This is one of the those games where if you spend enough time online you eventually be introduced to it. As an elementary schooler I was first introduced to this game through an internet personality showcasing the infamous Uboa. Though the experience was a bit traumatizing when I was younger it also greatly fascinated me and looking back this may have been the start of my love for the weird offshoots in the gaming industry. When the game was eventually ported to Steam I finally got to indulge myself in the oddity that fascinated me so many years ago. I then proceeded to play it for an hour and then didn't pick it up again until three years later.
Yume Nikki is a bit of a strange game to go back to. The basic gameplay is often incredibly boring with limited actions and decisions to make to progress in the game. Since the game lacks and sort of direction, without a guide, you may spend hours trying to find some of the last items you need to complete the game. What I didn't really get when I first played it is that all of these decisions were intentional in creating one of the moodiest and offbeat walking sims I have ever played and there in lies the core appeal of the game. The most rewarding experiences I had while playing was seeing what absolutely bizarre areas I would find myself in. The game does an incredible job of mixing lighthearted goofiness with abject terror all while having an incredibly somber tone to the whole experience. The community that has sprung up around deciphering every inch of this game is endlessly fascinating and the lack of info surrounding the creation of it adds to its mystique.
I think what Yume Nikki excels at the most, besides everything I previously mentioned, is being the groundwork that so many RPG maker horror games would be based off of. It's an incredibly important part of video game history and is one that is seldom talked about outside of online spaces and I think that is a real shame. I have my qualms with the game sure, as previously mentioned it can be a bit of a slog to traverse and its cryptic nature can sometimes end up hurting the experience. BUT, with the price of entry being only your time, I think its a game that everyone should try at least once just to experience the odd little game that influenced so much in the indie space. I don't know I could say that I really like this game but I can say that all of its quirks and oddities will be lovingly stored in my thoughts for many years to come.
Yume Nikki is a bit of a strange game to go back to. The basic gameplay is often incredibly boring with limited actions and decisions to make to progress in the game. Since the game lacks and sort of direction, without a guide, you may spend hours trying to find some of the last items you need to complete the game. What I didn't really get when I first played it is that all of these decisions were intentional in creating one of the moodiest and offbeat walking sims I have ever played and there in lies the core appeal of the game. The most rewarding experiences I had while playing was seeing what absolutely bizarre areas I would find myself in. The game does an incredible job of mixing lighthearted goofiness with abject terror all while having an incredibly somber tone to the whole experience. The community that has sprung up around deciphering every inch of this game is endlessly fascinating and the lack of info surrounding the creation of it adds to its mystique.
I think what Yume Nikki excels at the most, besides everything I previously mentioned, is being the groundwork that so many RPG maker horror games would be based off of. It's an incredibly important part of video game history and is one that is seldom talked about outside of online spaces and I think that is a real shame. I have my qualms with the game sure, as previously mentioned it can be a bit of a slog to traverse and its cryptic nature can sometimes end up hurting the experience. BUT, with the price of entry being only your time, I think its a game that everyone should try at least once just to experience the odd little game that influenced so much in the indie space. I don't know I could say that I really like this game but I can say that all of its quirks and oddities will be lovingly stored in my thoughts for many years to come.