![]() The overly ambiguous and bizarre nature of Yume Nikki’s subject matter translates into its presentation to the player. The audio design is just as diverse areas may be wreathed in an ominous sonic ambience, or brightened by a playful lullaby. The tone of each world varies wildly and helps to establish the unpredictable nature of the unconscious mind – scenery ranges from a light-hearted winter-land, to the scene of a deadly traffic accident, and a world of severed limbs, mutilated bodies, and phallic imagery. Each effect provides Madotsuki with an ability that may allow her to interact with other dream creatures or serve no apparent purpose. The objective of the game is to collect 24 “effects” from Madotsuki’s dreams. These worlds in turn connect to several other indirectly accessed spaces which interweave and attach, forming a web of mazes and uniquely surreal areas each of which may be interpreted to represent a dimension of Madotsuki’s subconscious. Entering her dreams, Madotsuki finds herself in a room resembling her own, except in this world, she is able to leave her room, which leads to an otherworldly plane containing twelve doors, each leading to a separate world. In her sleep, she explores the worlds of her dreams, which is where she spends the majority of her time. Madotsuki can only play Nasu, write in her diary, or most importantly, sleep. What is most intriguing about Yume Nikki is its reliance on its lack of structure and unwillingness to guide the player to suit the game’s thematic elements. Written in Japanese on Nasu’s main menu are the words “Family Game.” The game itself is about a character who must catch eggplants falling from the sky. ![]() Her only form of entertainment is a Famicom-like game console containing a single game titled “Nasu” (eggplant). The floor is littered with tissues and pillows. Her room is plainly decorated, with only a dusty bed, desk, night lamp, book shelf, and red carpet to provide a sense of color in her otherwise bleak habitat. If the player attempts to leave the room, Madotsuki simply shakes her head, refusing to leave. Madotsuki has the appearance and characteristics of a hikikomori – a term used to describe withdrawn youth in Japan that is to say, she never leaves her room and avoids social contact. In Yume Nikki, the player takes control of a girl known simply as Madotsuki, who lives in a small apartment with a balcony looking over a still city night. For this reason, an understanding of the Japanese language is not crucial the existing English version solely translates the Windows installation files, option menus, and the previously mentioned instructions. Unlike several of those titles, however, it does not feature a grand storyline with immersive role-playing elements in fact, it does not appear to contain any coherent plot whatsoever, as Yume Nikki does not contain any written words apart from menus, and a few short instructions detailing the gameplay mechanics. ![]() Created using the RPG Maker 2003 software by Enterbrain, Yume Nikki’s simplistic appearance hearkens back to Japanese role-playing titles from the 1980’s and early 1990’s. ![]() ![]() Today, it is available in Japanese on Kikiyama’s homepage, as well as in English on an extensive fan website. Yume Nikki ("Dream Diary") is a 2004 adventure game created by an anonymous Japanese developer known as Kikiyama, who originally distributed the game through Japanese internet forums as free software for the Windows platform. ![]()
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