Yume Nikki: Dream Diary

Dream Diary really does feel like a second-hand retelling of half-remembered and ill-understood nightmares, and I found my mind wandering on imaginings of its own to get as far as possible from these dreary dreams.

Yume Nikki: Dream Diary is one of those games that's a good idea in theory that just doesn't come together in an enjoyable way.

Yume Nikki: Dream Diary is a morbid, and profoundly engaging journey into a frontier rarely seen in games. It mostly succeeds with its concepts, and while the visuals might turn off most people, those who get accustomed to them will appreciate just how effective they are at creating a strong uncanniness to its atmosphere.

It took me seven hours to complete the game with its two endings, but it can probably be done in around five. For $20 it seems a bit higher than what most of us are used to, but I still feel that if it’s the sort of game that interests you it would be money well spent. As a standalone game, YUMENIKKI -DREAM DIARY- is a fun, but short game. For me this is the type of game that you play on a Sunday afternoon after finishing a long game to play something different and unique. I’m not a huge fan of games with open narrative and this is not the type of game that I would recommend for its story, but in general if you prefer games that you can sit and analyze at the end, this is one of those.

A weird experience, but combined with the good puzzle design, it definitely is worth it. The platforming can be frustrating at times and the game cannot seem to decide if it wants to be linear though.

Yume Nikki -Dream Diary- is not Yume Nikki, but that ends up working well for it in the end. Developer Kadokawa AGM shows that they are truly fans of the original work and this is proven time and time again through the visuals and sound design. I feel like I want to recommend the game to peers if only to have more people to talk about the story with and hear their interpretations of the events that transpired. Being on an indie budget might have held back this game from being better and it's never going to live up to the standards set by the original, but Yume Nikki -Dream Diary- definitely provides a decent surreal experience.

I hope to see this game tightened up a bit because it was truly disappointing how the core gameplay mechanics and pacing kept prodding me awake when all I wanted to do was dream. I wanted see more and know more, but it would require more patience than it earned from me to see it fully uncovered.

The reboot of the RPG Maker cult classic Yume Nikki, while having a few redeeming qualities, ultimately misses the mark.

An insincere imitation.