Even if they say “That’s a lie!”—win by cheating! Hands-on with “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Mahjong REMASTER,” a surprise comeback for this life-or-death mahjong game [TGS2026]

The “Tokyo Game Show 2026” was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba Prefecture for five days, from September 17 to 21, 2026 (on the 21st, the on-site event was canceled, and only a live-streamed event took place). This year’s game show was once again a huge success, featuring a wide variety of exhibits and events.

At the City Connection booth, a playable demo of *Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Suzume REMASTER*—scheduled for release in 2027 on PC (Steam), PS5, and Nintendo Switch—was available for visitors to try.

This title is an HD remaster of *Higurashi: When They Cry – Sparrow*, originally released in 2009 for arcades and the PSP. Based on the world of the popular *Higurashi: When They Cry* series, it is a unique title in which the protagonist, Keiichi, takes on life-or-death mahjong matches alongside familiar characters.

It’s not just a mahjong game—players can gain an advantage in matches by using three types of “cheats.” The game retains the original scenario supervised by series creator Ryukishi07 and animations featuring over 7,000 individual frames, while also offering bonus footage remastered in HD for modern consoles.In this article, we bring you a hands-on report on *Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Mahjong REMASTER*!

Win at mahjong and survive in Hinamizawa!

This title features three modes: the main “Oyashiro Mode,” “Club Room Mode” for free-form matches, and “Club Activity Mode Extra: Tile Break Edition,” which was added in the PSP version. For this hands-on, we played “Oyashiro Mode.”

In this mode, you play mahjong against characters who have contracted the Hinamizawa Syndrome. It’s divided into two parts: a text-based story segment and a mahjong segment. The mahjong matches are played between two players, and winning advances the story. You can choose who to play against at the start, so pick your favorite character.

The basic rules (with a few exceptions) follow standard mahjong, and since it’s a two-player match, the game moves at a brisk pace. The game favors good draw luck, so if you play carefully while identifying which tiles to discard, you’ll get closer to winning. There’s also an “Auto Mode” available for those who aren’t familiar with mahjong.

If you win a match, you’ll get to see short reward videos featuring each character. Since the game is known for its animations, it’s great that it’s been HD remastered so you can enjoy it on a big screen!

The Secret to Victory Is Cheating!

The game’s biggest feature is the “Cheat Techniques” you can activate during a match. There are three types: “Ippatsu Reach,” which lets you draw the winning tile in a single draw once you’ve declared Reach; “Ron Invalidation,” which you can activate when an opponent calls Ron; and “Tsukikomi,” which starts you with a strong hand—all of which have powerful effects.

You can obtain these cheats randomly by drawing cards after a match. The system uses a stock-based mechanism, so once you’ve acquired a cheat, you can use it whenever needed during future matches. “Tsumikomi” and “Ippatsu Reach” are simple and easy to use; “Ippatsu Reach,” in particular, is a straightforward yet powerful cheat because once activated, it unconditionally increases your yaku and adds points to your score.

As a mahjong game, it’s designed to be quite casual, making it perfect for quick, smooth gameplay while enjoying the familiar characters’ voices and animations. In addition to reward videos, the game offers various bonuses after clearing the game, including newly drawn illustrations and voice dramas featuring a variety of special guests.

After this demo session, I also received a special sticker featuring a mahjong tile design. Since the PSP version was released not only as a standard edition but also as a limited edition with various bonuses, we might see something similar with this remaster!

"Higurashi no Naku Koro ni: Sparrow REMASTER," a remaster coming 17 years after the original—which is quite unexpected—is scheduled for release in 2027 on PC (Steam), PS5, and Nintendo Switch.