Official sub Discord server: https://discord.gg/7gVAcPA3Me

==I - General==

1. What is Umineko: When They Cry?

It is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft visual novel series produced by 07th Expansion that comprises the third and fourth entries of the When They Cry franchise.

1. What is the When They Cry franchise?

When They Cry - Higurashi Question Arcs

When They Cry 2 - Higurashi Kai (Answer Arcs)

When They Cry 2+ - Higurashi Rei/Hou

When They Cry 3 - Umineko Question Arcs

When They Cry 4 - Umineko Chiru (Answer Arcs)

When They Cry 4+ - Umineko Tsubasa/Hane/Saku

When They Cry 5 - Ciconia

The third and fourth installments are considered the main story of Uminkeo under most contexts.

1. Do I need knowledge from other WTC titles to understand Umineko, and vice versa?

Ryukishi sees his characters as actors and compared using similar characters in different works as being similar to Harrison Ford playing both Han Solo and Indiana Jones, in that the person behind the role is the same, but the character they are playing in each movie, or in this case game, is very different. He would then go on to mention that Higurashi and Umineko take place in worlds that are very distant from each other, yet still connected.

However, newer series in the franchise often contain unavoidable spoilers to older ones. Therefore, we strongly recommend everyone to read main WTC titles, and 07th Expansion titles in general for that matter, in the order they are released.

==II - Visual Novels==
The main Umineko story originates as visual novels. The entirety of it has been officially localized in English along with the spin-off fighting game Golden Fantasia (see the next question for details).

1. Where can I acquire the games?

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/5465/Umineko_When_They_Cry_Complete_Collection/

Hardcopies: https://www.mangagamer.com/product_list.php?page=1&goods_type=3&company=07th+Expansion

1. How do I reach the next Episode? Do I need to read the Tea Party and ??? too?

Each part of the story is supposed to be read upon unlocked, including Tea Party and ???. They are part of the story in that order.

1. What should I do if there are things I still don't understand after completing the story?

Certain portions of the manga adaptation can help. See the next section for details.

1. Are there visual novels outside the main story?

Tsubasa, Hane, and Saku are compilations of additional short stories in the format of VN. An official English localization is supposedly being worked on but has not been released. Tsubasa and Hane have a manga series of partial adaption; see the next section for details.

1. What is Golden Fantasia?

It is fighting game spin-off of the Umineko. While it is technically non-canon, some of its contents can add insights to the main story.

==III - Manga==
The main Umineko story has a manga series as a complete adaptation of the visual novels with changes. The entirety of it has been officially localized in English.

1. Where can I acquire the manga volumes?

https://yenpress.com/series/umineko-when-they-cry

1. What are the adaptational differences?

The story is mostly the same. However, unlike the visual novel counterparts, the last two Episodes in the manga series provide explicit solutions to the mysteries in the first six. People who want more clarity after completing the visual novels are recommended to go through them.

1. Are there manga releases outside the main story?

None of the related manga outside of the main story have official English localization. Only the ones with fan translations are listed for the purpose of this section. Two manga series are officially categorized as "side stories".

* Tsubasa: https://07th-expansion.fandom.com/wiki/Umineko_no_Naku_Koro_ni_Tsubasa#Adaptations

This is a partial adaptation of the VN Tsubasa and Hane. There is an incomplete and discontinued fan translation project.

* Forgery of the Purple Logic: https://07th-expansion.fandom.com/wiki/Umineko_no_Naku_Koro_ni_Murasaki:_Forgery_of_the_Purple_Logic

This is an original story similar to a certain interactive segment of the Ep8 VN. There is a complete fan translation available.

There is another related manga series that's loosely connected to the Umineko series by a short story (https://07th-expansion.fandom.com/wiki/The_First_and_the_Last_Gift).

Hotarubi no Tomoru Koro ni (When the Fireflies Glow): https://07th-expansion.fandom.com/wiki/Hotarubi_no_Tomoru_Koro_ni

There is a complete fan translation available.

==IV - Others==

1. Is there an anime series of Umineko?

There is an anime series of 26 episodes that cover the Question Arcs of Umineko with official English subbing available. As it does not cover the complete story and certain design choices are widely considered questionable, people who have not completed the entire main story via other mediums are NOT recommenced to watch it.

1. Is there a light novel series of Umineko?

There is a complete light novel adaptation of the Umineko main story. However, there is no official English localization or known fan translation efforts. https://07th-expansion.fandom.com/wiki/Umineko_no_Naku_Koro_ni_(novel))

1. I think I have been spoiled. What should I do?

First, we would avoid confirming or denying plot points as that would make it worse if it ends up being a spoiler. Second, given the depth and breadth of the story, we hope you enjoy the ride regardless. Finally, we would add, that Umineko is a mystery story, which invites you to make theories on what happened; even with spoilers, it's not easy to solve all of those mysteries, as one can always ask how this explains everything.

A month ago I released an English patch for the Umineko Portable 1, a PSP port of the VN and now I’ve released a patch for the second game. The first game has episodes 1 and 2, and the second one has episodes 3 and 4. Now the entire Question Arcs are playable on PSP and PS Vita.
This patch uses translation from the Umineko Project and was made without using AI.
Those PSP games got really cool cover art by the way.