Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews

Short reviews and recs for YNFGs for when you're overwhelmed by choice! Currently playing: Yume 2kki, Eternal Chrysalis Dream.

[ynfg-review]

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I love playing YNFGs, but I find it really hard to sift through the hundreds of games on the wiki to figure out which of them I’d be most interested in. This blog is intended to help other people with that, via short informative reviews of the ones I’ve played! I want these to be useful overviews of the vibes and themes of these games, but they will reflect my personal perspective and preferences to some degree.  

Here’s how my reviews are structured:

Atmosphere: The overall vibe and feel of the game, the relationship between its visuals and sound design. What themes and feelings do the worlds evoke? Exploration: What it’s like to traverse the worlds – how easy or satisfying it is to explore and find connections. Art: Style and form. Storytelling: No spoilers – but does the game have an implicit or explicit story? Does it have repeating motifs and/or characters? Is there any text or dialogue? Horror and CWs: The nature and extent of the game’s horror content (again, no spoilers), as well as any major content warnings. I probably won’t be able to cover all of a game’s CWs, but you’re welcome to send me an ask if you have any specific questions. Best thing about it: The best thing about it. To me. If you like… a nonexhaustive list of pieces of media or experiences which make me think of this game.

[ynfg-review]

Was reading your theory talking about the relation of cats/cat girls and violence/meat and it reminded me of that one rare wake up event where the windows are closed.

The cat girl chasers ambushing wormiko in her room after she "wakes up" is plenty interesting but the other option of the throne of entrails is straight up perplexing. Especially with how that unlocks the cat ear-ed hat in the real world. Just wanted to know if you had any thoughts and/or theories on about that stuff?

Yes, that event is a big part of the reason I see a connection between cats/food/gore in the game! Thanks so much for the ask.

I can't remember where, but somewhere a while ago I saw someone suggest that the throne of entrails looks a bit like a toilet. This would certainly add another grotesque dimension to this imagery, adding implications of consumption/even cannibalism to the event. The dev has implied that Wormiko's favourite food is meat.

A few things that were added in the last update which interest me as well: the funnel effect (Wormiko kitty...), the monitor realm with fish being depicted as sushi, and the fishing catgirl maid. I'm curious about whether more horror content will be added in the future.

My general, unsubstantiated theory is that Wormiko is starving in a desolate, possibly post-apocalyptic wasteland, and she ate her pet cat to survive. As a result, the cat has sort of merged with her and is haunting her dreams.

[ynfg-review]

Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews: Yume Tagai

Wiki | Dev Tumblr | Dev Pixiv Yume Tagai was first released in 2019 by Hinamokke, and was last updated in 2021. The player explores the dreamscapes of a girl called Makitsuki and… Maybe someone else? As of July 2025, there are no endings implemented.

Atmosphere: Yume Tagai takes you through a dreamscape of sparkling patterns and flickering lights, always decorative and effervescent. It has a strong, melodic soundtrack which does a great job of matching the feel of each world. Whilst many of the effects are based on Japanese folklore, it’s not the most mythical/mystical feeling game, tending instead towards abstract geometries and vivid colours. Exploration: This game is still in development, and is on the smaller side. The nexus worlds tend to only have one connection, and feel very large. My biggest frustration was walking around these areas before finding the speed effects. Once you get beyond the nexus worlds, the game is decently connected and interesting to explore, although a lot of the interconnection goes via the hell maze. You eventually reach point in the game that feels a lot more unfinished, but by then there’s already been a lot to see. Art: Yume Tagai’s pixel art is best described as ‘vibrant’. Bar one or two areas, the game never feels drab or desaturated, and is always rich in colour. The style shifts slightly the deeper you get, from more abstract or decorative worlds to ones which reflect real places, and there’s some lovely use of lighting and atmosphere in these depths. The effects are also really cute and well-sprited. Storytelling: The story comes through more strongly in its events and in specific areas than in repeated motifs and themes threaded throughout the worlds. I get more of a sense of mystique from the central relationship in the narrative than from the dream worlds themselves, and I hope future updates develop the story further. I did have to look at a guide for how to progress with a certain pivotal event – the game doesn’t give you many pointers. But that’s YNFGs for you. Horror and CWs: This game is pretty light on horror at the start, but there’s an event you can trigger which has some gory imagery and subsequently causes chasers to appear in certain locations. The chasers have a bloody appearance. There’s also some body horror and very cartoony gore in an unlockable area. The only other content warning I can think of is references to cannibalism. Best thing about it: The beautiful art and the unique way in which the narrative progresses. If you like… Answered Prayers, qxy’s work in 2kki, shiny things.

[ynfg-review]

Shall I open submissions for reviews?

Yes!

Yes, and I'd submit one!

No, I literally only value your opinions

Voting ended onJul 19, 2025

[ynfg-review]

haven't put out any reviews for ages because (apart from procrastinating on one or two) I've mostly been playing 2kki, and even after hours of 2kki I don't feel like I've played enough to review 2kki. I've been wondering if reviews of specific authors in a slightly different format might be fun?

[ynfg-review]

Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews: Deep Dreams

Release post | Wiki | Play online

Deep Dreams was released in 2020 by Noildoof, who has said that the game is practically finished as of its November 2021 update. It has three endings, and features the dreams of a girl called Mariana.

Atmosphere: Deep dreams takes you on a journey through gloomy industrial or urban environments to lush gardens and waterways, often with a pensive and wistful atmosphere. The game is awash with a feeling of nostalgia, but it’s hard to put your finger on what exactly that nostalgia is for. Is it the innocence of childhood? A bygone age, now obsolete? The industrial promises of a future which never came to pass? This uncertainty only adds to its beauty and atmosphere.

Exploration: This is a well-connected game which feels very complete and cohesive, and this makes it satisfying to explore. Several of the meandering routes you can take through the worlds will lead you back to the nexus, unlocking a new nexus world in the process, and I really enjoy this feature! My one frustration is that some areas are internally very confusing to explore, particularly the worlds representing interiors.  

Art: I find the pixel art style in this game to be quite over-rendered and busy, which isn’t to my taste. It works best in the areas which have a pale and misty colour palette, which are some of the most atmospheric parts of the game. Deep Dreams has a desaturated palette of greys and greens, which brings out that flavour of overgrown industrial structures and obsolete machinery. This forms a nice contrast with its frequently brightly coloured and cute NPCs.

Storytelling: There are definitely recurring motifs which get picked up in the endings, but very little to suggest what has happened or is happening in the world of the game. The various endings feel almost as if they follow completely different storylines, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but makes me wish that I could figure out more about the connections between the characters. Perhaps this is a game in which storytelling isn’t really the point, but the hints it does drop leave me a bit confused about its intentions.

Horror and CWs: Deep Dreams has some unsettling areas, including a particularly creepy hospital world which contains bloody and violent imagery. I’ve seen people say they find it scarier than the hospitals in .flow (and it does have more chasers). There are also a couple of events which could jumpscare some players.

Best thing about it: So many of the environments are my favourite colour (green)…

If you like… Ultra Violet, grey cloudy days, the vibe of early 2000s anime.

[ynfg-review]

Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews: Ultra Violet

Dev Twitter | Wiki | Play online

Ultra Violet was first released in 2012 by heat_thinker, and was last updated in 2019. The player explores the dreams of a girl called Sometsuki, and the game has no endings at present.

Atmosphere: Ultra Violet is a game of soft pink and yellow expanses filled with rabbits and flowers, although it conceals a gloomier and sometimes bloody underbelly beneath its cutesy or pastel nexus worlds. Sometsuki’s dreamscapes are less lonely than many YNFG protagonists', with many NPCs who watch you or follow you around. Rather than vast and isolating, her dreams feel comforting and a little sad.

Exploration: This game is still in development. Many of the nexus worlds have a single and ultimately dead end connection, but you can find multiple interesting events and effects in these areas, so they don’t feel unsatisfying. There are also some more developed and better connected routes to be found. I’ve seen people say that the game’s looping worlds are too big, but this hasn’t bothered me at all and I’ve found it pretty easy to navigate.

Art: The graphics are very cute and well drawn, and the vibe of the game switches roughly between pale pastel pinks and darker desaturated blues. I don’t find Ultra Violet very atmospheric, and I think that’s because its almost all of its colouring feels ‘flat’ – it doesn’t do much with lighting or contrast. You get that pastel aesthetic in exchange for this quality, though, and it really pulls that off.

Storytelling: Ultra Violet does a very good job of suggesting relationships between the protagonist and various characters, and it has some of my favourite interactions you can have with NPCs in any YNFG. There are also some areas which hint at things which may have happened in Sometsuki’s past, and, of course, a lot of recurring imagery. Of bunnies. There are no endings available as of August 2024.

Horror and CWs: This game has a few areas containing blood, violence, dismembered bodies, and chasers, but for the most part it lacks a creepy or unsettling atmosphere. There aren’t any areas where I personally feel spooked out as I explore, as is the case with a lot of YNFGs. There’s a bit of body horror in the more disturbing events, and a recurring motif of decapitation.  

Best thing about it: The implied toxic yuri. Ok, maybe also the puzzles and the NPC interactions in general. It’s a great game for interactivity.

If you like… She Awaits, high school yuri manga or magical girl anime.

[ynfg-review]

I'm surprised that none of the theories on the Yume Tsushin Wiki talk about the cats/catgirls, because that's the strongest repeating motif in the game. The empty pet carrier outside Wormiko's apartment is really interesting here. Are Wormiko's dreams haunted by her dead or missing cat? The cat imagery seems to be associated with the darker or gory aspects of the game - the zombie apartments (especially the cat sitting on top of the zombie) and the zombie effect, the chasers and the curtain event, the cat ear hat on the pile of guts. The cat on the dead zombie makes me think of cats bringing in things they've killed for their humans.

On this note, I think food is also a recurring theme in this game, and one which seems to have something to do with the violent catgirl motif. It feels really significant that the countdown to dreaming is a fish getting eaten bit by bit, and that the nexus looks like a sushi restaurant. The zombie that the cat is sitting on is also falling out of a fridge full of guts, and the invisible maid in the cake world is a catgirl. Food in the game which doesn't have a kitty connection includes the microwave and egg tart effects, the pancakes you can eat, and the meat world. It just feels important!

Actually, Wormiko appearing in a cardboard box when she enters the dream is pretty cat-like as well. Did she merge with the cat or something? Did she eat that cat? I don't know if there's a precise narrative secret that one can glean from the game as-is, but the idea of a missing pet really adds something poignant to Wormiko's isolation.

[ynfg-review]

Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews: Yume Tsushin

Wiki | Download | Play online

Yume Tsushin is a 2023 fangame by <°(((</pingupingn, featuring the dreamworlds of a girl called Wormiko who lives alone in an apartment in an empty, snowy city.

Atmosphere: Yume Tsushin feels a lot like Yume Nikki, in a way which not all fangames achieve or aim for. From the start it gave me that same feeling of vast, incomprehensible open spaces with a similar soundtrack; although as I played on I discovered more of its unique features and vibes. It’s definitely a game about loneliness, full of grey and empty apartment blocks and lights in windows which you can’t ever enter. The atmosphere flickers between desaturated industrial areas and vibrant lights and foliage, although this melancholy mood is punctuated by moments of silliness and some charmingly weird NPCs.

Exploration: Despite having two endings and twenty effects, Yume Tsushin feels underdeveloped. I presume it’s still in development, but the dev seems to have deleted their Twitter account and I can’t find much info about the game. The nexus worlds are very big, many with not much in them, little to nothing to interact with, and only one connection – which then turns out to be a dead end. I really wish you could wander around this game more fully, because it has so much potential. A fun feature is that you can explore the empty city outside Wormiko’s apartment, which was actually what got me hooked on the game at first.  

Art: Yume Tsushin has a moody and dark colour palette, but it never feels drab. Some of the nexus worlds look a bit plain, but once you get deeper in there are some astonishingly beautiful areas – some of the prettiest pixel art environments I’ve seen in a YNFG, and with a really strong use of colour. Especially beautiful blues, now I think of it. It’s really worth playing to look for these places. The gore, when it appears, is also very well drawn.

Storytelling: All of the text in the game, including the menu and instructions, is written in a made-up script, which is a neat way of establishing a specific fictional setting. Yume Tsushin has some recurring motifs which seem to be ambiguously interlinked, and there are two endings at present. It’s a game of few events, and even fewer which feel like they have narrative implications, but the quirks of the game and its atmosphere of pathos have really drawn me in to trying to read between the lines. I do wish there were more NPCs and a bit more interactivity within the worlds, though.

Horror and CWs: Yume Tsushin has a repeating motif of of flesh, meat, body horror and some gore, but despite this it’s one of the less scary YNFGs that I’ve played. It doesn’t have as much of that ominous atmosphere which is usually the strength of fangame horror. There’s a chaser that shows up in an unexpected location (an otherwise very chill world), some zombie imagery, and one area which is exceptionally creepy and unsettling to explore.

Best thing about it: The beautiful graphics of the deeper areas.

If you like… The very precise vibe that Yume Nikki has, Yume 2kki, catgirls.

[pinkuboa]

im kinda just starting to get into the whole fangame thing,,, but have no clue what fangames i should play,,,, do you have any suggestions? :0

*fires shotgun in the air, redneck voice* HEEEELLLLL YEAAAAAAHHHHH I DO BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY *more gunshots in the distance*

For those of you just joining us, a Yume Nikki fangame is a clone of Yume Nikki with a different protagonist and setting to romp around in.  You don’t have to play the original to get the fangames, and some of them even add things like dialogue and puzzles to the mix.

Ok, I’m just gonna give you most of the ones I like and let you choose which ones you want to play.  There’s a lot of sub par fangames to go through since a lot of developers use fangames as their first foray into game design, which isn’t a bad thing, just that we got a lot of low quality stuff to go through due to well, first time games.  I’m not sure what you liked about Yume Nikki and each fangame brings something different to the table, thus my big old list here.  That, and I haven’t made a fangame rec list in ages and wanted to put everything I liked down!

We got 2 categories here, finished (or at least have obtainable endings) and unfinished (no endings to be found yet).   

—-Finished, or at least have endings—-

.flow

One of the most popular fangames on the western side for being a bit easier to navigate (smaller maps), a darker horror touch, and something of a more solid plot to follow.  .flow is an enjoyable fangame, even though I’m pretty sure the dialogue would be just Linkin’ Park, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, and MCR lyrics if it had any.  

There’s a fair amount to do and explore in the game, which is something I appreciate a lot.  There’s a friendship meter with one of the NPCs as well as a good chunk of events to find.  I also like the atmosphere the game gives off: the darker, desaturated color palette plus the beep-y boop-y soundtrack make it stand out against the other 200 Yume Nikki clones out there.  Fair warning: it has some blood and gore in it, so if you’re a fan of those, this game is for you!

Lcd Dem

A chill game with chill music and a cozy atmosphere.  You don’t have to collect any of the effects except one to get the ending iirc, as the ending is obtained via collecting orbs you can find in special corners of the dream world.  It’s one of those games that’s really nice to just walk around in for the sake of it with some nice graphics and super chill music.  There’s not as many events to find or as many NPCs to interact with, but it’s more of a chillout game than anything.

Keep reading

[ynfg-review]

Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews: Collective Unconscious

Tumblr | Wiki | Play online

Collective Unconscious is a collaborative YNFG à la Yume 2kki, released in June 2024 on the Yume Nikki Online Project website. It is designed for the platform and its multiplayer system. You play as a person called Minnatsuki, who explores the spirit world via a totem pole in their room.

Atmosphere: Rather than the mystical abstraction of much of Yume Nikki, many of the worlds of Collective Unconscious represent real environments – parks, streets, gardens, buildings – but with something a bit off about them. There’s a calm and peaceful feel to a lot of the game, always with an undertone of strangeness and perhaps a bit of unease. As a collaborative game, however, you never know quite what you’re getting when you move from world to world, and the surprise and variety is one of the best things about it.

Exploration: This game was only released a couple of months ago, so most of the issues I have with exploration are definitely down to it being in the early stages of development. There are a lot of dead ends, including worlds intended as connecting paths which have no connection at the end, and sometimes you can walk quite a long way only to have to retrace your steps if you want to keep exploring. Nevertheless, for a game which has barely been updated since its release, it has loads and loads of content and worlds to explore, and you can still take long meandering routes if you happen upon well connected areas. I have no doubt that with future updates most of these frustrations will be smoothed out!

Art: Collective Unconscious has some beautiful pixel art, and it comes from so many different artists in so many different styles! There are some extremely unique vibes, art styles, and world gimmicks that aren’t like anything I’ve ever seen in a YNFG before. It’s really a game with something for everyone: pretty sparkly pixel art, photo collage sprites and worlds, dim and creepy maze-like areas, cute pastel worlds, and everything inbetween.

Storytelling: Being a collaborative game, CU doesn’t necessarily imply a singular overarching story. The conceit is also that the realm you enter is a collective ‘spirit world’ rather than Minnatsuki’s individual dreams. Nevertheless, there are some common themes that devs seem to return to across the worlds, which is great fodder for the player’s imagination, and I’m sure that when any endings are implemented we’ll get a bit more of a sense of a narrative. Some of the events have mini-stories within them already. I feel that CU is a game which might have lore, rather than a singular story – if that makes sense!

Horror and CWs: Collective Unconscious has a decent number of worlds featuring body horror and disturbing environments, although I think the submission guidelines prohibit very explicit gore and jumpscares. I would say that the calm and peaceful areas outnumber the creepy ones in this game, though. As of now (August 2024), CU has no common chasers, but there are a few worlds with unique chaser events that can spring upon you quite suddenly. I really dislike these, but that’s just me.

There’s a hospital world (although it isn’t doing .flow style medical horror), an area which might imply themes of suicide, a world seemingly themed around bile/vomit, and a ‘blood drive’ world which has a lot of needle imagery.

Best thing about it: the sheer variety of different beautiful art styles on show throughout, and the thrill of a new project set to develop in really exciting ways!

If you like… Yume 2kki, Answered Prayers, the atmosphere and doppelgänger themes of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

[ynfg-review]

Yume Nikki Fangame Reviews: .flow

Website | Wiki | Play Online

.flow was released by lol in 2009, and features the technologically induced dreamstates or memories of a girl called Sabitsuki. The game was last updated in 2019, and has a full set of effects and three endings.

Atmosphere: .flow is grungy, industrial, and dripping with gore. This is a game about decay, where crunching mechanical sounds and strange drones follow you through the abandoned rooms of back-alley hospitals with bloodstains on the floor. .flow evokes some of the whimsical surreal feel of Yume Nikki, but combines this with more realistic representations of eerie environments. It has quite a lot of variety in the vibes of its worlds, but the cohesion of its themes and repeated imagery prevents this from feeling incoherent.

Exploration: .flow is a sizable game, although many of its worlds are small in comparison to those of Yume Nikki or 2kki. It has fewer dead ends, and is harder to get lost and stuck in than many YNFGs, so it’s easy to go on a long meandering journey without having to turn back. Rather than wandering through vast, atmospheric areas, the heart of .flow is in the passages and connections between spaces, which often have implicit narrative associations.

Art: Much of the game has a muted, dark colour palette, which normally wouldn’t appeal to me but which works extremely well for the vibes it’s trying to cultivate. There are a few brighter and prettier areas with some lovely pixel art, and these have even more of an impact when they’re surrounded by drab greys and rusted metal corridors. All of the gore and horror art in the game is really effective and high quality – definitely where lol’s pixel art style shines the most.  

Storytelling: .flow has the strongest environmental storytelling of any YNFG I’ve played. Whilst retaining a lot of ambiguity and room for the player’s imagination, it builds a picture of the protagonist’s life story from her birth itself. Multiple NPCs recur throughout the game, and the endings provide a lot of food for thought. There’s nothing quite like sitting down late at night to read decade old .flow theories on obsolete forums.

Horror and CWs: This is unambiguously a horror game. It brings together Yume Nikki’s surreal body horror style with some pretty in-your-face gore and a lot of medical imagery. Nevertheless, the areas which I find most unsettling aren’t always the ones with the blood and chasers. It’s a great game for haunting, uncanny environments.

 As well as the gore and medical horror, .flow comes with a hefty content warning for depictions of (horrific) pregnancy, suicide, and sex work. There’s an area relating to the latter which is pretty heavily sexualised in imagery and sound design.

Best thing about it: The encroaching horror that builds with the subtle implications of the narrative. The final ending is a great payoff (whilst still leaving most of your questions unanswered).

If you like… Ethel Cain, exploring abandoned buildings, the poem 'Tulips' by Sylvia Plath.