| Acatalepsy (アカタリプシー) | |||||||||||
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 Acatalepsy's Title Screen | |||||||||||
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0.00 (2012/04/02) | ||||||||||
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Overview
Acatalepsy (アカタリプシー, Akataripushi) is a Japanese Yume Nikki fangame made in 2012 by Arakawa, depicting the dark subconscious of Naoto, a hikikomori with only his moody dreams and a Famicom-like system to accompany him. It was developed in RPG Maker 2000.
The game's readme warns squeamish viewers of "shocking" and "grotesque" content and color schemes. Much of the music used is disorienting and eerie, using an abstract, chiptune-esque style.
Gameplay
Similar to most fangames, the player must explore Naoto's dreams to collect effects and piece together his history and current self.
As opposed to a balcony, Naoto only has a small window that shows a photorealistic view of the outside world. His room is flat but tidy, including a dresser, a trash bin by his bed (used to access the debug room when asleep) a TV and Famicom-like game console used to play the game's minigame, DOOR, and a laptop on his table used to save. The dream room contains even less interaction, the bed becoming inaccessible and the game console missing a cartridge.
The game's Nexus is a set of stairways with four objects representing locations as opposed to doors, akin to Yume 2kki. However, there is another door opposite from Naoto's that leads to a lone room for dropping off effects in order to reach the game's ending. When dropped off, the effects turn into TVs and can be recollected for further exploration.
Controls
- Move - Arrow Keys
- Interact/Select - Z/Space
- Open Menu/Cancel - X/Esc
- Effect Action - Shift
Plot
| Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow. |
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Acatelepsy follows Naoto, a person refusing to or unable to leave his bedroom. Acatalepsy's storyline and Naoto's reasons for isolation are vague, but seem to imply significant motifs related to television and travel.
(Highlight at your own risk.)
[After dropping off all effects and waking up, Naoto can check his TV, only to see a view of his own room. Still focusing on the TV, all of the room's furniture disappears, followed by the room itself, and finally Naoto. The end credits show the game console as the only remaining object, implying Naoto's existence was only a simulation (which, in the context of Acatalepsy being a video game, is indeed true.) or that he was, at some point, trapped in a simulation that has now collapsed.]
Effects
| Name | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Folding Bike (折りたたみ自転車) |
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Naoto rides a bike, increasing his speed. |
| Scalpel (メス) |
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Naoto wields a scalpel that can kill NPCs and activate chasers. |
| Lantern (ランタン) |
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Naoto's head becomes a light. Pressing Shift turns the light on or off, lighting up dark places. |
| Digital Clock (デジタル時計) |
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Naoto becomes a walking digital clock. Pressing Shift stops the clock, freezing NPCs and chasers. |
| Vinyl Umbrella (ビニール傘) |
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Naoto holds a clear/transparent umbrella, causing rain to fall. |
| Earmuffs and Gloves (耳あてと手袋) |
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Naoto wears dark mittens and earmuffs, causing snow to fall. |
| Check / Plaid (チェック) |
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Naoto becomes covered in a plaid-like pattern. Pressing Shift cycles through blue, red and green colors. |
| Door (扉) |
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Naoto becomes a walking brown door. Pressing Shift opens the door, showing a single eye and warping him back to the Nexus. |
Characters
| Name | Image | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Naoto |  |
Main protagonist of Acatalepsy. Seems greatly attached to themes of television. |
| TV / Terebi (テレビ) |
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One of the game's chasers, who has a television for a face (hence the nickname) and wears a white shirt. When passive, the TV displays a smiling face, but hostile chasers display a single red eye. |
| Suterareta (捨てられた; Deserted) |
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The game's other chaser, who has dark skin, white hair and a tan shirt. When passive, they appear to be a normal NPC, but when hostile their skin darkens to a charcoal color with barely visible X's for eyes. |
Gameplay Images (Version 0.00)
Bedroom
Nexus
Gameplay Video (Version 0.00 (old))
Download
| Version | Date | Announcement | Download |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ver0.00 | Pixiv | Axfc (Password: naoto) |
Trivia
- Acatalepsy seems to have multiple existing 0.00s, with at least two versions being witnessed.
- When getting the Foldable Bike, it is possible to collect the effect multiple times.
- In FC World there is a slight graphical glitch when using the Digital Clock effect.