An Ode To Kikiyama...
I feel like there have been enough think pieces on the game, what it may symbolize, and its impact on indie games as we know it, but that won't stop me from writing my own piece. I don't intend for this to be some serious article, but as the title suggests, an ode of sorts.
To me, I feel the care that went into it isn't discussed nearly enough. We may not know much about Kikiyama, but you can at least see they cared a lot about their game.
This project showed up one day, not much explanation for it, and it made an impact because of the care that went into it. When I was younger, I feel like there was a bit of
ripping on Kikiyama's art that shows up in the game, and not too much discussion on the spritework. From Madotsuki's effects having fun animations regardless of their practicality to the tilesets really shining in areas like the Pink Sea or the Wilderness, the dreamscape oozes with intricate details. Even in more simple worlds like Puddle World or the Docks, tiny animations for the world or NPCs add a bit more to them and ultimately the immersion. Is that not also their art? I ask that knowing fully well it is, I just felt like being a bit dramatic.
A lot of the game relies on the less being more principle, and while I don't think it was all that intentional, Kikiyama really worked with what they had. A lot of the notable sound effects are modified well known ones (if you have a Yamaha keyboard, I'm sure you were just as shocked as I was to have stumbled across the scream) that may have come from some pack, or readily available assets in RPG Maker. The soundtrack itself relies on a lot of short loops, but that kind of goes for a lot of RPG Maker games. It's just what Kikiyama did with them that solidified Yume Nikki's identity. The sound effects I associated strictly with the game for an embarrassing amount of time, and the ambience almost created itself as the loops droned on. Kikiyama really tied it all together with the sound design.
As for the actual gameplay, it is something that has yet to lose its luster for me. I mean it when I say I come back to it often, not even to complete, but to just wander around. There was a time where the maps were etched into my brain to where I knew exactly where to go if I desired a specific location. There is no objective to complete in this game, besides the ending that I struggled to get to during my first playthrough. Even after accomplishing it, I came back because nothing beat trying to get Takofuusen to show up, or luring Steve slowly but surely. I had been to Mars an inumerable amount of times to fall asleep under Mars-san, followed Monoe around again and again to see her close up shot fade in and out. The FC Dungeon glitch was always a fun journey even if I got lost at times or ended up in White Desert B. I still haven't gotten to see the inside of the Eye Box because I got swept up in so many other parts of the game. It truly wormed its way into my mind, and ultimately my heart.
