| Ciconia When They Cry | |
|---|---|
 Promotional art featuring Mitake Miyao | |
| Developer(s) | 07th Expansion |
| Publisher(s) |
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| Producer(s) | Nakao Bōshi |
| Artist(s) |
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| Writer(s) | Ryukishi07 |
| Composer(s) |
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| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, macOS |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Ciconia When They Cry[a] is an episodic visual novel game series in development by 07th Expansion, collectively considered the fifth entry in the When They Cry series, following Higurashi When They Cry and Umineko When They Cry.[b] It follows people trying to prevent the outbreak of World War IV. It is released episodically for Microsoft Windows and macOS, by 07th Expansion in Japan and by MangaGamer internationally, and is planned to be four episodes long. The first, "Phase 1: For You, the Replaceable Ones", was released in October 2019; the second was planned for release in 2020, but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ryukishi at his Anime Expo 2024 Q&A, the second phase is on indefinite hiatus due to the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The series is written by Ryukishi07 and produced by Nakao Bōshi, and features art by Ryukishi07 and Remotaro, and music by several returning series composers. It was designed to be different from Higurashi and Umineko, with a larger world compared to their isolated settings, and with the intent that the player can choose to just enjoy the story or optionally try to solve the mysteries themselves, a change influenced by the 1995 anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The story's set-up was also designed to be more condensed, with episode 1 roughly corresponding to the first half of Umineko in terms of plot progression.
- ^ Sherman, Jennifer (November 30, 2018). "Ciconia no Naku koro ni, Umineko Games' Videos Streamed". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 7, 2019. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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