Originally released on PC, Higurashi When They Cry is a “sound novel.” Like visual novels, which tell stories through images and text, sound novels weave their tales with music. And while Higurashi When They Cry will no doubt feature its share of dialogue and artwork, the focus is on the mood-capturing sounds and over 100 BGM tracks players can experience across 19 chapters.
According to the Siliconera translation of Game Jouhou’s post, The PlayStation 3 and Vita versions feature enhanced scenes, additional characters (along with a CG character swimsuit showcase — as per Japan video game regulations) and fully voiced chapters.
Higurashi When They Cry is set to release March 12, 2015 in Japan. Localization is unlikely, but there’s certainly plenty of reasons to import if you’re in the process of learning, or have studied, Japanese.