A disturbing cult classic finally hits Steam, with a follow-up on the way

A beloved underground Japanese hit is heading to Steam, more than a decade after it first launched. Free-to-play horror classic Yume Nikki is now widely available after circulating online for years — and its Steam release appears to be in anticipation of a new project based on the original game.

Yume Nikki, as its Steam store page notes, is a “divisively controversial work.” Despite its cult fanbase, the Windows PC adventure game is a surrealistic journey through a dozen dream worlds, each filled with unexpected terrors and unpredictable pathways. The game has no dialogue, minimal action and not much to do beyond walking around, running into and collecting items; the plot remains up to interpretation, leaving fans to theorize about its meaning over the years.

Developer Kikiyama created Yume Nikki in RPG Maker in 2004, and both Japanese image board 2chan and an unofficial English-language translation helped to spread and sustain the game’s popularity over the years. Publisher Playism is taking the game to a larger audience, and it looks like it’s in it for the long haul.

“The countdown to the next Yume Nikki project beings,” the publisher posted on Steam, accompanied by a countdown site with a timer. The clock has 14 days and 13 hours left on it at time of writing, so expect something around Wednesday, Jan. 17.

Who knows if it’s a sequel, a remaster or something else entirely; but it appears that Kikiyama is still involved in their provocative game’s return, at least. We’ve reached out to Playism for more details.