Back in 2004, a Japanese developer who went by the alias of Kikiyama brought out a game called Yume Nikki, a top-down adventure game that saw a girl going through an adventure in her own dreams. It was all a bit otherworldly, with the girl, Madotsuki, collecting things that could change the way she looked but not having any kind of battle or combat system, essentially making it as relaxing to play as Animal Crossing.
Since its conception, Yume Nikki has become a bit of a cult hit, especially because no one really knows the developer who made it or the reasons behind it. Now, in 2025, a developer by the name of Elias Daler has spent one and a half years making his own PS1 tool set and engine and a further 1.5 months to get a 10-15 minute demo of his 3D imagining of Yume Nikki.
This fan project reimagines Yume Nikki as a 3D game, and you can play it on your actual PS1 & PS2 hardware too. Elias cites his love for the game as the driving force behind his project, and I'm hopeful that more and more people will discover it through his work. You can also run the demo through an emulator like DuckStation as long as you have your legally obtained PS1 BIOS.
Elias hasn't set himself a goal for when to complete the project, but has explained that if people really want to see the whole thing, he will get to work and make it a reality. Otherwise, he might return to it from time to time while working on other projects to add more levels. I'm loving what I've seen so far, so Elias, if you're reading this, Retro Dodo wants you to continue this project to completion! Give the people what they want!
Head to the Yume Nikki PS1 Itch.io page for more info!
