An RPG Maker tour de force, and a divisively controversial work for fans.
You are free to explore the various dream worlds at your own pace.
If you check certain characters or items in the game you will collect an “Effect”. These “Effects” can be used to change the main character’s appearance.
Some of these “Effects” have special actions or animations which you can activate by pressing 1 or 3 on the number pad.
Yume Nikki is a very unique title that has become one of the most well-known indie games to come out of Japan.
It is unlike any other RPG, especially in the fact that there really is no action or dialogue to speak of. This gives the game a very dark and foreboding atmosphere. Can you make it to the secret ending?
There are no particular goals nor story of which to speak. You simply walk around.
Checking certain characters inside the dream will increase the number of "Effects".
Using "Effects" will cause the main character's appearance to change.
(During this time, you can use the 1 or 3 keys to implement special movements and effects.)
Using the same "Effect" a second time will cause the character to revert to their original form.
"Effects" can only be discarded inside rooms with many doors.
FAQ
Q. There is a glitch or aspect ratio issue in the game.
A. Please switch to Window mode by pressing F4 or Alt + Enter.
Q. Why does the Japanese version crash?
A. The Japanese language coding in this game runs only on Japanese system locales. If you want to play the game in Japanese and it crashes, please change your system locale to Japanese.
Storyline
The story of Yume Nikki is mostly up to the player's interpretation. All we know for sure is that Madotsuki, the game's silent protagonist, lives alone in her apartment which she refuses to leave and which contains a desk, a single Famicom game console, a balcony, and, most importantly, a bed. Upon going to bed, Madotsuki explores her dreams, a surreal world full of illogically connected, smaller worlds to gather "effects." What exactly these dreams and effects represent in Madotsuki's personal life is, again, up to interpretation. Even Madotsuki's name, a name that isn't a real name in Japan, is entirely up to interpretation.
