There’s very little one can say or analyse about Yume Nikki that hasn’t already been said before ad nauseum. Freudian unconscious analysis, Jungian dream interpretation, various ‘true’ game theories that ‘solve’ the mystery of Madotsuki and, in acknowledgement of the hefty amount of well-trodden discussion, a reader response that emphasises an individual’s teenage awakenings of queerness and alienation. These lenses are all valid and worthwhile (except perhaps for any game theories), but in the twenty years since Yume Nikki’s release, it’s become increasingly difficult to say anything unique about the game, its development or even the effect it’s had on countless internet freakniks around the world.

I preface with this because I both want to acknowledge the sheer dearth of discussion that has taken place since release and to think a little on Yume Nikki’s place in pop-culture before talking about it as a game. Personally, I can’t help but compare the impact Yume Nikki has achieved both in the online sphere and in the brain-DNA of deranged fans with that of the western evolution of the Neon Genesis Evangelion fandom. That is, First Impact into the minds of the disenfranchised youth, decentralised theory-crafting on the burgeoning web into a more centralised community dedicated to understanding and appreciating the work (EVA Geeks forum/Uboachan), countless theories appear alongside textual reading and community glossaries (various Wiki), YouTube takes off and eventually a vast majority of discussion appears on the site (Second Impact), analysis reaches critical mass due to algorithmic bloat and reader responses that focus on an individual’s experience become most popular. Third Impact has yet to occur though will likely be fatal and gay in nature (we become orange tang/jump off a balcony, etc).

Both series saw the rising, ever-shifting tides of Web 2.0 and have connected with a group of young teens (now middle aged or older), becoming iconic of how this generation felt about themselves and of their slowly deteriorating society. I believe this comparison is useful because it highlights what kind of work Yume Nikki is and what values its fans place in their discussions, which I feel is at odds with most discourse surrounding game design, dominated as it is by talk of what “good” design entails. That is, a level of intentionality and comprehension to forward ‘progression’. For example: shooting, climbing or any other present mechanic all leading to level two then three and so on.

Yume Nikki, however, is incredibly ambiguous in what progression looks like and there are mechanics that do not aid in forwarding game progress at all. Instead, there’s a level of mystery in what the player is expected to do or can do. Madotsuki is usually defenceless, slow-walking and unable to even jump on her own. Compared to Gordan Freeman, who would surely be able to bunnyhop his way out of any environment and off the apartment balcony straight into the ending, it makes one wonder why a character would be designed this way, with so many limitations in place of freedom and mechanics. Especially in the year of its release, which featured games that prided themselves on tightly paced action and mechanical satisfaction (MGS3, Half Life 2). Yet here comes Yume Nikki, without even a run button to its name.

But what the game lacks in mechanical design (either due to deliberate design or engine limitations, I will acknowledge), only strengthens its ability to connect with the player through its surreal environments. The exploration of the dream worlds become a distinct player-driven choice. Where to go and why, what the visuals represent, literally or figuratively and how the atmosphere of each world affects them. In some ways this is the most freeing a game has ever been. There’s no mountain in the distance you can climb; or a big tower that reveals map icons. Yet by rejecting mechanics and embracing a ‘hands-off’ approach to the player, Yume Nikki instead forges a greater, stronger relationship because any world explored, any discovery, any strange experience; was organically found by the player themselves instead of being carefully curated by the game’s level design or waypoint mechanics.

All this to say, you won’t be seeing Yume Nikki on channels like Design Doc. Thank God.

have you ever wanted to talk about something that you can't conceptualize exactly how to communicate? the word art is thrown around like a title of quality, influence, or simple authority. but the real function of art is a simple tool, an unpretentious one, where one gets to express all those feelings that one can't get to explain with simple words, signs, sounds and so on, when the means of communication are not ENOUGH and have to be put together in various ways to explain the thing clearly.

and yet, trying to say things as clearly as you can find a way to do so, it is ironic that not only does one get to say so little, but one is often more misunderstood...

one of the things that has plagued these last decades is the great growth of depression among mankind. a life where everyone can talk to anyone in the world and yet everyone feels more disconnected than ever.

why don't we start by taking a single step forward, make an EFFORT to fix these things for the benefit of all and limit our scope to a small, region of the world, in an apartment where a single girl lives, and see what she has to tell us?