Despite it's cryptic, magical, nonsensical elements, this game feels so incredibly down to earth, so human.
It's a game that reminds you that every person has their own lives, their own struggles, their own pasts. The southern gothic imagery paired with the pleasant ambient soundtrack makes this game go down like smooth whiskey. The reader is asked for patience, as some part of the game did bore me and the story often lost me in it's surrealism, but looking back on all of it I find myself with the feeling that this is a game that I will cherish for a really long time.
Not just one of the best games I've ever played but one of the best stories I've ever experienced.

I often find myself longing for some place new, a simple walk on a foreign street where the sights and sounds assume a different flavor than the ones I've grown accustom to.

Although baring the descriptor of a fangame, it's so far divorced from anything Kikiyama or any of his contemporaries aim for in their projects. The staples are there, room with a balcony and a bed, where one will be spending her time in flights of fancy, but the simple addition of a second room where there would simply be a 'shaking head' prompt expands what this game represents to me. The detailed pixel art creates the character of a messy college freeter, clothes and books a strewn about and when one checks the menu they come to find she doesn't even have any pants on. The door that would normally lead outside opens to a small (seemingly shared) apartment with a small kitchen and a useable bathroom.

When one enters into sleep they are greeted with an empty liminal street that act as this game's nexus. The worlds themselves align with a similar philosophy of locations from the eyes of a born traveler. Woods containing ominous creatures, a shrine ground where the divine linger, a collection of hamlets on a prairie plain, and an ascetic collection of new age desert architecture. All the worlds create the feeling that I'm going somewhere, as opposed to the abstract splotch paintings many of these types of games aim for. This is most exemplified when you're the menu while in the dream world to see she's changed into a windbreaker and some stockings in her own head.

One of the greatest elements this game has to offer is the soundscape, particularly aided by the inclusion of ambient sounds like trains, birds, rustling trees, ect, but also the soft and calming tone of most of the tracks. Simply go to the edge of the balcony and hit '1' to experience the soundscapes this game evokes in Mikan's beautiful inner world. Some of my favorite tracks are the save theme (both day and night), hot springs, and shrine garden.

Honestly there are so many quality of life features and interesting elements that simply beg exploration. The 'shift' key is a god send, allowing Mikan to speed up her walking speed without the need of some bike effect. There's an interesting currency in the form of CDs that can be used at vending machines, which at the moment only allow for super speed with the one time use Soda item. The effects change the character's sprite in the menu and are given quirky sound effects when interacted with. This is probably a slight detail but I love when you start the game it has a short intro that pans towards the city, it's such a slight of hand tone setter for the experience provided by this game.

This game is still "in beta" as in there are warps in other worlds that are under construction but I reached out to dmn and they say there's an update coming soon, but even if there wasn't, what there already is in this game is beautiful regardless. I feel like I've said enough, you can play the game for free online thanks to the folks at YNOProject.net who host this and many more Yume Nikki fangames. Please go check it out and send dmn some love.