general "read this to understand anything" section
terminology
chapters/arcs/subchapters
the game is separated into 8 arcs (individual .exes), also called separate installments/games, also called the story's chapters; each arc has a subtitle (eg Higurashi When They Cry: Onikakushi, is "arc 1" / "chapter 1"). each arc/chapter has subchapters/parts, which are officially called just "chapters". because of this confusion i try to refer to the installments/chapters as "arcs" OR "ch1/2/etc" and subchapters as "chapters" or "subchapters". i apologize thiat this is already difficult to make sense of
tips
after each chapter, bite-sized mini stories are unlocked. typically they expand upon topics briefly mentioned in the associated chapter, sometimes contain entirely new, unforeseeable stuff; all of them contain new information and thus shouldn't be skipped. often feature alternate povs, or inspection of written material mentioned in the main chapter. they're not exactly "tips" on solving the mystery.
punishment game
the penalty whoever lost in the club's daily activity must endure. typically involves making them do acts of self-embarrassment (eg wearing weird outfits or slapping the school principle's bald head)
watanagashi
lit. "cotton drifting"; local festival where the villagers gather at the furude shrine and leave gifts of cotton downstream for oyashiro-sama, the village's guardian deity
location
hinamizawa
a secluded mountain village, the main setting of the story. has only one school and so few students that it is a single classroom mixed grade. the villagers are very close knit; at one point keiichi describes their occasionally eerie bond as "mafia-like". has only one small hospital clinic. has no police station.
onigafuchi swamp i forgot to add this one Oops(update)
a supposedly bottomless swamp in hinamizawa associated with legends of demons. "onigafuchi" was originally the entire village's name
okinomiya
the largest town nearest to hinamizawa; a ~30 minute bike ride away. its small, but has a train station, leading to the city. has a more city-like culture contrast hinamizawa, despite being pretty small. has a weird restaurant where the waitresses dress up. has a police station.
apparent death + disappearance tracker
- 1979: dam construction foreman killed then dismembered by a group of 5 villagers, who each took a piece of the body to keep eachother from snitching. all but the fifth member were caught; they're considered disappeared
- 1980: on a work trip to another city, the houjou parents died in an accident where they fell off an observatory platform. the dads body was recovered confirming the death, whereas the mom's wasnt, considered disappeared
- 1981: rika's dad suddenly died of anxiety/overwork; her mom left a suicide note then disappeared
- 1982: satoshi and satoko had been taken in by their aunt and step uncle; the aunt is killed, while satoshi disappeared. unclear who the killer is; the step uncle is noted as abusive, but satoshi was suspected, then an unrelated drug addict was deemed the culprit
- 1983: tomitake dies, then miyo disappears...? or keiichi disappears...?
characters
(formatted as [given name] [surname])
keiichi maebara
club member. protagonist and pov character. a kind, dumb, goofy, slacker 15 year old whos very gullible and bad at lying. wise enough to understand when hes in danger but has a habit of internally talking himself out of suspecting obviously suspicious people. has no hobbies past hangingout with his buddies or watching tv. he has moved to hinamizawa one month prior to the game's events due to his eccentric artist/manager parents; his parents cherish him deeply and are kind to him despite being a bit odd. technically i havent seen sprite artwork of him in-game but i looked it up lol. he looks like a turtle
rena ryuugu
club member. a gentle, reserved, sweet 15 yo who suddenly gains super strength when trying to steal something cute for her collection. shes normal, cheerful but easily flustered. seems unwell but doing her best to not express it. seems to be close with her dad
mion sonozaki
older twin. refers to himself as a guy, 15 yo class representative, head of the kids' after-school club. he's the next head of his very politically involved family, and has a bunch of uncles he works part time for. is goofy and slacking the same way keiichi is, but weirdly scheming. i use he/him pronouns but still occasionally call him a girl bc thats what he does for himself (i havent deciphered where the story is going with this...)
shion sonozaki
younger twin. decidely more "proper" and feminine than mion, but seems just as if not more scheming than him. waitress at the weird restaurant in okinomiya. doesnt attend the same school as club members.
note: the twins are identical and sometimes (all the times?) assume eachothers identities, but when presenting as one or the other have tell-tale grammar and tone of voice differences
rika furude
club member. a sweet but lonely-seeming 11 yo orphan girl. somewhat quiet, speaks in a monotone. overly polite at all times, extremely by the book, weirdly skilled at everything and very capable of stringing people along. lives at the furude shrine; seemingly in contact with a lot of community leaders because of her association with the shrine
satoko houjou
club member. a rowdy 12 yo orphan girl. carries a cartoonish rude yet very posh/proper "you peasant!" ojousama tone at all times. she seems to not know things nor be skilled at anything at all (realistic, apologies for the phrasing), putting on shows of overconfidence to compensate. likes to prank keiichi. rika makes her school lunches. seems to be homeless
idk what he looks like yet
satoshi houjou
satokos older brother; thus unseen
kuraudo ooishi
senior detective at a well-regarded precinct in okinomiya. investigating the hinamizawa cases
jirou tomitake
miyo's boyfriend, is into bird photography. a tourist that visits hinamizawa twice a year. a normal sweet guy, military vibe. arc3 suddenly and without warning notes that isnt his real name
miyo takano
tomitake's girlfriend, is into bird photography. a nurse at the village's sole clinic. somewhat off-putting
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