(sorry in advance for my choppy writing, I have never written a review before hahaha)
Quite literally my favorite game of all times, and I don't see it being dethroned for a while. I am not going to say anything about the symbolism or all the possible interpretations, as I believe it is up to the player themselves to form their own meaning to this game. I guess the meanings can depend on how you are as a person. As a trans woman, I connect a lot of the imagery of the game with gender dysphoria and gender exploration. But that's all I will say about my interpretation, as I don't want to influence anyone who might play it for the first time.
What makes this my favorite game, without sounding too pretentious, is the feeling of melancholy it gives. You are always alone, exploring abstract and ethereal dream landscapes. Everyone/everything you interact with either does nothing, makes you wake up or gives you an effect. There is no dialogue whatsoever. This gives the player a feeling of loneliness that I think very few games have accomplished. Along with a soundtrack consisting of mostly short loops, Yume Nikki is THE indie RPG game that everyone should play. Some of you will find it horrendously boring, but for those who it will hit different it can be a life changing experience... PLAY THIS GAME!!!
Quite literally my favorite game of all times, and I don't see it being dethroned for a while. I am not going to say anything about the symbolism or all the possible interpretations, as I believe it is up to the player themselves to form their own meaning to this game. I guess the meanings can depend on how you are as a person. As a trans woman, I connect a lot of the imagery of the game with gender dysphoria and gender exploration. But that's all I will say about my interpretation, as I don't want to influence anyone who might play it for the first time.
What makes this my favorite game, without sounding too pretentious, is the feeling of melancholy it gives. You are always alone, exploring abstract and ethereal dream landscapes. Everyone/everything you interact with either does nothing, makes you wake up or gives you an effect. There is no dialogue whatsoever. This gives the player a feeling of loneliness that I think very few games have accomplished. Along with a soundtrack consisting of mostly short loops, Yume Nikki is THE indie RPG game that everyone should play. Some of you will find it horrendously boring, but for those who it will hit different it can be a life changing experience... PLAY THIS GAME!!!
one of those things i can't explain exactly why it's great. like scary stories i heard as a kid, yume nikki presents itself in such a way my mind cannot help creating its own interpretation. yet, like pleasant stories i heard as a kid, it puts me to sleep dreaming about it. the beautiful 10 second music loops, the sad creatures who occupy these worlds, the forever trudging onwards of the girl. why are these things so good? play yume nikki
unparalleled atmosphere and music
amazing
very weird lunesta ad campaign
Sleeping is rad
one of my favorites. very atmospheric. calms me down a lot, if you like this please play .flow and yume 2kki
didnt get hooked
A strange experience unlike any other. There's hardly any objective quality to talk about in this game, because its all so abstract that whatever you get out of it is what you want to get out of it. Whether you find it scary, homely, sad or fun; there's no denying that Yume Nikki will stick with you for long.
i have sevreal undiagnosed mental illnesses
wake up bitch
damn bitch wake up
insanely innovative, I feel like everyone whos played this and loved it has wanted to make a ripoff of it
This review contains spoilers
I respect its experimental presentation and think it's an interesting property, but as far as the game itself goes it's just kind of a mash between Serial Experiments Lain (PS1) and Mother/Earthbound Beginnings, while lacking the qualities that made each so great. That's not necessarily a knock against it as a story or nonverbal narrative, but simply as a game. Which, I do acknowledge, is also arguably irrelevant since I believe the true 'experience' of Yume Nikki is to be the long-term engagement through theorycrafting and discussion, rather than the game as a specific instance. But still, meh. Not fun for me. I'm still excited to read the manga though.
Yume Nikki is in so many ways just fanfiction of the PS1 Serial Experiments Lain plot, aesthetic, subject matter and disconnected storytelling style. I'm not trying to delegitimise it as an original, self-contained project or anything, but I think having SEL (PS1) under your belt totally recontextualises this. It wears its inspirations not on its sleeve, but in big bold "I'm with Lain!" print on its T-shirt, and I guess this simply passes over most people since both (only recently translated) works are, as expected, infinitely less accessible than what is one of the most celebrated indie games of all time.
5/10 but when i awaken my third aztec monkey eye it'll probably be like an 8
Yume Nikki is in so many ways just fanfiction of the PS1 Serial Experiments Lain plot, aesthetic, subject matter and disconnected storytelling style. I'm not trying to delegitimise it as an original, self-contained project or anything, but I think having SEL (PS1) under your belt totally recontextualises this. It wears its inspirations not on its sleeve, but in big bold "I'm with Lain!" print on its T-shirt, and I guess this simply passes over most people since both (only recently translated) works are, as expected, infinitely less accessible than what is one of the most celebrated indie games of all time.
5/10 but when i awaken my third aztec monkey eye it'll probably be like an 8
i am addicted to xanax
I know there's some deep symbolism here, but I just don't care. I keep getting lost, and I'm just not having a good time. It's probably good, and I may try it again soon but for now, it's been dropped.
an amazing experience
It’s such a surreal spooky game. I love the soundtrack and the level designs.
i wish i understood this game
I'm a huge fan of surrealist media, especially video games, and this game hits it out of the park. Great game to relax to and play in the dark to explore its bizarre dream realms.
you cant describe this game with words, which the game doesnt even use. i always thought of yume nikki as sort of an art piece, you can interpret it however you want. it can have a story, it can as well be meaningless and nice pictures. also i dont think theres any more atmospheric game than this one, even though its a pixelated rpgmaker game. simply amazing.
I honestly felt quite fed up with this game after a while. Mindless exploration is not really for me, it seems. The music is great, and the different environments that you explore are very cool, but I think I have gotten a big grasp on what prevents this game from being good in my opinion, and that is the walking speed. It would be one thing if you could explore at your own pace all the time, but to me it seems like you are always at the mercy of the slow walking speed, which makes the whole game basically just waiting for things to happen. Waiting for the door to come close enough. Waiting for something to appear, which always seems like a longshot considering that the different dream worlds were way too confusing to be able to consistently find your way. Which may well be intentional, but it unfortunately didn't make for a compelling game in my opinion. I am glad that I have played it, but that's about it unfortunately.
;)
dank
dark but good
that endless wilderness part is the biggest crock of horse shit i've ever played, literally slamming your head against a wall and hoping it breaks
fantastic art exhibit, bad video game
confusing
People Compair This Game To Lisa: The First, And I Can See Why. I Like This Game But, I Think Lisa: The First Is Better.
you either see this game as pretentious or a masterpiece. i think about this game a lot it makes me go to bed early sometimes