Yume Nikki: 5 Things Worth Remembering
By Homura
Yume Nikki is a 2004 RPG Maker game about a girl, Madotsuki, who explores her dreams. There are no canon interpretations of the game.
Madotsuki lives an isolated life in her small apartment, rarely leaving her room and avoiding interaction with the outside world. When you move her character to the apartment door, she shakes her head “no”, and she can’t leave. Your only way forward in the game is by going to sleep and entering the dream world.
This game has been extensively covered and theorized about by many more talented writers than me, so I will try not to be redundant. I find the game comforting and affirming when I feel down or isolated.
Also, here is a more thorough rundown by its creator, KIKIYAMA.
Being around others and still feeling alone can be especially hard to take
Sometimes I wonder what feelings KIKIYAMA gets with this game. To me, Yume Nikki does not feel like a game intending to uplift you or distract you from your inner struggles. You might see your memories or fears represented on the screen, taking abstract or distorted forms.
It is a game where you are isolated. There aren’t many characters, and the ones who you do meet, you seem to have strange and detached relationships with.
Madotsuki and Poniko
Madotsuki and Mars-san
Similarly, Yume Nikki is something you tend to play alone in your room. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a Yume Nikki multiplayer... wait, there is one? That’s nice. We can all be alone together.
When you are sitting in your room with your thoughts, it can feel like you are alone and hopeless. It can even feel that way when you’re in public, around people, at school, or with family. Being around others and still feeling alone is especially hard to take. But, rest assured that there are others out there that feel a similar feeling.
KIKIYAMA is still living out there too, even if they’re mysterious and elusive as usual. Still doing what they love.
2. Taking breaks from reality can help, but be careful
The main premise of Yume Nikki is retreating from reality into dreams. Madotsuki seems to do this as a way of processing past memories and coping with trauma. Her memories are represented by the various beings, characters, and rooms in the game.
The “meta” of the game could be that the creator, KIKIYAMA, made Yume Nikki in part to help give form and meaning to their own memories and trauma. Speaking of, making art in any way you can is a great way to channel those feelings instead of stuffing them down.
Playing video games, especially ones like FPSs and war-centered games, can make you feel like you have more control over your situation and relieve real-life stress. However, it’s important to think about how gaming makes you feel... A cycle of “can’t end on a loss; can’t quit on a win” might keep you playing, but not even enjoying it anymore. If you’re struggling with that, Dr. K. has some great videos on negative feelings in gaming and how you can manage them.
3. What to do if you feel threatened
There are only a few enemies in Yume Nikki, and you can’t get hurt (you just wake up or get teleported) but you tend to feel on-guard in certain areas.
You’re not sure what the NPCs are like or what interacting with them will do. You might have been attacked before, like with the Toriningen, where you don’t even understand what happened or why they switched on you.
When you’re alone in a strange place and everything seems unreal, it can make you feel threatened. You might want to shut down and not want to let any of it in. Alternatively, you might not be able to take it anymore and lash out. It’s alright to feel that way, but neither of these paths will get you to a good place. So, what do you do with those feelings if you think they’re going to burst out?
In Yume Nikki, release means continuing to look for the Effects and working your way through the world. That’s what KIKIYAMA recommends—you can wander too, but it’s nice to have rewards from your exploration.
There are ways of healthy release. There are communities and fandoms, for this game and pretty much any other you can think of, where you can meet other people and game with them. Outside of gaming, you can take walks, run, lift, make art, meditate, or reach out to someone.
4. Learning to balance between action and acceptance
Madotsuki has little influence over how her world appears, but she has influence over how she navigates it.
She collects Effects, like items or tools in most games. Some of these help her navigate the world, like the lamp for the dark rooms. Some of them don’t really help, like the Whistle / Flute（ふえ）effect and Towel（タオル), but it’s still nice to collect them. Having a collection of Effects in the Nexus / hub world reminds me of having keepsakes in your room.
When it seems like you can’t progress, KIKIYAMA would say to keep trying and exploring. Some rooms seem pointless when you get to them. Sometimes what’s in the room just frightens you, and then you wake up.
Some enemies, like the bird-like Toriningen, will not change their behavior no matter what you do. Whether you try to ignore them or aggress them, they could come after you either way. That is hard to deal with... in the real world, you should tell someone you trust that you’re being mistreated, no matter what.
5. There are comforting rooms in the hellscape
Among all the unsettling and distorted spaces, there are a few rooms that feel safe and familiar. You can stay in them as long as you’d like. Poniko’s House, the Hospital, and the Sky Garden come to mind.
The music loops can be comforting too.
So, in sum:
If you feel isolated, you are not alone. There are ways to help feelings of loneliness to take a break from reality, including entering an inner dream world as Madotsuki does. However, there are things to do in reality that can help, too——taking walks, lifting, making art of your choice, meditation, and reaching out to a friend or hotline.
There are many dark rooms out there, but there are safe and comforting places, too. If you find yourself in a dark hall, remember that you have resources around you to navigate out of it.
I hope you feel that this site is a safe room. You can freely express yourself here, on D2L, or on another hotline.