Recent reviews by oW O

--IF YOU ARE EXPECTING A 1:1 CLONE OF THE ORIGINAL DO NOT BUY THIS GAME--

As a long-standing fan of the original "Yume Nikki", this game has its own merits that it brings to the table while still having a familiar feeling to it. The game is short, I beat it in ~6 hours. In my opinion, the price tag is adequate for the experience. If you've played "Little Nightmares", both games are $19.99 and both games take about the same amount of time to finish.

If you've played the original:
Think of it like that friend you grew up with in high school. You guys were best friends but you lost touch along the way. Skip forward ten years later and you meet up again. A lot has changed, but they're still your friend, and maybe it's time to catch up on things...

If you're new to the series:
I would recommend this game to people who like puzzles, darker atmosphere and weird stuff in general. If you're worried about what other people are saying but you're still interested, I would give it a try, you might like the way it turns out.

Dream Diary:
In short, there is no official narrative for Yume Nikki: Dream Diary. That is one of the best thing I can say about this game. It stays true to the original, leaves a lot open to interpretation and it's still weird.

Spooky, Scary:
As I said before, the game focuses a lot on darker atmosphere. Calling it 'horror' is a little much. There are some aspects that will disturb some more than others, but for the most part there is nothing 'scary'. Unsettling is the word I would use...

Exploration:
Sadly, there is not much to 'explore' in the actual game. Most areas are very linear, with shortcuts connecting worlds. It definitely deters from the surrealness of the game, sadly, but it makes sure that you're always a part of something. As you solve puzzles, you'll unlock new areas. It's that simple.

Aesthetics:
It's hard to transition from 2D to 3D but I found myself very satisfied with the visuals of the game. There's a lot of beautifully done recreations, incorporating a lot of the bizarre aztec/mayan motif as well.

Audio:
Fans of the original will not be dissapointed that there's plenty of callbacks in the OST as well as some hauntingly beautiful original works by AQUILA. It pairs very well with the game.

Wrapping up:
It's honestly a very endearing title that tried it's hardest to be something original and familiar at the same time, which we all know is hard to do, thanks to Sonic Team.
If you're new to the series then jump right in. Try not to look at any spoilers (unless you get stuck on a hard puzzle, some of them can be very obtuse) and take it all in.
If you're a long-time fan of Yume Nikki, I urge you to at least try to appreciate it for what it is rather than what it isn't. Kikiyama may not have made it but you can really tell the people who did make it are huge fans.