Yume Nikki

About Yume Nikki

Yume Nikki, 'dream diary', was made by the pseudonymous Japanese developer Kikiyama in RPG Maker 2003 and first shared as freeware in 2004, with updates until 2007. Playism has published it since 2012 and brought it to Steam, free, in January 2018. It has a large cult following, and writers count it among the influences of later Japanese pixel horror games such as Ao Oni and Ib.

You play Madotsuki, who lives alone and will not leave her apartment. Writing in the diary at her desk saves the game; lying down in bed starts a dream. The dream opens onto a room full of doors, and each door leads into a different world: a dark wilderness lit by a single street lamp, a snowy forest, pink fields of strange shapes, a road through the night. The store says it plainly: there are no particular goals or story, you simply walk around.

What you can find are Effects, 24 in all, picked up by checking certain characters and objects. Each changes Madotsuki's look or gives her something to use, and some have their own actions. There is no combat, no dialogue and no way to lose, and that emptiness is where the horror comes from: silent places that make no sense, figures that do not answer, sudden scenes that are hard to forget and the steady sense that these dreams are telling you something about the girl who has them.

It is slow and cryptic, and critics have noted that with no map or guidance it is easy to get stuck. It suits players who like atmosphere and interpretation over scares on cue, and anyone curious about where much of Japanese indie horror started.

How to play Yume Nikki

1. Download it free from Steam and start a new game in Madotsuki's room.
2. Write in the diary at the desk to save, then lie down in the bed to fall asleep.
3. In the dream, step out onto the room of doors and pick a door to enter a world.
4. Walk through each world and check characters and objects; some give you an Effect.
5. Open the menu to equip an Effect and change Madotsuki's look, and try its special action with 1 or 3 on the number pad.
6. Use an Effect a second time to change back, drop unwanted ones in the room of many doors, and keep exploring until you have found every Effect.

Tips

• Save often at the desk: progress only counts once you write in the diary while awake.
• Check everything: Effects come from certain characters and objects, and some objects send you to new areas.
• Worlds are large and loop on themselves; note the landmarks you pass, since there is no map.
• If the picture is stretched or glitches, press F4 or Alt+Enter to switch to window mode, as the store suggests.
• To play in Japanese, the store notes the Japanese version needs a Japanese system locale; English works as it is.

Questions