where I felt I could finally start piecing together a theory.

It’s funny to look back on the later chapters now, because when I started the Answer Arcs, I felt like none of my questions were being answered, but now I can see how they did provide me with pieces of the puzzle.

Chapter 6 brought back the intense paranoia the very first chapter had (quite fittingly), and then Chapter 7 brought everything together by providing answers at last in time for the final conclusion here in Chapter 8. Higurashi goes through many different tone shifts across the chapters, but when I view them as a whole, it all feels natural. I would say my favorite parts ended up being Chapter 1, Chapter 5, and Chapter 7, although they’re all good.

Higurashi When They Cry gave me a 70-hour journey through a mysterious but ultimately satisfying story. There are still some bonus arcs I’ll want to check out eventually, but now that I’ve read Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 8: Matsuribayashi, the main journey is complete. I’m happy I saw Higurashi through to the end at last.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 7

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  7 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 032025
 

I know, I know, I once again waited a year before continuing Higurashi.

As September neared its end, I suddenly remembered my intention of finishing Higurashi before playing Silent Hill f… so what better way to start out Celebrating All Things Spooky than with Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 7: Minagoroshi?

When we last left off, Higurashi had once again played mind games with me by giving me an explanation that sounded legitimate but was just a little too convenient. This time, it stopped playing games and actually started answering questions.

Chapter 7 is mostly split between the viewpoints of Keiichi and Rika, and since Rika has been one of the most mysterious characters for a while now, that clarified a lot.

Click for Higurashi Chapter 7 spoilers
My theory that Rika was either jumping timelines or resetting the timeline is essentially correct. After her death, she and Hanyuu are able to rewind time to try again, although they’re now restricted to only going back a few weeks.

This was, surprisingly, one of the most upbeat Higurashi chapters for a good portion of time. It still had heavy themes, but it was going in a much more positive direction. Of course, the existence of an eighth chapter stopped me from getting too optimistic about how things would work out.

What stands out to me the most is how it answers questions that I’ve had ever since I played Chapter 1, mysteries that have been lurking in the back of my mind ever since. Getting answers after all this time was such a good feeling.

Click for major Higurashi Chapter 7 spoilers
Takano was one of the characters I’d been the most suspicious of, but I still wasn’t prepared for the reveal and just how ruthless and cold she is. I’m curious if the next chapter will expand more on her motivations, because her scenes were some of the most interesting (in a twisted sort of way).

(The irony is that earlier in this chapter, I’d been thinking, “Maybe Takano actually is a good person, just with morbid interests.” Okay, well, maybe not.)

I’m also fascinated by the fact that Higurashi has routinely thrown out various possibilities–is it supernatural? is it all just paranoia? is it a big government coverup?–and the answer appears to be “yes.” Rika’s foresight and Hanyuu’s presence have supernatural explanations, Hinamizawa Syndrome induces hallucinations and intense paranoia, and the people studying the illness have a secret military force that erases all evidence when things go bad.

All the time I was playing the earlier chapters, I was torn because picking any single explanation didn’t feel like a good enough answer, so it’s interesting that it’s actually a mix.

I don’t know how well the explanations in this chapter are generally received, but personally, I enjoyed it quite a bit. This was one of the craziest chapters to read, and I loved it.

The ending was so intense and exciting that I couldn’t stop playing it. I had to find out what was going to happen this time. And now that I’ve finished Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 7: Minagoroshi, I can’t wait to get into Chapter 8.

Seriously. No long wait this time. It’ll be soon, because I need to see the resolution.

Celebrating All Things Spooky: Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 6

 Celebrating All Things Spooky, Reviews, Video games  6 Responses »  Tagged with: ,
Oct 252024
 

Last year, I made some solid progress in Higurashi and reached Chapter 5 in October.

Unfortunately, I unintentionally took another year-long break, so it’s taken me this long to get to the next chapter.

But now I have, so it’s time to talk about Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 6: Tsumihoroboshi.

The past two chapters have had different viewpoint characters, and this one splits most of the story between Keiichi and Rena. We learn a lot more about Rena’s past and have some truly emotional, heartfelt moments, and then…

Then things really get interesting.

While reading this chapter, there was a point where I believed Higurashi had finally given me all the answers and explained everything, revealed what was really going on. But then I began to get suspicious. It was a little too neat and tidy.

What followed was the most intense build-up of paranoia since the first chapter. I went back and forth so many times on what I believed, and that made it all the more interesting to read. It’s hard to say anything much about this chapter without spoilers, but suffice it to say that I still have many, many questions.

Click for major Higurashi Chapter 6 spoilers
The parasite theory made so much sense at first, but it seems like it was just Rena’s paranoid delusion after all… but that still leaves questions. Tomitake’s death is similar to Rena’s behavior during her maggot delusions. The disaster does feel like a cover-up.

While I still have a lot of confusion there, I’m much more confident in my theory that Rika is traveling between timelines (or resetting the timeline) to try to find a branch that doesn’t lead to disaster. It was such a good moment when Keiichi remembered his actions in the first chapter, not to mention Rika realizing that he remembered.

(Rika talking to Rena at the car was incredibly creepy, though.)

Meanwhile, both Ooishi and and Takano continue to be suspicious. Both of them have nudged things toward disaster in multiple episodes. This episode paints Takano as simply an occult nut or a conspiracy theorist, but other episodes made her actions seem more sinister. Ooishi’s point-of-view chapters here feel like they should exonerate him, but at the same time, him telling Rena about Takano’s time of death really pushed her over the edge. Was that really just an innocent mistake even though he already knew how precarious her mental state was?

It might have left me with a lot of questions, but this is one of my favorite parts of Higurashi so far. The atmosphere and sense of paranoia was incredible, and it was a great choice for this time of year.

Of course, if you haven’t played Higurashi yet, you’ll want to start from the beginning. But if you’ve played up through Chapter 5 like I had, you won’t regret moving on to Higurashi When They Cry Chapter 6: Tsumihoroboshi. I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

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