The second part of Umineko is a conclusion to all the questions that were posed in the previous arc. The mystery finally unravels and the motives behind Rokkenjima become more clear.
tldr: umineko the greatest. overlooked because of the format it is presented in. go in blind
to everyone whos come here wondering looking for the answer for the question i posed in the title, with all the reviews being something along the lines of "this is the greatest piece of fiction ever" ive come here clarify some stuff. to start off, umineko is an experimental mystery visual novel, which features narrative text over images or animations. in that sense its better to think of this as a book or a long form cutscene rather than a traditional game. this is a the second entry of the when they cry series. reading the previous instalment isn't a requirement, but is strongly recommended. if this is your first time getting into anything anime-esque, it might be hard to sit through the first episode, but the quality of the story has led to some classical literature reviewers comparing it to some of their favorite classics.
i have to preface this by saying that its pretty hard to talk about what makes this game good without giving away the game completely, but ill do my best regardless. reception for this game is pretty divisive, because the nature of the story changes in its second half. some hated it because of how different it was from the first half, and others like me greatly enjoyed it. i can confidently say that if you are a fan of stories with complexity or a fan of the mystery genre this game is definitely for you. it is however a pretty massive time sink. maybe about 80-100 hours of reading. but i can assure you that this isn't a case of obsessed fans jacking the ratings.
umineko features thought provoking writing, memorable characters, great music, and some of the most well thought out complex mysteries i have ever seen. kind of like a weird blend of agatha criste with some touches of dante allegri in there. going through umineko, i was skeptical that it would dethrone every other game, and story that ive experienced. it was good for sure, but not top 1. by the time i finished i more than sold.
to conclude, umineko is not for everyone. if you're impatient like me you'll probably have a hard time getting into it, even more so if you're not into anime stuff. but in it there's an amazing narrative that's grossly overlooked because it is a visual novel. if you do read umineko keep an eye out of anything that might solve the mystery. you'll find out soon that no theory is too absurd. there is a reason everyone who finishes this says that its life changing, or that it's the greatest of all time, you name it. it changed the way that i looked at stories, and made me appreciate life a whole lot more.
if you do decide to embark on this journey, you're in for a damn good ride. be sure to go in blind.
make sure to never neglect the heart.
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The character development, exploration of humanity, emotional connection, and the sheer force of the writing astounded me. Yes, Umineko sometimes was excessively dramatic and repetitious, but it still managed to wow me consistently to a point where it's unquestionably a 5/5.
I will also mention one thing I read in one of the comments on this page quoted from beautifulideachild
Both Ange and Battler realizing they can be functional adults that carry that trauma with them without enacting it on others after having grappled with the entirety of their family history (Battler does not even know if he wants to visit Ange's orphanage at first because he doesn't know if he wants to remember any of it!) is the entire point of the ending.
redefined the mystery genre as a whole thank you ryukashi
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Best piece of fiction, or even art, ever created. Please read, you will see the world and yourself entirely differently.
Thank you.
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The best story ever told in a videogame (by a fairly substantial margin). The best cast of characters ever in a videogame (by a fairly substantial margin). A strong contender for richest atmosphere ever in a videogame. A strong contender for best soundtrack ever in a videogame.
The Answer Arcs in particular are some of the finest works of narrative fiction ever made. Catch-22, The Wire, Watchmen. That is the territory here.
What are you waiting for?
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The conclusion of what is personally my favorite narrative I've ever experienced, the Answer arcs wrap up the mysteries established in the first series with perhaps the most soul-crushingly beautiful, unforgettable ending ever. More incredible music, more development for each character (you will still come to love them all by at least the third chapter in the previous installment), and other treats await you here.
This series' eclectic nature is easily one of is strongest suits. Both the first and second installments feature remarkable romance, horror, mystery, and even action, the reading of which is far more thrilling than one might first anticipate.
This series clocks in to around 100-120 hours and features some honestly irritating repetition at times, but I can't recommend it enough.
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I'm... Highly skeptical of its position here. Everytime any anime-looking-thing I've seen has been massively upvoted, its also been massively overrated. Fact of the matter is, with games most people dont have the time to invest that much time into something. And this game might not have many ratings so it might just be its fans massively upvoting it.
Tbh I am curious. This website's rankings are the closest I've ever seen to my own other than Disco Elysium being #1. Even other games that are kind of niche like Mother 3 are highly rated here, and thats a good thing because that game is fantastic.
However... This is VERY niche, far more so than mother 3. Its a direct sequel too. I read a lot of literature and on Goodreads books like Great Expectations and the Count of Monte Cristo are lower rated than random erotica nonsense. Thats because most people wont glance twice at erotica books, but their specific audience adores them. And yet if we subject it to any sort of objective lens, or even a broad consensus of literature lovers, then there is no comparison.
I'll probably watch this a bit on youtube to try to understand. The fact its highly rated here makes me think it might have some quality to it. I'm just verrry skeptical about anime-like stuff.
i love umineko but i dont think the first part will do much to hook you in. i can assure you that it has quality, but it's a slow burn. visual novels aren't for everyone, but as chum said, if you're not going to invest the time, its not worth it.
Umineko is not for everyone, but for a lot of the people who love it it is one of the greatest things they have ever read. For me that is certainly the case. If you're concerned about the "anime" stuff then I don't think you should worry. Other than some cheeky references to anime tropes the content has way more in common with classic literature than it does with anime.
the codex is a pretty important part of this game that you'd be missing out on. if you do decide to watch a playthrough i'd strongly recommend looking for one with no voice acting and original sprites. the game was written with both in mind and some moments just aren't as impactful with voice acting in the same way that the simpsons was designed around 4:3 and loses some of its impact when played in 16:9. the updated sprites also just fucking suck and aren't as emotive
is this reason this has gone down by like .30 over the past year that some losers are giving it 0.5s out of spite that it's so high in the charts? The most recent I see is a dude who's given the 2 UWTCs a 0.5 with a "not a game" tag lol
JESUS FUCKING CHRIST I JUST FINISHED EP 7 TEA PARTY AND I-------------- OMG WTF WAS THAT MAN??? SO KYRIE AND RUDOLF ARE THE REAL CULPRITS ORIGINAL ROKKENJIMA? AND THEN HAS THAT WHOLE BEA/YASU/KANON THING MY HEAD IS HURTS BUT THE ENTIRE NARRATIVE OF THIS STORY IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPLEX AND INSTIGATING I HAVE EVER CONSUMED IN MY LIFE AND I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT STILL COULD HAPPEN IN EPISODE 8. AND POOR ANGE ):
just unbelievable how many climaxes this thing has. breathtaking moments combined with the best ost ever produced in the world. what a journey this as been. sad that there is only 1 ep left ))))):
I never even considered reading a visual novel until I came to this. the only reason I picked up this +120h monster to play was because of how high it is on the charts here and I was curious... and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made, this is extraordinary in every way possible
Higurashi is worth reading (although I personally can't fathom calling it just as good as Umineko) but in my opinion Echo is an absolute must play if you liked this (it's free)
Just finished and I have no words. Definitely a life-changing experience that I would never have expected to have with an """"anime-y"""" visual novel. I cried for about 5 minutes in the final segment lol It's a completely genius storytelling that I will never forget; the themes, characters and messages will stay with me like forever and I'm still trying to better digest the emotional impact that this piece had on me. Anyway, if you still have doubts about play this then please do yourself a favor and start right now immediately!!!!!
However... This is VERY niche, far more so than mother 3. Its a direct sequel too. I read a lot of literature and on Goodreads books like Great Expectations and the Count of Monte Cristo are lower rated than random erotica nonsense. Thats because most people wont glance twice at erotica books, but their specific audience adores them. And yet if we subject it to any sort of objective lens, or even a broad consensus of literature lovers, then there is no comparison.
I'll probably watch this a bit on youtube to try to understand. The fact its highly rated here makes me think it might have some quality to it. I'm just verrry skeptical about anime-like stuff.