Yume Nikki is an independent Japanese exploration game created in RPGMaker 2003 and first released for free in 2004, with the last update posted in 2007. The game gathered a dedicated cult following, which was expanded worldwide after a fanmade English translation of the game made it more accessible outside of Japan. Only a few years after the game's initial release, fans began to create their own games borrowing gameplay and main ideas from the original. Over time, more and more of these fangames were made, and some even achieved a level of popularity close to the original Yume Nikki. Nowadays, there are hundreds of Yume Nikki fangames available online, from small demos with a handful of locations to massive collaborative projects with over a thousand locations to explore, all showcasing different art styles and vibes.
This page will by no means be a comprehensive list of Yume Nikki fangames, but will instead attempt to document the best and most popular of these games.
Yume Nikki is an exploration RPGMaker video game created in 2004 by Japanese developer Kikiyama. The game stands apart from any other early RPGMaker games in its lack of battles, dialogue, and a clear narrative. In the game, you play as a girl named Madotsuki as she explores her dreams. The main gameplay entails walking around strange and surreal places in Madotsuki's dreams collecting "effects", which are collectibles that change her appearance, and sometimes give her special abilities that can help the player in various ways.
Yume 2kki is a collaborative fangame first released in 2007. It is the single largest of any Yume Nikki fangames, featuring over a thousand locations from dozens of creators over decades.
.flow is a fangame created by lol. The tone of this fangame is a shift from Yume Nikki, featuring more horror elements and a more rusted, decripit atmosphere as compared to the colorful strangeness and occasional whimsy of Yume Nikki.
LcdDem is a fangame created by Koronba. It features a more tranquil and peaceful vibe compared to the original Yume Nikki.