So, I’ve never played Yume Nikki. I know a lot of people in the GD community enjoy it, but I have yet to do so myself. That said, I really like the dreamy, ethereal atmosphere this level sets up. It’s kind of sloppy, but in a super endearing way that makes the level feel much more bizarre and disconnected from reality. There are several levels like this, but this has to be one of the best because it almost feels… incomplete. But, that’s kind of in the nature of a dream. Dreams never really feel complete. They never feel grounded, so to speak, because they occur in a time of disconnect from reality. Therefore, representing a dreamy state of mind through a minimalist approach is kind of genius. Admittedly, it’s probably not a deliberate design style, and just reflective the creator’s lack of experience, but I don’t think that subtracts from the vibe in any way. I feel how I feel, and I don’t think context should have anything to do with that.

All that being said, I feel like I should touch on some of the more specific details of the level with this one. The gameplay is probably by biggest gripe with this one. It’s not necessarily bad from an execution standpoint, but it does have some memory elements with split paths that are hard to figure out at a moment’s notice. As such, it makes for a pretty irritating style of gameplay, given some fails just don’t feel like your fault. In addition, there are a fair few parts with awkward jump timings or hitboxes, but they really don’t feel too bad. Overall, the gameplay does feel really unstructured and free-form, adding to that “ungrounded” vibe, but I don’t think it stands as strongly as the visuals, so it’s just a nice touch and little more.

A lot of the art in this level is also just gorgeous. Like I said, minimalist, but some of the pixel art in the level still looks really nice. The sculptures and tapestries are colorful and detailed. The plants in the final section are subtle, but very effective in conveying the cold and desolate, yet natural environment. Plus, there are some little dancing guys in there. Nothing significant to them really. Just some little dancing guys. But they’re out of place, once more adding to the mystique of the level. Overall, a really solid level. It may not be a masterpiece, but it’s just a cool one to sit down with and chill.