.flow

Theories

References

Changelog

Soundtrack

Gallery

Walkthrough

Game

.flow
.flow's Title Screen
Release
Latest Version	0.18
Creator	lol
Language	[[:Category:{{{Language}}} Fangames|{{{Language}}}]]
Engine	{{{Engine}}}
Release Date	February 15, 2009
Details Protagonist Sabitsuki (さびつき) Nexus Doors 4 Effects 25 Endings 3

Overview

.flow is one of the most well-known fangames of the original Yume Nikki, made by lol (pixiv, DeviantArt, and Twitter accounts). It's one of the darker spin-offs infamous for its eerie atmosphere and copious amounts of body horror and hospital imagery, centering around a girl named Sabitsuki (さびつき) as she enters her PC dreamworld to explore her mind and collect effects.

The psychological term, combined with the element of technology, could have possibly been the origin of the title, though this suggests that what Sabitsuki (さびつき) and, indeed, the player experience is not a dreamlike state at all, but rather an immersive reality.

The main plot of the game is similar to the original Yume Nikki's, in that it's a sand-box game with very few exploration restrictions. You must collect the twenty-five effects to unlock two of the three endings and three boxes to achieve the third.

Gameplay

.Flow is one of the more traditional fangames that stays true to the gameplay elements of the original. Effects are collected in a gloomy, sublime dreamscape and the user is left to interpret the events and lack of explicit storyline. The only differences that seem to set this game apart from Yume Nikki is the more concrete subject matter -- the deeper aspects of the landscape seem to have a more pristine resemblance to human body parts, where as Nikki's environment requires more interpretive thinking to analyze -- and the inclusion of three endings instead of one.

Plot

You play as a girl named Sabitsuki (さびつき) who doesn't want to or is unable to leave her room. She has short white hair and a grayish blue top, a white skirt, and red shoes.

Sabitsuki's bedroom is painted gray, with a TV and game console (through which you can play the mini-game Shinsouku Neko), a bookshelf, a bright orange rug, and, most notably, her bed and computer. Unlike most Yume Nikki fangames, you get in bed to save and access most of the gameplay by interacting with the computer.

Rust

An interesting gameplay element is that there is a number of restricted areas that can only be accessed once all the effects have been collected and "dropped off" in Sabitsuki's PC. With effects stored there, the protagonist assumes her alter-ego, Rust, a seemingly more malevolent version of herself with a more pallid color scheme. If you choose to look closer, her eyes are, almost impossible to tell, a deep red. Rust cannot use any of the effects, but can surpass the barriers that blocked her original form and acquire three boxes in order to unlock a final and more substantial ending to the game, viewed often as the "true ending."

In addition to these differences, Sabitsuki is pursued throughout the game by Kaibutsu, which, upon capture, transport her to an inescapable area in a manner similar to Toriningen, but upon becoming Rust, the chasers are replaced by Red Demons, a weaker but faster and much more abundant enemy. Rust can take several hits from these demons, and with each one her body begins to decay until finally, on one strike too many, she falls apart and is transported back to the real world. It is highly likely that these Red Demons have a metaphorical meaning.

Effects

In .flow, effects are used with the SHIFT key, and after collecting all effects, you can drop them in the nexus; be careful, though, once all effects have been dropped, they cannot be regained (unlike Yume Nikki). You can get one of the games three endings from here, or continue the game as Rust.

Effect	Image	Description
Arm (うで)		Sabitsuki has multiple new arms and pigtails. Pressing the action button sends you back to the nexus. Inspired by Monoko from Yume Nikki.
Black Hood (くろフード)		Sabitsuki wears a black hood. Pressing the action button causes Sabitsuki to lower her hood. Pressing it again makes her raise it back up.
Broom (ほうき)		Sabitsuki wears a blue witch outfit, has her hair tied up in a ponytail with a red ribbon and rides a broom. Sabitsuki will go twice as fast while riding it. You can get off the broom and walk normally by pressing the action button.
Cat (ねこ)		Sabitsuki has white cat ears and tail. She can turn into a small white cat and meow.
Corpse (したい)		Sabitsuki turns into a purple corpse.
Diving Helmet (せんすいふく)		Sabitsuki wears Oreko's helmet. Bubbles will float out when interacting.
Dress (ドレス)		Sabitsuki wears a gothic outfit.
Gas Mask (ガスマスク)		Sabitsuki wears a gas mask. Pressing the action button causes her to slightly take it off.
Ghost (ゆうれい)		Sabitsuki turns into a ghost with a traditional triangle kerchief. When the action button is pressed she becomes transparent and invisible to NPCs, but not invulnerable.
Handgun (けんじゅう)		Sabitsuki holds a handgun. Scares NPCs away when fired, but cannot harm them.
Headphones (ヘッドフォン)		Sabitsuki wears orange headphones. You can play music with the interaction button.
Iron Pipe (てつパイプ)		Sabitsuki's weapon which is used to attack and kill NPCs. When interacting with it alone, Sabitsuki will put the pipe on her shoulder.
Machine (きかい)		Sabitsuki's arms and legs turns into robot parts.
Mono Eye (モノアイ)		Sabitsuki has a big red cyclopes eye. Pressing the action button causes the eye to blink.
Plant (しょくぶつ)		Sabitsuki has plants growing around her. Pressing the action button makes the plats grow further around her.
Psychedelic (サイケデリック)		Sabitsuki has different colors. Pressing the action button will make her change colors (8 different color sets in total).
Slime (スライム)		Sabitsuki becomes a green slime. Pressing the action button causes her to become a puddle of slime.
Tattoo (いれずみ)		Sabitsuki has + for eyes.
Television (テレビ)		Sabitsuki's head turns into a TV. Pressing the action button causes her to turn the TV on. Each time it is pressed it shows a random channel/image/face expression.
Tumbling Doll (だるま)		Sabitsuki has no arms and legs. When interacting, Sabitsuki falls over and crawls slowly. Once she falls, she cannot pick herself back up.
Uniform (せいふく)		Sabitsuki wears a school uniform.
Viscera (ないぞう)		Sabitsuki's intestines pour out of her stomach. Interacting will cause Sabitsuki to try to put them back in.
Watering Can (じょうろ)		Sabitsuki holds a watering can. Interacting will cause it to rain.
Whistle (ホイッスル)		Sabitsuki has an orange whistle that can change the movement of NPCs when the action button is pressed.

For more information on effects and effect locations, please see the effect list page on the.flow wiki.

There is also a video walkthrough of where to find the effects.

Characters

There any many NPCs in .flow, none will actually speak, but are often tied together with theories, and are possibly part of Sabitsuki's past.

Character	Description	Sprite
Sabitsuki (さびつき)	The main character of the game.
Smile and Sister	Two people with cross/plus tattoos/markings over their eyes. Certain effects trigger the Smile event with Smile.
Oreko	A girl who lives underwater and builds strange machines in her house. She gives Sabitsuki the Diving Helmet Effect. Oreko also reappears in other parts of the game.
Gas Mask Maid	Seen at The Sugar Hole and in other parts of the game. Interacting with one causes her to bow to you.
Active Kaibutsu	The chasers in the game. They laugh and usually have a distorted face.
Gabe	A lone Kaibutsu at the bar in The Sugar Hole, strikes back if you attempt to hit him with the Iron Pipe.
Red Demons	The Chasers in the after game. They appear only in one location before the events that lead to one of the endings are triggered.

Gameplay Video (Version 0.09)

File:Yume Nikki fangames- .flow

Gameplay Video of .flow (Version 0.09)

Download/External Links

Version 0.18 (Japanese)

Official Website

.flow wiki

Pixiv Encyclopedia Page

Uboachan Board

Spanish Translation Information

Yumenikki.info