News

Physical Copies of Higurashi When They Cry Hou + Game Recalled Due to Malware Attack

MangaGamer announced on Thursday that it is recalling its most recent print run of USB hardcopies of Higurashi: When They Cry Hou - Hou +, a remastered collection of the original sound novels' final three arcs, due to it being affected by a supply chain malware attack. The company is temporarily halting the sale of the USB hardcopies of the game. Digital editions of the game remain unaffected.

The company approximates that it has sold 64-67 copies of the affected game. Affected players can contact the company's customer support through email. It has noted that players can identify if their game is affected by the malware as compromised copies have an installer that is 268.42MB in size. Uncompromised copies have an installer that is 267.69MB in size. Only Windows installers have been compromised. The company recommends a full system scan with Windows Defender or anti-virus software.

Pre-orders for physical copies of the game are still open, but MangaGamer states that release dates will be subject to change due to the halting of sales.

The remastered collection launched in English on PC via Steam and on MangaGamer's website in November 2023. The final three arcs are "Outbreak," "Kamikashimashi," and "Hinamizawa Bus Stop." It also includes the additional "Mehagashi" scenario. MangaGamer describes the story:

The relentless cycle of tragedy surrounding Hinamizawa and the club members has finally ended. Peace has returned to the village as it welcomes June 1983. Yet there are other fragments, other memories, other worlds that still lie unexplored. Do you, the challenger who has seen and conquered the tragic past of Hinamizawa, have the heart and fortitude to peer into these tales that previously lay undisturbed? Tread lightly, and remember to savor your time with the club members of Hinamizawa.

The remastered novel launched in Japan as a bundle featuring all chapters in January 2022.

MangaGamer had been releasing Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou as 14 individual chapters since 2015.

Entergram released Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou on Nintendo Switch in July 2018 and on PlayStation 4 in January 2019. Entergram then released the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Hou EG THE BEST sound novel on both consoles in August 2020.

07th Expansion launched the first chapter of the Higurashi no Naku Koro ni visual novel software in 2002 at Comiket. The story revolves around murders that coincide with an annual festival in a quiet rural village. Ryukishi07 and 07th Expansion released Higurashi: When They Cry Hou for PC in Japan in 2014 as a "thank you" to series fans (the kanji used for Hō is used in the word Hōnō, "dedication").

Source: MangaGamer's website