Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Game
Game2020
Iwaihime
Developer DMM GAMES
From hit writer Ryukishi07, the creator of When They Cry, comes a story on the theme of “curses.” Strike down the dark riddle of dolls and soot in this supernatural horror visual novel. From the Steam store page
189 reactions from 2 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky) · newest Oct 8, 2026 · last updated Oct 8, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
81
LovedLoved
151 positive · 36 negative
95% range 75–86%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 151 | 36 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
2 newer reactions are still waiting for a label.
Steam's own rating
Mostly Positive
723 of 923 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What people are saying
Summary pending — the reactions are listed below.
Reactions
60 of 189 · most liked firstLet me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of the Higurashi series. Thus, I jumped at being able to play Iwaihime, a visual novel by the same writer as the popular Higurashi and Umineko games. That alone should be more than enough reason to give this game a try, right? However, I admittedly never heard of Iwaihime before it hit Steam so I was unsure what to expect of it. I was sure it was going to be a great game but honestly, the true colors of Ryukishi07's work are getting revealed later in…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →7/10 Ryukishi07 is a famous japan game and comic writer. This game's story is still grotesque as his works. As usual, this game is a little too bloody and cruel. Not recommended for people who can not stand for this. If you do not know the style of Ryukishi07's story, you may not understand what the first three chapters are talking about. However, if you could be patient and finish all the chapters, I am sure you will find it worth your try. The music of this game is amazing. From my point…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Iwaihime is much different than the When they Cry series Ryukishi07 is better known for, but my experience with it was nothing short of excellent. As Iwaihime isn't a doujin VN like most of 07th Expansion's works, the production value blows Higurashi and Umineko out of the water. Backgrounds are hand-drawn and in 1080p, there are plenty of beautiful CGs, and the entire game is fully (and competently) voice-acted from start to finish. The vocal performances added to the script so much that I…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I played this game as a big fan of Ryukishi07's works & if that's your motivation for playing it too, then I don't recommend it. Its writing is mediocre at best & the characters never really break out of their stereotypical shell. There's nothing clever or subtle about the story here. With the exception of the idol girl, you don't really get any psychological horror vibes; in fact, the entire horror aspect of this game translates to disgusting, gory scenes. There are a couple of story arcs…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Sadly did not enjoy this. Umineko is my favorite story of all time, and Higurashi was also a great read, so I was excited to try this Ryukishi story that was outside the When They Cry series. But between a boring main character, bland romances, and horror that's more just gross and shocking than actually creepy or unnerving, I really had to force myself to get to Iwaihime's conclusion. It's not all bad. Music is fantastic, and everyone's voice acting is done really well. I was not crazy about…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i'm sorry but i need to be real. i LOVE ryukishi and to be fair to the localization team, the translation is really great, so i'm not ragging on the steam release, but this plot... is ass. it was a ride for sure but not one i can really recommend LOL. ryukishi's works usually handle things like sexual assault and other hard themes without making them explicitly sexual but here they were just... that. also the forced anime perv jokes and scenes were incredibly bad and trope-y. there were a few…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Iwaihime is a game that tries very hard, but ultimately fails, to overcome the flaw inherent to its central premise. As you would expect from a VN with Ryukishi07 as a scenario writer, the moment-to-moment horror and social commentary is on point and incredible. However, those strengths have to consistently compete with the fact that this story is also trying to be a wishfullfillment power fantasy about a perfect guy single-handedly saving a bunch of cute girls, who are all super attracted to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →STORY: Written by Ryukishi07, who is known for its stories with very dark elements, Iwaihime certainly does not stray out of that. It has multiple story arcs that all are well tied together, and every one with Ryukishi's signature mood rollercoaster, with slice of life, cheesy and funny scenes intersped and evolving into much darker and sadder elements. Central and unifying them is a thousand year curse that the characters must confront and address. The writing is well paced and developed,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →When I saw Ryukishi's name on this, it became something I simply had to buy & experience right away... Yet it took me almost two months to get through it. Was it worth it in the end? I'd say definitely, but Iwaihime isn't without its fair share of issues. I'll get those out of the way first, before dealing with the positives (of which there are plenty). For starters, I found the opening few hours to be some of the most unenjoyable I've experienced reading VNs. The pacing was bizarre, the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If you're coming from Higurashi or Umineko expecting a shorter work of remotely similar quality, prepare to be very disappointed. I sure as hell was. If I had been told to read this work, read it, and had been told that Ryushiki07 had written this, I would not have believed it. Its worth noting that unlike, say, Higurashi or Umineko, Iwaihime was not a project that originated with Ryushiki07. Instead he was commissioned to write for it as a project that had already been created. Between the…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As someone who enjoyed Higurashi and reluctantly finished Umineko.. I appreciate that Iwaihime takes elements of both novels. Unfortunately, it took all the worst ones. Within 4 hours, i have not found a single likable character among the cast. Everyone is a bare bones stereotype and you will barely remember their names because the game can't decide to call them by their surname or forename or an adorably obnoxious nickname. Iwaihime seems to follow Higurashi's style of 1 Waifu per Chapter…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Century Passes By.. They Are Not Together.. I am glad this VN didn't end in 8 hours, I was getting sick of all the short VN's I have been playing :P This VN is so epic that I honestly felt a bit that this is better than Higurashi. It has themes of reincarnation, gore, disturbing content, urban legends and viewer discretion because of the some content this visual novel. But, I loved it so much, it will be in my heart forever because of the amazing characters and music. Story: Gore but…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Allah rızası için lütfen birisi size ağzına kadar siyah ve sıvı bir madde sunarsa kabul etmeyin sonra çok tuhaf şeyler yaşanıyor
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Can a mere fist crush a curse?" Note: There are depictions of disturbing topics and images, such as nudity, assault, etc., in this game. Thus, a bit of a heads up. ^^ Iwaihime is a (mostly) kinetic, horror, supernatural visual novel developed by DMM GAMES and published by Shiravune. Although you take on the roles of multiple characters, you mostly play as Suzumu Susuhara, a second-year transfer high school student who has left home to live independently as part of a family tradition to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It was marketed as a horror, but there is nothing scary, only gross. I guess because of my age, I'm not interested in high school romances. This was more of a romance visual novel than anything. The author impressed me with Higurashi and Umineko, but this wasn't up to par with those. I never found gore scary or shocking, just boring and a waste of time.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this is a story about punching women
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Game seems like pure shock value and attention deficiency for the first three chapters, then you start to understand the game better and it becomes niche aesthetics.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i would live through a 1000 year curse no problem if i could prevent my past self from buying this game in exchange i'm so serious
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well just because it is a Ryukishi07 story doesn't guarantee anything I guess. The characters are unlikable and have pretty unclear motivations, and the storywriting isn't consistent. The amount of head-hopping in POV switch is a bit too much for me...
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A 1000 year old bittersweet symphony This is a bitter story with bittersweet ending. Expect unexpected, as usual with Ryukishi07 Iwaihime is not perfect, I have to say that straight away. Do not expect the same level of quality as in Higurashi series. I will talk about negatives first - it's not that much to say anyway. First of all - part of the story around Riria Nunokawa was the weakest point in the whole VN. This character completely failed to connect with me, perhaps because I do not…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Aside of the demo chapter, the only horror is the writing in this game. It's all the things Ryukishi07 is bad at compiled and amplified, without the things he is good at. It's hard to emphasize with the characters, given the boring slice of life and hilariously exaggerated character background stories. And there's not really anything else. Well, other than a lot of disgusting content. Disgusting, yes, not disturbing or spooky. Just disgusting. This wasn't a horror visual novel.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Came for spooks. Got ♥♥♥♥♥♥ harem story. Bad times.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Crap that doesnt know what genre it wants to be. Extremely repetitive OST, an mc with zero character to him. Some cool CGs but thats about it. I refuse to acknowledge Ryukishi as the author of this.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →a VN so horrifying yet so emotional ദ്ദി(｡╥ ᴗ ╥｡)
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →"Mom can we have Higurashi at home?" "We already have Higurashi at home" Higurashi at home : Jokes aside, this is very similar to Ryukishi's other works, very similar writing style, lower quality but also faster to finish if you don't really like to read so long like in Umineko, you don't really need to think much when playing this game, just follow the story and, that's it. So many people downvoted this game, all I can say is : At least this has a better ending than…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It took me more than half a year to finally write a review for this, since this game has left me conflicted lol. In my opinion this VN does certain things very well but at the same time other stuff is just- questionable. Pros: -overall production: great music & voice acting, wonderful CGs, I love the artstyle :3 -immaculate atmosphere: this is exactly what I want suspenseful scenes to feel like in horror VNs and there are a lot of them here, so I really enjoyed it -the horror and surreal…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The other reviews have already mentioned this, but despite this visual novel being a Ryukishi07 story - the legend who wrote Higurashi and Umineko - Iwaihime is surprisingly disappointing, with the story being bland and unoriginal. The characters are also very unlikeable and are based on anime stereotypes. Also, one character is literally Joey Wheeler from Yu-Gi-Oh, and that's unironically the highlight of this game (imo). You can read this if you want, but don't have high expectations just…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Its better than Higanbana, but man while this game's highs are amazing, its lows are far more frequent and really bad. I beat it in its entirety. Theres some genuine attempts to write sensitive subject matter with respect, but the epilogue undercuts it by sexualizing the heroines and feels really tone deaf. And Susumu starts out a pretty interesting upstanding guy but becomes Dense Harem Protagonist who cant say no to the girls hes not serious about by the end, and then the ending hits and…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Credits rolled in at least 7 times and you can't skip them...Unnecessary long and boring.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →quite heavy stuff ..
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Mostly spoiler FREE review. Its one of those rare moments in life that makes you speechless in this case Iwaihime is one of them. Like what do I even write for a review, I haven't fully finished the novel, but I feel like now would be a good time to write something while the ending is still fresh in my head. I couldn't possibly think of what will happen next in terms of the plot, it just changed constantly, bringing new side plots every time I thought about a direction this novel would take,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It should go without being said but this is a horror game!! There are many repulsive elements! If you are very sensitive to topics that involve human beings doing awful things to each other then please exert caution here. If you are secure in yourself and benefit from media with discussions/depictions of various kinds of trauma, then this may be the VN for you. I found the writing compelling; ryukishi07 is a master at using narrative metaphor (even if sometimes he beats you over the head with…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →“Iwaihime” is a kinetic novel, written by Ryukishi07 but seemingly not made by his usual team. However, similarities to Higurashi will be made so let’s get that out of the way now; the beginning chapters of this kinetic novel are very reminiscent to the question arcs, at the very least, and the ending arcs would have answered them. The music is entertaining enough and I thought it fit the moods appropriately. The voice actors did an amazing job, but they could only bring to life what they could…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It baffles me that this game has mixed reviews, as it's one of my favourite visual novels and the only one that has really made me cry. Whoever is reading this and is on the fence about buying due to reviews, please give this a shot. I felt connected deeply to the characters as the cast showcases well the negative experiences of living as a female, making me feel true horror, sadness and fear playing this. They represent trauma in an amazing way, and show the true dark side to mankind and how…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Ryukishi07's underrated gem. Just like his When They Cry series, I can't and will not stop thinking about these visual novels for the rest of my life. Iwaihime made me depressed for a good month after finishing, while Umineko a good year and a half. This one is especially tragic and even upsetting in a good way if you like schadenfreude in fiction. I really didn't expect it to hit as hard. The characters seem to get backlash but I thought they were quite good as well. Solid visual novel and…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →If I could give this a neutral rating, I would and I mostly recommend it on sale. Ryukishi07's ̶S̶a̶y̶a̶ ̶N̶o̶ ̶U̶t̶a̶ Iwaihime is....a weird one. There's A LOT of moments that just feel like gross for grossness' sake, multiple female characters whose backstories revolve around sexual assult and like....maybe I'm crazy but a weird amount of fatphobia??? Plus the protagonist is pretty bland overall, and it's a bit eyerolly how every character immediately falls in love with him Now ALL that…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →reaching 8 hours of it was like raping myself
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →He punches the deer and its peak
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →As a huge fan of Ryukishi07 works (Higurashi, Umineko, Rose Gun Days, Higanbana, etc.) I was really excited that Ryukishi07 was invited to write for Iwaihime and that we were getting a localization for it. As much as I tried, and I tried SUPER hard... I could not bring myself to like Iwaihime, and quickly realized I had set my expectations high by thinking Ryukishi07 had more of a part in it's creation. Iwaihime started off strong and intriguing but fell off very quickly, leading to…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The first half of the game is horror. The story is disgusting, disturbing, creepy. It touches sensitive subjects too, like suicide (in the first opening scene) very descriptive gore, accompanied by sounds that will make you feel uncomfortable. The 2nd half focuses on explanations on what the hell is going on, bringing an end, and sprinkling some romance. It's written by the creator of Higurashi and Umineko. This game doesn't live up to his best works, however It's still alright. Graphically…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Story Now you’re probably here because you’ve heard of / read Higurashi. Is this Higurashi/When they Cry related? No. Not in the slightest. Is this better than Higurashi/When they Cry? This is a subjective opinion but hell no. Higurashi reigns supreme. Ok so why should I play this then? Because it’s a wonderfully intricate story which, in classic Ryuukishi07 style, will fill you with hopes and dreams and get you attached to its characters only to take it all away and break your heart just…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is gonna be my first time reviewing a game/visual novel so bare with me here There will probably be some MINOR spoilers Honestly the story was unsettling and great at first but as it went on I honestly started to lose interest, it got boring and tiresome to read, maybe I'm just not a visual novel person but my main gripe was with the main protagonist. Suzumu is an incredibly boring character who is lacking in flaws which made the whole story a chore to read, all these girls fawning over…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Higurashi and Umineko were both amazing, so I thought this wouldn't be any different. I was rather excited about this game for quite a while, but never got around to it. The set-up seemed interesting, the action started a bit earlier than in Higurashi/Umineko, but that's not a must. However, I can't uphold my positive opinion for what came next. Instead of the subtle ways Higurashi and Umineko often handled more delicate subjects, this game might as well have certain scenes ripped from a…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Well, I find the game very balanced to say the least. It has some really good moments and some minor flaws. Though despite the flaws, I really enjoyed this Visual Novel. The uneasiness of every chapter, the atmosphere, the voice acting and the art makes this VN enjoyable. It's actually shorter than the whole chapter 1 of Higurashi. You should definitely try this if you're a fan of Ryukishi07's works. Also try to buy the bundle because it includes one of the best chapters the game has to offer.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is Ryukishi's most consistently paced game, it's also possibly his best work
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I've always been a fan of Ryukishi07's writing, but for some reason nobody ever talks about Iwaihime. It was always the forgotten child of his works. Up until recently I wasn't sure if it would ever be localised into English, but then all of a sudden, it appeared out of nowhere. And now that I've read it, I can't imagine a world where I'd never have had the opportunity to read this wonderful visual novel. But first, the content warnings. This game contains visceral depictions of gore, murder,…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Iwaihime presents a linear visual novel built on tension, folklore, and gradual psychological pressure. The structure relies on controlled pacing rather than branching complexity. Each chapter introduces a clear set of mysteries and expands them through steady exposition. The narrative focuses on character psychology. Dialogue and internal monologue carry most of the weight. The story uses repetition and slow reveals to build unease. The approach is deliberate and rewards patient reading…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had a stroke while reading this
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Susumu is such a boring guy holy sh*t
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Don't buy this game if you plan of comparing it to Umineko and Higurashi, because it won't stand a chance and you'll be feeling lowkey disappointed. This is without a doubt Ryukishi07's work and it's enough of a reason to buy it, but... keep your hopes in check to avoid disappointment. Just do it for Ryukishi07.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Iwaihime is written by the author of Higurashi When They Cry series. This is not a R18 VN but with a tad bit of fan service CGs but that's pretty much it. If you read Higurashi series, you know how creepy it is, but Iwaihime gives off a completely different vibes when you're reading it. Okay, it is a bit terrifying by how descriptive it is for the process of one's dying but that's all it offers. Cliche endings, cliche hero saving heroines, cliche backstories for every characters. The plot is…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →So I just finished 100% run of Iwaihime. A supernatural psychological horror, told from each character's perspective who's living through a waking nightmare. It has its cute/silly moments of course and the romance is an important plot aspect. But the main focus really is on the horror. It features gods, curses, deer, and swimsuit wrestling? Even the way to story is told is done in an unusual way. A bit jumpy with changing perspectives and then going from nightmare to reality, but when more of…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not sure why my playtime is inaccurate I got really strong vibes of Chaos;Child from this game (which I didn't like) in that it felt there's a lot of moments that have no bearing on what's actually happening. Often I had no idea what was going on because there was little distinction between reality and delusion, except delusion had no actual impact on anything so it felt like time wasted.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The story is a mess and the main character is terribly bland. As promising as the first few hours were, the story never picked up. A very generic romance novel coated over with a supernatural horror theme; The descriptive and gruesome scenes were it's only strong suit.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really good, recommend to go blindly and enjoy.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Hajakensho—crush evil, and demonstrate the righteous path.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Picked this up because of Ryukishi being the writer. It's no Higurashi or Umineko, but it's still decent. A bunch of school girls get their deep seated traumas punched out of them by a shonen protag. Contains unreliable narrators + elements of horror (sasuga Ryukishi07), great artwork and soundtrack.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Disappointing. Unnecessary random gross segments. Male MC has no personality. Predictable. Plot becomes a bit ridiculous at certain points.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →phew, what a RIDE. Toé deserves the world~
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This visual novel has impressive production quality — from its beautiful artwork and strong voice acting to a well-composed soundtrack. It's clear a lot of care went into its presentation. Unfortunately, the story is where it falls short. It struggled to hold my interest and felt overly drawn out; by the end, I just wanted it to be over. While it wasn’t entirely without its moments, the narrative wasn’t compelling enough overall. I’d give it a 5.5 out of 10.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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