Ciconia When They Cry - Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones

president putin please make peace in the ukraine so we can have phase 2 thank you very much

I liked it a lot, but it's dead in the water. I believe that, if finished, it could really be up there right next to Higurashi and Umineko. but it's just been way too long to expect anything out of it, On the financial side of things, the original price (about 32$ on launch) already stung enough, especially for a VN without voice acting or unique CGs with chapters meant to be sold separately. For reference, you can get Fate Stay/Night for 15 bucks right now fully voiced and with 3 complete routes, not to mention an actually noteworthy OST plus other neat details that complement the whole experience (Choices, side-stories, etc). This entry doesn't even reach the 25 hour mark on average and there are still 3 MORE chapters to buy, assuming they even come out. On the visual side of things, it’s just as impressive as the original launch of its predecessors. While it goes without saying that the quality of the sprites has gone up considerably, it's still very lacking in presentation, sometimes to a comical degree. At one point they really just plaster the GIF of a really low effort AK-47 animation plus some out of place 3D models that, more than impressive, just feel amateurish. Higurashi and Umineko got away with similar limitations, sure, but we are talking about a 2019 VN from an already established developer that went on to venture into manga adaptations, gachas, and even a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ musical; not the same stakes at all. As for the story itself... I enjoyed it; it's a good premise, and I see the evolution from previous When They Cry entries, from fantasy to sci-fi. Still, that doesn't mean much considering this is really just a prologue of things to come, with plenty of characters and plotlines to be developed. We just don't have the full picture just yet, a picture that just gets more and more blurry as we reach the 9 year hiatus. Out of everything listed here, easily the most unforgivable aspect of it all is the excuses for the hiatus. From "not wanting to write about wars" (even thought thats the whole ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ premise of this story) to "waiting for more peaceful times" (as the world is going to the gutter), it all comes down to petty reasoning that I just can't get behind; no one should. It's particularly hypocritical when you consider all the tragedies and suffering present in their previous stories, and yet there wasn't a single excuse when writing those. All in all, it's pretty realistic to assume those are just convenient excuses for just... Not finishing this. Even if Phase 2 came out tomorrow, we are still talking about two more Phases to go through. We are not even halfway in. Considering the lack of communication, the laughable price tag, the flabby reasons to put this story on hold and the lack of a guarantee we won't have to wait another eternity just to get another single chapter... There really is zero reason to support this entry in any way other than mindlessly consuming everything When They Cry related. At one point, you just really have to ask if it's truly worth it.