The game begins inside her apartment, which the player is initially unable to leave. The player controls a girl named Madotsuki, who lives in a one-room apartment by herself. Yume Nikki is an exploration-based adventure game with no dialogue, combat, or plot. Madotsuki on a staircase with the bicycle effect equipped, which increases her movement speed The game has received various manga and light novel adaptations, as well as Yume Nikki: Dream Diary, a 3D reboot also released in 2018. In 2018, Yume Nikki was published on Steam by Playism. Its pixel art visual style and horror elements inspired numerous fangames and influenced later indie games. The game has received critical praise for its surreal visual style and emphasis on open-ended exploration its non-linearity led some critics to describe it as a precursor to walking simulators.

Despite its limited distribution format, it gained a cult following on the Japanese textboard 2channel and later in the West, aided by its fan-made English translation. Yume Nikki was first distributed as freeware for Windows through Kikiyama's website in June 2004, with updates continuing until 2007. The game was developed using RPG Maker 2003 but lacks many elements commonly associated with role-playing games, such as a traditional plot or battle system, with gameplay instead focusing on exploration of the dream world.

Random events also occur throughout the game in the form of cutscenes and unique gameplay sequences. The player controls a girl named Madotsuki and explores her dreams, collecting 24 effects that change her appearance and equipment. Yume Nikki is a 2004 adventure game created by pseudonymous Japanese developer Kikiyama.

Yume nikki manga