Umineko no Naku Koro ni

is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft

Dojin soft

, also sometimes called , are video games created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups , more for fun than for profit; essentially, the Japanese equivalent of independent video games. Most of them are based on pre-existing material, but some are entirely original creations...

visual novel

Visual novel

A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...

series produced by 07th Expansion

07th Expansion

07th Expansion is a Japanese dōjin group that specializes in the creation of visual novels known as sound novels. They started out drawing for the trading card game Leaf Fight, but they are most famous for creating the dōjin game series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni...

. The first game in the series, Legend of the Golden Witch, was first released at Comiket 72

Comiket

, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....

on August 17, 2007 playable on the PC

Personal computer

A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...

; the game sold out in thirty minutes. The story focuses on a group of eighteen people on a secluded island for a period of two days, and the mysterious murders that befall most of the people. The goal of the game is to discern whether the murderer is human or of some other supernatural source. Umineko is the third title in the When They Cry series, preceded by Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai, and followed by Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru.

Square Enix

Square Enix

is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...

, Ichijinsha

Ichijinsha

is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA which main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. In January 1998, Studio DNA became a public company and...

, Kadokawa Shoten

Kadokawa Shoten

is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...

, and ASCII Media Works

ASCII Media Works

is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...

all published various manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

adaptations of the series. It was also turned into a 26-episode anime

Anime

is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

by Studio Deen

Studio DEEN

is a Japanese company that produces anime. Three years after Sunrise was founded in 1972, Studio Deen was established by Sunrise's members in 1975. As a result of this, anime shows such as Cowboy Bebop that were produced by Sunrise may have had assistance from Studio Deen.-Produced anime:* Urusei...

, which aired in Japan between July and December 2009. A series of novels written by Ryukishi07

Ryukishi07

is the pen name of a Japanese man originally from Chiba Prefecture who is well known as the original creator for the idea of the visual novel series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Umineko no Naku Koro ni. He is the representative member of the group 07th Expansion...

are published by Kodansha Box

Kodansha Box

Kodansha Box is a publishing line from the major Japanese publishing house, Kodansha. Each book is packaged in a silver cardboard slip cover. Single-handedly edited by Katsushi Ōta who describes the lines as: "A collection of works on the theme of the adolescent mind...

. A fighting game

Fighting game

Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

based on the franchise named Ōgon Musōkyoku
Ōgon Musōkyoku
, is a 2D versus fighting game developed and published by 07th Expansion. It is considered a side spin-off of the Umineko no Naku Koro ni murder mystery visual novel series and was originally released at Comiket 79 on December 31, 2010. The game was ported to the Xbox 360 by Alchemist in October...

was released by 07th Expansion on December 31, 2010. The word umineko is the name of a kind of seagull known as a Black-tailed Gull

Black-tailed Gull

The Black-tailed Gull is a medium-sized gull, with a wingspan of 126-128 cm. The bird is resident in East Asia, including China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. It is a vagrant to Alaska and northeastern North America....

. Naku means , referring only to sounds made by non-humans when written with that kanji

Kanji

Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...

; no kanji is provided in the series logo however. According to the original creator, Ryukishi07

Ryukishi07

, the red Na

Na (kana)

な, in hiragana, or ナ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. The hiragana な is made in four strokes, the katakana ナ two. Both represent . な and ナ originate from the man'yōgana 奈. な is used as part of the okurigana for the plain negative forms of Japanese verbs, and...

(な) in the logo is an official part of the title.

Gameplay

Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a murder mystery game described as a "sound novel" by 07th Expansion

07th Expansion

. A sound novel is similar to a visual novel

Visual novel

A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...

, though the gameplay

Gameplay

Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and player's connection with it...

requires no player interaction as the game is composed entirely of text dialogues. While a visual novel's basis would be the visual aspect, as the name suggests, a sound novel's basis takes more care in producing an atmosphere via the music, sound effects, and the story itself. As such, the original Umineko games have a simple-looking art style, which stays consistent over the course of the series' releases. The original releases contain no voice acting for the characters.

While during gameplay, the Tips Mode can be viewed via the game's internal menu, which also includes save and load functions. These tips allow the player to read various supplementary information on the characters and story that may or may not be useful in solving the mystery. These are updated according to the progression of the story, so it is recommended to view the tips every once in a while. The ultimate goals of the gameplay involve reaching the truth behind the multi-cased mystery, determining where the gold is hidden, figuring out a solution in which ultimately everyone survives, and to solve the whole case by determining who the true murderer is in each chapter and whether it is due to supernatural events or human actions. An in-game feature from Turn of the Golden Witch onward known as "red truth" states something to be true in red text, offering clues to the reader to both create theories as well as to break them. In contrast is "blue truth" from Alliance of the Golden Witch onward, which is used to bring up theories on what is truly going on while abiding by the red truth, and has the possibility to become true if not countered by red truth. There is also "golden truth" introduced in End of the Golden Witch which can only be used by the Game Master and, depending on how it used, can be either inferior or superior to the red truth. Finally there is the "purple truth" introduced in Twilight of the Golden Witch, which is used by the suspects of the mystery scenario and is equal in value to the red truth, except that only the culprit may use it to lie.

When an episode is completed for the first time, an additional short epilogue

Epilogue

An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...

called "Tea Party" becomes available to play, offering crucial plot points that advance the overall progression of the story. When that scenario is completed, a second epilogue called "????" also becomes available to advance the story. After all the scenarios in a given game copy have been completed, a Music Box section becomes available on the title menu, enabling the player to listen to any of the music used throughout the game.

Plot and characters

Umineko no Naku Koro ni takes place primarily in the year 1986, during the time frame of October 4 and October 5 on a small, secluded island named 10 km around owned and lived on by Kinzo, the head of the wealthy Ushiromiya family. Kinzo is near death, and eight of his family members arrive on the island for the annual family conference, where the adults plan to discuss how Kinzo's asset

Asset

In financial accounting, assets are economic resources. Anything tangible or intangible that is capable of being owned or controlled to produce value and that is held to have positive economic value is considered an asset...

s will be divided once he is dead. Also on the island are three family members who live there, five of Kinzo's servants, and his personal physician. After the eight family members arrive, a typhoon traps them on the island, and shortly after, strange things start to happen and people start dying.

The main character of the story is Battler Ushiromiya, son of Kinzo's second son Rudolf. Battler has not been to the annual Ushiromiya conference in six years due to living with his maternal grandparents ever since his mother Asumu died, and even took his mother's maiden name instead of Ushiromiya. When his grandparents died, he went back to living with his father, his second wife Kyrie, and their daughter Ange, his half-sister. Once on the island, Battler once again becomes acquainted with the legend of the golden witch Beatrice who supposedly lives in the naturally dense forest on Rokkenjima. A portrait of her lies in the entrance hall of the Ushiromiya family mansion, and a puzzling epitaph

Epitaph

An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...

is written below the portrait. Rumor has it on the island that Beatrice gave ten tons of gold to Kinzo in the past to restart the Ushiromiya family after being crippled in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake

1923 Great Kanto earthquake

The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...

. It is said that whoever solves the riddle of the witch's epitaph will receive the gold and be the next successor to the Ushiromiya family.

Once the typhoon hits, a ghastly game begins, starting with the murder of six people on the island. If the witch's epitaph cannot be solved, people will continue to die in mysterious deaths, following the outline given by the epitaph itself, until the witch Beatrice ultimately revives. After this comes to pass, Battler is the only one left alive who does not believe in witches

Witchcraft

Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...

or magic

Magic (paranormal)

Magic is the claimed art of manipulating aspects of reality either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult laws unknown to science. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical...

, and as such the door to the "golden land" (as stipulated on the epitaph) cannot be opened. Beatrice takes Battler and herself to a parallel dimension

Parallel universe (fiction)

A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...

, Purgatorio

Purgatory

Purgatory is the condition or process of purification or temporary punishment in which, it is believed, the souls of those who die in a state of grace are made ready for Heaven...

, which is able to oversee events on Rokkenjima. From this point on, Battler and Beatrice are locked in a game of twisted logic where Battler must attempt to explain all of the mysterious events on Rokkenjima from the standpoint that they are caused by a human, and Beatrice attempts to explain everything with witches and magic. One of the recurring motifs

Motif (narrative)

In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....

is use of the locked room mystery

Locked room mystery

The locked room mystery is a sub-genre of detective fiction in which a crime—almost always murder—is committed under apparently impossible circumstances. The crime in question typically involves a crime scene that no intruder could have entered or left, e.g., a locked room...

, and several logical arguments are presented to explain the mysteries including the devil's proof

Probatio diabolica

Probatio diabolica is a legal requirement to achieve an impossible proof. Where a legal system would appear to require an impossible proof, the remedies are reversing the burden of proof, or giving additional rights to the individual facing the probatio diabolica.In essence the lack of proof that...

, the raven paradox

Raven paradox

The Raven paradox, also known as Hempel's paradox or Hempel's ravens is a paradox proposed by the German logician Carl Gustav Hempel in the 1940s to illustrate a problem where inductive logic violates intuition...

, and Schrödinger's cat

Schrödinger's cat

Schrödinger's cat is a thought experiment, usually described as a paradox, devised by Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger in 1935. It illustrates what he saw as the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics applied to everyday objects. The scenario presents a cat that might be...

. If Beatrice can get Battler to ultimately surrender and accept witches and magic, Beatrice wins.

The games are the first four games in the series which are meant to give the player a sense of the world where the story takes place and introduce the mysterious circumstances surrounding Rokkenjima and the legend of the Golden Witch. Each arc in this series contains all the previous arcs.

Episode 1: Legend of the Golden Witch

This chapter introduces the player to the main setting of Umineko no Naku Koro ni as the Ushiromiya family gather on the island of Rokkenjima for their annual family conference. The player is familiarized with the island's 18 residents (consisting of the Ushiromiya family and servants) as well as the legend of the Golden Witch, Beatrice, who is implied to exist on the island as a 19th resident and murder the other residents in mysterious ways. The story is narrated mainly by Battler and presents the series' first "bad end", with all the residents either killed or labeled as "missing".

Episode 2: Turn of the Golden Witch

Following the events of the first chapter, this chapter features the first battle between Battler and Beatrice as they oversee the events on Rokkenjima from the "meta-world". The family conference occurs as usual, only this time Beatrice exists on the island as its 19th resident, introducing multiple magical elements to the story. Other major themes involve the relationships between George and Shannon, Jessica and Kanon, and Maria and Rosa. This chapter is told from the perspective of multiple characters, including an omniscient narrator.

Episode 3: Banquet of the Golden Witch

Unlike the first two chapters, this chapter features the residents attempting to solve the riddle of Beatrice's epitaph rather than determine the true identity of the murderer. Eva succeeds in this task, but is shown to continue carrying out the murders as the new "Beatrice". Meanwhile, in the meta-world, Beatrice is assisted by her demon servants, while Battler finds a mysterious new ally of his own. This chapter sheds more light on Eva and Beatrice's pasts, and is the first to feature one of the island's residents surviving the murders.

Episode 4: Alliance of the Golden Witch

This chapter features Battler's sister Ange and her life twelve years after the murders on Rokkenjima. The story constantly shifts focus between 1986 (the time of the murders) and 1998 (Ange's time period), shedding more background information on the characters and light on the methods behind the murders. This chapter heavily implies the existence of magic and puts all of the theories Battler formulates against Beatrice thus far to the test.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru

The games tell the second half of the story and start to delve into the core of the mystery. These games are not simply solutions to the first four arcs, but also continue the story, shifting it into new terrain. However, as the core of the series is approached, several clues to the first four arcs are revealed along the way. Each arc in this series contains all of the previous Chiru arcs.

Episode 5: End of the Golden Witch

A new perspective on the mystery of the Golden Witch is presented in this chapter, with the witches Bernkastel and Lambdadelta playing a more prominent role. The main characters of this story are Kinzo, Natsuhi, and a new character, Erika, who approaches the murders from a "mystery" perspective, unlike Battler who had taken an "anti-fantasy" stance. This time the game is suspended before its conclusion, so the fate of most people on the island is unknown.

Episode 6: Dawn of the Golden Witch

Following the events of the previous game with the introduction of a new Game Master

Gamemaster

A gamemaster is a person who acts as an organizer, officiant for questions regarding rules, arbitrator, and moderator for a multiplayer game...

, this chapter does not delve into the solution of Beatrice's game so much as it displays the Game Master's understanding of it, though it does provide important clues linked to the main suspects. George, Jessica, Shannon, and Kanon play a prominent role in the story, as does a childlike reborn Beatrice who struggles to regain her former personality for Battler's sake. Again, the game is suspended before its conclusion.

Episode 7: Requiem of the Golden Witch

This chapter presents an alternate reality where Battler does not come to Rokkenjima, the Golden Witch does not exist, and the mystery child from nineteen years ago becomes the heir of the Ushiromiya family. This story is told through the perspective of two new characters: Willard H. Wright, who uncovers several truths behind the legend of the Golden Witch including Beatrice's true identity; and Lion Ushiromiya, whose existence holds the source of everything presented thus far. While no deaths occur in the game itself, the Tea Party features a scenario showing how the murders may have played out from a non-magical standpoint.

Episode 8: Twilight of the Golden Witch

In an attempt to uncover the heart of the mystery, this chapter features a scenario where Ange is present with her family at the 1986 conference. Unlike the previous chapters, this game has features that require direct interaction from the player, including the solution to the mystery presented in the game, quizzes that unlock extra scenes as rewards, and the choice between interpreting the events of the series as magic or a trick, leading to two different endings.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa

is a fan disc compilation of additional tips written by Ryukishi07 outside of the games, released on December 31, 2010 alongside Twilight of the Golden Witch. Several of the stories are humorous in tone, but the more serious ones may be considered canon.

Letter of Bernkastel

A letter Bernkastel writes to the player which contains her musings and speculations on the rules XYZ in Umineko. It ends with a couple of poems, one written by Ronove, and one written by Frederica Bernkastel.

Beatrice grants a wish for Maria, and Bernkastel grants a wish for Ange. The latter event shows Bernkastel as a cruel, ruthless witch.

While he is making Dawn of the Golden Witch, Battler is approached by all the other characters, who are willing to do anything to get a bigger role in his game.

On Mother's Day, Jessica makes a contract with Furfur and Zepar in order to bear the burdens of her mother. However, things go wrong when all of Natsuhi's hardships are transferred to Jessica while Natsuhi enjoys a day of good luck.

Jessica again enlists the help of Furfur and Zepar to aid in a fight with a friend. The charm is a success, and Furfur and Zepar officially give her their book of charms. With the book in hand, Jessica decides to try to get Kanon to dream about her, and things don't go exactly as planned.

Memoirs of the ΛΔ

Talks about Lambdadelta and her history of granting wishes.

Talks about Gohda's past. This tip shows that red circles appear before the murders have even started.

Battler, George, Jessica, and Maria go shopping together to choose Thanksgiving Day gifts for their parents. When they go to deliver the gifts, they find that their gifts have been switched around without their knowledge, thanks to Beatrice's meddling.

Ronove gives chocolates to the Sisters of Purgatory and instructs them to give them to those who are foremost in their hearts. Asmodeus is the first to give away her chocolate, giving it to Amakusa. Beelzebub chooses Gohda so he can make her a superior dish for White Day. Mammon gives her chocolate to Sakutaro and plans to share it with Ange. Belphegor and Leviathan give their chocolates to Rudolf and Kyrie, respectively, out of admiration due to their encounter in Banquet of the Golden Witch. Satan attempts to give her chocolate to Kanon, but is rejected and driven away by Jessica.

Lucifer fails to find anyone and is scorned by her sisters until Battler comes and accepts her chocolate. Beatrice later receives the same chocolate from Ronove and tries to give hers to Battler, passing it off as her own, but Battler, recognizing it as the same chocolate as Lucifer's, accuses Beatrice of stealing from Lucifer (believing that Lucifer made her chocolate herself).

The sequel to The Seven Sisters' Valentine, in which the Sisters of Purgatory receive presents from the persons they gave their Valentine's chocolate to for White Day. Beatrice, however, must cope with not receiving a present from Battler since she lied about making the chocolate she tried to give him on Valentine's Day. Beatrice's jealousy is even more fueled when she learns that each Sister of Purgatory receives a present from the person they gave their chocolate to, especially Lucifer who gave her chocolate to Battler as well. When Beatrice demands a present from Battler, he retaliates that she never even gave him chocolate a month ago. It turns out that Beatrice eventually ate the chocolate that Battler rejected on Valentine's Day itself... and she tries to destroy the Sisters' White Day. Battler angrily declares in red that he will never get her a present for White Day. After Beatrice tries to make it up to him by making her own chocolate, Battler agrees to give her a present one month after White Day.

Bernkastel is invited to a Tea Party by Lambdadelta and Featherine. Bernkastel's journey to the Tea Party involves avoiding the traps set by Lambda and Featherine in order to not become a laughingstock. Meanwhile, the hosts of the tea party make a bet on whether Bern will arrive or not. Lambdadelta believes that Bernkastel will be cautious enough not to touch her traps and will arrive, even stating it as the Witch of Certainty, while Featherine replies that Bernkastel will definitely fall for their trap.

Sakutaro climbs Mount Purgatory to be reunited with Maria. However, he has to deal with the seven circles of sin, of which he already committed. It is revealed that Virgilia helps him during this time. When Sakutaro finishes every trial, he is given a second chance to return back to Earth or go to heaven.

Arigato For 556

Umineko no Naku Koro ni Hane
is a second fan disc compilation of additional tips written by Ryukishi07, to be released on December 31, 2011 alongside Ōgon Musōkyoku † Cross.

Other tips
These tips are not collected in Tsubasa, but were nonetheless written by Ryukishi07.

Explains and speculates the concepts of anti-mystery and anti-fantasy in full detail.

Development
Umineko no Naku Koro ni is the second visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...

series produced by 07th Expansion
07th Expansion
07th Expansion is a Japanese dōjin group that specializes in the creation of visual novels known as sound novels. They started out drawing for the trading card game Leaf Fight, but they are most famous for creating the dōjin game series Higurashi no Naku Koro ni...

, the first being Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. The scenario writer for the series is Ryukishi07

Ryukishi07

, who also drew all of the character illustrations. Game direction was handled by Ryukishi07's younger brother Yatazakura, and the overall management of the series was handled by BT until his death in July 2009. Image and text processing was headed by Jika, who took over BT's position of overall management. Background images and photography were provided by Yatazakura, Zekozakura, Mali., and All Season Kisetsu no Irodori. The games were designed using the game engine

Game engine

A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games. There are many game engines that are designed to work on video game consoles and personal computers...

NScripter

NScripter is a software engine that is used for the creation of visual novels, written by Naoki Takahashi. Due to its simplicity and its liberal license , it quickly became popular in Japan, and was used for a number of high-profile commercial and dōjin titles, such as HaniHani and...

. The music of Umineko was provided by various music artists including both professionals and dōjin

Dojin

, often romanized as doujin, is a general Japanese term for a group of people or friends who share an interest, activity, hobbies, or achievement...

artists, and Dai, the composer of most of the music found in the answer arcs of Higurashi, also had a hand in the project as the music director.

Release history
The first game of the Umineko no Naku Koro ni visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...

series, entitled Legend of the Golden Witch, was first released on August 17, 2007 at Comiket 72
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....

. The second game Turn of the Golden Witch was released on December 31, 2007 at Comiket 73, and the third game Banquet of the Golden Witch was released on August 16, 2008 at Comiket 74. The fourth game Alliance of the Golden Witch was released on December 29, 2008 at Comiket 75. The first game in the Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru series, entitled End of the Golden Witch, was first released on August 15, 2009 at Comiket 76. The sixth game Dawn of the Golden Witch was released on December 30, 2009 at Comiket 77. The seventh game Requiem of the Golden Witch was released at Comiket 78 on August 14, 2010. The eighth game Twilight of the Golden Witch was released at Comiket 79 on December 31, 2010. A fan disc
Fan disc
A fan disc is an expanded-content game disc, usually released by a game company after the game's first successful launch. The content adds new images, music, minigames, character information, demos, etc. It usually extends the game's time line by adding in a new shorter game; however, they are not...

titled Umineko no Naku Koro ni Tsubasa was released the same day as Twilight. A second fan disc titled Umineko no Naku Koro ni Hane will be released at Comiket 81 on December 31, 2011.

Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....

released a version of Legend of the Golden Witch playable on certain mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

s on March 31, 2009. The game is playable on FOMA
Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access
Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access is the brand name of the W-CDMA-based 3G telecommunications services being offered by the Japanese telecommunications service provider NTT DoCoMo...

900 and i703 phones, using BREW
Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless
Brew is an application development platform created by Qualcomm, originally for CDMA mobile phones, featuring third party applications such as mobile games. It is offered in some feature phones but not in smart phones...

as a runtime
Run-time system
A run-time system is a software component designed to support the execution of computer programs written in some computer language...

environment.

A remake for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

, subtitled , was released by Alchemist
Alchemist (company)
is a Japanese video game developer. It specializes in the development of visual novel video games ports for use on home video game consoles such as the PlayStation 2 and the defunct Dreamcast.-Dreamcast:*Baldr Force EXE*Chocolat: Maid Cafe Curio...

on December 16, 2010. The release covers the original four games, and its features include a full HD rendition, all of the original soundtracks from the PC games, and full voice acting. Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru will be similarly remade for the PlayStation 3, subtitled , scheduled to be released by Alchemist on December 15, 2011. Both remakes will be ported to the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

under the title , each to be released as two separate games: Rondo was split into Portable 1 (which will cover Legend and Turn) and Portable 2 (which will cover Banquet and Alliance), released on October 20 and November 17, 2011, respectively; and Nocturne will be split into Portable 3 (which will cover End and Dawn), and Portable 4 (which will cover Requiem and Twilight), though release dates for both games are yet to be determined.

A dōjin
Dojin soft
, also sometimes called , are video games created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups , more for fun than for profit; essentially, the Japanese equivalent of independent video games. Most of them are based on pre-existing material, but some are entirely original creations...

2D fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...

produced by 07th Expansion titled was released on December 31, 2010 at Comiket 79. An append disc, titled , is scheduled for release at Comiket 81 in December 2011. In addition, an Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...

port of the original game developed by Alchemist was released on October 6, 2011 under the title .

Manga
A manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

version of Legend of the Golden Witch drawn by Kei Natsumi began serializtion in the January 2008 issue of Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...

's Gangan Powered, which was later transferred to the debut May 2009 issue of Gangan Joker after Gangan Powered was discontinued, and continued until the September 2009 issue. An adaptation of Turn of the Golden Witch drawn by Jirō Suzuki
Jiro Suzuki
is a female Japanese manga artist. She is notable as the artist for the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni manga; only Tatarigoroshi-hen however was done by her. An earlier manga of hers is MAGiMAGi. She will also be doing the manga version of Umineko no Naku Koro ni episode two, Turn of the golden...

began serialization in the August 2008 issue of Square Enix's GFantasy. The manga adaptation of Banquet of the Golden Witch began serialization in the October 2009 issue of Gangan Joker and is illustrated by Kei Natsumi. Sōichirō draws the adaptation of Alliance of the Golden Witch, which began serialization in Square Enix's Internet-based magazine Gangan Online on October 1, 2009. The first bound volume
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

for Legend of the Golden Witch was released in Japan on June 21, 2008 under Square Enix's Gangan Comics imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...

. A four-panel
Yonkoma
thumb|right|150px|Traditional Yonkoma layout, a comic-strip format, generally consists of gag comic strips within four panels of equal size ordered from top to bottom...

comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....

entitled and illustrated by Makoto Fugetsu was serialized in Ichijinsha
Ichijinsha
is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA which main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. In January 1998, Studio DNA became a public company and...

's Manga Palette Lite magazine between March 1, 2008 and March 2, 2009. A single bound volume for Umineko Biyori was released on June 22, 2009.

Another manga, , is illustrated by Satoshi Shinkyo and was serialized between the November 2008 and May 2009 issues of Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...

's Comp Ace

Comp Ace

is a Japanese computer game and manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. Comp Ace began as a special edition version of another one of Kadokawa Shoten's magazines, Comptiq. The first issue was released on March 26, 2005, and was published quarterly for the first three volumes which had cover...

magazine. A cross-over
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...

manga drawn by Yuki Hiiro and featuring characters from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni

, known simply as When They Cry for the North American release of the anime adaptation, is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft sound novel series produced by 07th Expansion. The games are built on the NScripter game engine and are playable on Microsoft Windows PCs...

titled Umineko no Naku Koro ni EpisodeX Rokkenjima of Higurashi crying was serialized in ASCII Media Works
ASCII Media Works
is a Japanese publishing company in the Kadokawa Group which formed on April 1, 2008 as a result of a merger between ASCII and MediaWorks where MediaWorks legally absorbed ASCII. Despite this, the former president of ASCII, Kiyoshi Takano, became the president of ASCII Media Works. The company...

's Dengeki G's Festival! Comic magazine between January 26, 2009 and February 23, 2011. Two volumes of EpisodeX were released, the first on February 26, 2010 and the second on April 27, 2011 under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comics
Dengeki Comics
is a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Comics EX label which publishes a lesser number of manga volumes...

imprint.

Drama CDs
Frontier Works
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products...

began to produce a set of drama CDs
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...

for Umineko starting with the first volume released on June 24, 2009. The second volume, followed on July 23, 2009. The voice cast is the same as the anime.

Novels
Kodansha Box
Kodansha Box
Kodansha Box is a publishing line from the major Japanese publishing house, Kodansha. Each book is packaged in a silver cardboard slip cover. Single-handedly edited by Katsushi Ōta who describes the lines as: "A collection of works on the theme of the adolescent mind...

began releasing novelizations of the visual novel arcs in two volume sets, beginning with Legend of the Golden Witch released on July 1, 2009 for volume one and August 4, 2009 for volume two. The two volumes of Turn of the Golden Witch were released in November and December 2009. The novels are written by Ryukishi07

Ryukishi07

. Novelizations of the other arcs will also be produced.

Anime

A 26-episode anime

Anime

adaptation based on the visual novel series aired in Japan between July 2 and December 24, 2009 on Chiba TV

Chiba TV

, doing business as , is a Japanese commercial terrestrial television broadcasting company headquartered at 11-25 Miyako-chō 1-chōme, Chūō-ku, Chiba serving Chiba Prefecture but spill-over is received in the neibouring prefectures. It is a member of the Japanese Association of Independent...

, and aired on additional stations at later times. The anime is produced by the animation studio Studio Deen

Studio DEEN

and directed by Chiaki Kon

Chiaki Kon

is a Japanese anime director who directed the anime adaptations of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, and Nodame Cantabile: Paris Chapter. She also worked the storyboard and dramatization for the anime Midori Days and did the Opening Animation for Shōnen Onmyōji.-External links:...

. The opening theme of the anime is by Akiko Shikata

Akiko Shikata

is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer, who is known for writing music for games and anime. She is best known for her contributions to the Ar tonelico, Shadow Hearts and Umineko no Naku Koro ni games, as well as anime adaptations of Umineko no Naku Koro ni and Tales of Symphonia.Shikata's...

, and the ending theme is by Jimang from Sound Horizon

Sound Horizon

Sound Horizon, abbreviated by fans as Sanhora , is a Japanese musical group with composer Revo as the leader. They call themselves the "fantasy band" and have released their works that closely resemble suites.-History:...

. The singles for both songs were released on August 19 and September 16, 2009, respectively.

Internet radio show

An Internet radio

Internet radio

Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...

show titled Umineko no Naku Koro ni Episode R: Radio of the Golden Witch aired ten episodes between August 26, 2009 and January 13, 2010. Produced by Animate TV

Animate

is the retailing arm of MOVIC and is the largest retailer of anime, games, and manga in Japan. The first and headquarters store of Animate opened in 1983 and is located in Ikebukuro, a district in Tokyo, Japan. Currently, there are 38 Animate stores in Japan, and two in Taipei, Taiwan...

, the show was hosted by Sayaka Ohara

Sayaka Ohara

is a Japanese voice actress. She is currently affiliated with Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. She is a graduate of Aoyama Gakuin University's Department of Literature. Her nickname is...

(the voice of Beatrice in the anime adaptation) and featured numerous guests who were also voice actors

Seiyu

Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...

from the anime such as Daisuke Ono

Daisuke Ono

is a Japanese voice actor who works for Mausu Promotion. He was born in Kōchi Prefecture. He won the 4th Seiyū Awards for best voice actor for his role as Sebastian Michaelis in Kuroshitsuji.-Anime:2002*Full Metal Panic!...

(Battler) and Marina Inoue

Marina Inoue

is a voice actress and singer. She is signed onto Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex division. As for voice acting career, she's employed by Sigma Seven...

(Jessica). A special episode was later aired on April 28, 2010 featuring Rina Satō

Rina Sato

is a Japanese voice actress who works for Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society.-TV Anime:2004:* Divergence Eve * Maria-sama ga Miteru * Maria-sama ga Miteru ~Haru~ 2005:...

(Ange) and Ryukishi07

Ryukishi07

as guests. Two CD compilation volumes containing two CDs each were released on December 23, 2009 and January 27, 2010 compiling the ten main episodes.

Music

The visual novels have three opening theme songs. The four games of Umineko no Naku Koro ni use the opening theme , composed and performed by Akiko Shikata
Akiko Shikata
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and composer, who is known for writing music for games and anime. She is best known for her contributions to the Ar tonelico, Shadow Hearts and Umineko no Naku Koro ni games, as well as anime adaptations of Umineko no Naku Koro ni and Tales of Symphonia.Shikata's...

, which was released at Comiket 74
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....

on August 15, 2008, and for public release on August 29, 2008 by Frontier Works
Frontier Works
is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to anime, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, anime soundtracks, or other related products...

. The first two games of Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru (End and Dawn) use the opening theme sung by Ayumu from Zwei
Zwei (band)
Zwei is a Japanese duo formed in 2003 composed of model Megumi Ueno on bass and Ayumu on vocals...

. The single for "Occultics no Majo" was released on November 26, 2009 by Geneon. The last two Chiru games (Requiem and Twilight) use the opening theme sung by Nei Kino.

At the end of each game, there are two ending themes: one played after the completion of the main game when the cast of characters is shown and another played after finishing the "????" epilogue when the staff credits are shown. In Legend of the Golden Witch, "Bring the Fate" composed by Hironori Dori is the first ending theme and composed by -45 is used for the staff credits. Turn uses composed by Uni Akiyama for the first ending theme and sung by Kazumi Kimura for the staff credits. The first ending theme of Banquet is "Dread of the Grave (Rhythm ver.)" composed by SB Yune and the staff credits theme is "Active Pain" performed by Zakuro Motoki. The first ending theme for Alliance is "Discode" sung by Kanae Sakura and "Rōgoku Strip" is again used for the staff credits. Ends first ending theme is composed by -45 and the staff credits theme is performed by Rekka Katakiri

Rekka Katakiri

, born December 18, is a female Japanese singer. Her doujin circle is called CLOSED/UNDERGROUND.- About :* Influenced by anime, she started working in the fields as a vocal, net seiyuu, composer and lyricist when she first started high school. In 2004, she released the album "Min no Uta." as her...

. Dawn uses "Birth of New Witch" sung by Zakuro Motoki as the first ending theme and sung by Nei Kino for the staff credits. The first ending theme for Requiem is "The Executioner" composed by zts and the staff credits theme is sung by Kanae Sakura.

An original soundtrack for Legend of the Golden Witch entitled Essence was released on August 26, 2009.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.