First Impressions with Yume Nikki

This post is part of Agora Road's September 2024 Travelogue.

I was recently checking some videos about a Super Mario 64 ROM hack called B3313. The comments mentioned Yume Nikki, an RPG Maker game hailed as a classic. Having never played the game before, I decided to check it out. I had previously seen videos about this game before, but I didn't remember much.

For starters, that footsteps sound is awful. I have no idea how people can play this game while hearing this sound effect constantly. What surprised me the most was how empty the game feel. I was fully aware that this was is exploration game (aka a walking simulator), yet I did not expect maps to be this empty. I stopped playing only 5 minutes in as it was clearly not my cup of tea.

The concept of "a game where you explore a dream world" sound very cool on paper, but I found the execution to be lacking. Given the cult following and the numerous fan games this title spawned, I was left confused. Was I missing something? Is my attention span too short?

I watched a video on Yume 2kki - a fan made sequel that seemed to have better maps, so I decided to give it a try. Looking up the instructions on how to run the game on a non-Japanese locale made me abandon this idea. That thing seems like a nightmare to install.

Thankfully, there is another way to play this game - through Yume Nikki Online Project.

As soon as I started playing, I had a strange feeling of comfort. I am unsure if that feeling come from the game itself, though. I figure seeing other players and the chat might have evoked nostalgia from the MMORPGs and chatrooms of old.

Yume 2kki sadly has the same "empty maps" problems that the original had. Take the above screenshot from example. It is literally just a black void with a few lampposts sprinkled in. I thought I was going to experience unique hand-crafted maps and not some maps that were with such low effort.

Although I only played for 7 minutes or so, I found some area to be comfy. Most notably the library map seen in the screenshot above. I think that the game is at its best when areas are relatively small. I also found myself having a preference for map that vaguely resembles a real thing (i.e house interiors as opposed to the aforementioned black void).

I was about to conclude this article, but I decided to give the game another shot.

Using the chat, I tried asking random people to show me interesting maps. As no one ever replied, I resorted to stalking someone. We ended up in some kind of fleshy maze that led nowhere.

My favorite moment happened when I entered a metal door in the nexus that seemingly led back to the protagonist's bedroom. I exit the room again, only to find myself in the other parts of the protagonist's house. I was pleasantly surprised.

Another problem I have with the games is that maps are too large. I also heard that some effects are required to progress in certain area - something that hurt the exploration aspect in my opinion. Although this game is clearly not my cup of tea, it was still enjoyable. It seems to be growing on me. I can see myself coming back to this game from time to time.

Written by manpaint on 21 September 2024.