Once again written and illustrated by Ryukishi07 himself, Ciconia When They Cry will also feature music from the famous composers that worked on Higurashi, Umineko and more: dai, Luck Ganriki, xaki(Pomexgranate.), Akiyama Uni, and others as well!

At his Sakuracon panel Ryukishi hinted that Ciconia will be taking a different turn in style from his previous works. While Higurashi and Umineko both focused on having players try to solve the mystery of the story themselves, Ciconia will have a much stronger focus on action with mystery elements scattered throughout. Ryukishi07 even issued a challenge to fans: “In this next game, I won’t give you the privilege of being a player!”

This challenge ties in directly with story elements and themes that were revealed for the very first time ever at his Sakuracon Q&A panel.

In Ciconia When They Cry, World War 3 has come and gone, with nuclear winter only narrowly avoided with cutting-edge technology leading to the development of a new ultimate military technology, the Gauntlet, which allows those wielding one to fly like fighter jets, fight like battleships, and repel attacks like tanks without any additional equipment. The Gauntlets require particular talent and special training administered from a young age in order to control, and the young boys and girls capable of mastering them become known as Gauntlet Knights. The main characters of Ciconia When They Cry will be a group of these young Gauntlet Knights who, after the peaceful competition in the International Battle Standard Festival, become fast friends vowing to prevent world war together. However, world events are leading directly to World War 4 like a cascading row of dominos, and these “main characters” are nothing but pawns in the global games played by those with a right to sit at the table. Will these youth be forced to murder each other? Can the tragedy of war be prevented by mere pawns? Who are the real players in these games, and will you, the fans of When They Cry, fight for your seat at this deadly game?

We are currently working closely with 07thExpansion and Witch Hunt, the team behind Umineko‘s localization, on Ciconia When They Cry, and intend to provide a simultaneous English release on MangaGamer and Steam when the game is released in Japan at this year’s Summer Comiket.