Today we're featuring an interview with Kikiyama, the famous developer of the bizarre dream game Yume Nikki. Thanks in advance to those who helped us with contact information and translation assistance.
So, you are Yume Nikki's sole designer. First and foremost, why did you create this game?
spoilers if you haven't played the game
Kikiyama: I am very much fascinated by dreams, and have been since I was young. Considering my equal interest in games, I wanted to essentially mesh the two.
How did you begin to formulate the overall structure of the game? Why did you choose to have it be purely exploration-based, rather than driven by a plot?
Kikiyama: When I was fairly certain the game's premise would involve the exploration of dreams, I started by devising level layouts and ideas. My goal was to create settings which were both original and captivating to the player. I drew some inspiration from dreams I have had over the years, but I tried not to let the game be too centered toward my own subconscious experiences. Regarding the gameplay, I chose to omit a storyline because I felt this might be too restricting on the player. I wanted the experience to be as nonlinear and unconfined as possible. Such, in my view, reflects the nature of dreams: seamless and open-ended.
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