Ciconia no Naku Koro ni is a 2019 visual novel and the third (fifth if you're being pedantic) installment in the When They Cry series. It is my personal recommendation to read this one after finishing Umineko and Higurashi, but every entry is (mostly) agreed upon by the WTC fanbase to be independent.
You can buy the visual novel here: Ciconia no Naku Koro ni for |.
Umineko no Naku Koro ni is a visual novel that released between the years 2007 and 2010. It is the second installment in the When They Cry series. Following the same format of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, the first four arcs are categorized as the "question" arcs where the reader (for the most part) is left in the dark about the overall mystery with hints and pieces here and there. Umineko Chiru are the answer arcs and provide some answers for the reader. After reading Chiru, I recommend reading Confessions of the Golden Witch, which is a manga that came out years later, that Ryukishi considers to be the definitive answer to the mystery. There are numerous groups of people who deny the manga's answer because it was not entirely in the original visual novel, so it is quite contentious (do as you wish). Do not watch the anime adaptation.
It is recommended to use 07th-Mod (link) which allows you to customize what backgrounds, music, and sprites to use.
You can buy the visual novel here: for . You can buy Chiru here: Umineko no Naku Koro ni Chiru for |.
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni is a visual novel that released between the years 2002 and 2006