yume nikki (ゆめにっき) is a 32-bit freeware game created by KIKIYAMA, a mysterious japanese game designer. the game follows a girl named madotsuki as she dreams. the goal is to seek out and acquire all 24 "effects". the game otherwise has no actual plot or dialogue, and nearly the entire game is left up to speculation. is is an atmospheric horror game.
i remember when i first played this game. it was 2011, and it was summer vacation. the rain outside was pitter-pattering against my bedroom window, my cat sitting on my lap, sleeping. i played the game in the afternoon, completely glued to it well into night. no game has ever captured me like this one. i let myself become fully immersed with it in a way i never really had before with a game.
this game has influenced my creative life in so many ways, and it is absolutely crucial to who i am as a person. it had such a strong impact on me!
