Niko: Through The Dream

About

Niko: Through The Dream is a single player action game with a fantasy theme. It was developed by Studio Paint and was released on July 17, 2015. It received positive reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Niko: Through the Dream" is a surrealistic puzzle-platformer game where players navigate through abstract dreamscapes as the titular character, Niko. The game features unique hand-painted visuals, physics-based puzzles, and a dreamlike atmosphere that encourages exploration and creativity. Players must manipulate the environment, harness Niko's special abilities, and uncover the mysteries of his subconscious to help him escape his dreams.

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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68%

Audience ScoreBased on 91 reviews

story5 positive mentions

grinding1 negative mentions

The game features beautiful visuals and a unique minimalist art style that creates an immersive atmosphere.
Puzzles are varied and creative, providing satisfying 'A-ha!' moments without being overly difficult.
The soundtrack enhances the overall experience, contributing to the dreamlike quality of the game.

Controls can be unresponsive and frustrating, particularly during platforming sections, leading to repeated deaths and loss of progress.
There is no chapter select or proper save system, forcing players to restart from the beginning if they miss achievements or exit the game.
The narrative is vague and often difficult to follow, leaving players confused about the story and its connection to the gameplay.

story
50 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
84%
6%
The story in the game is often described as vague and abstract, with many players feeling it lacks coherence and depth, making it difficult to engage with. While some appreciate the thematic elements and the way the narrative is conveyed through visuals and puzzles, others find it frustratingly obscure and disconnected from the gameplay. Overall, the storytelling approach has received mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the artistic presentation while others feel it detracts from the overall experience.
- “The story is told through puzzles and sketches (not a narrator), and is easily open for interpretation.”
- “The music is beautiful and matches the emotions that Niko is going through - which also makes you empathize with her story.”
- “It's all thematic, of course - going along with the story, everything is representative of something involving the story being told.”
- “I don't pretend to understand the story, if there is one.”
- “The 'story' in Niko feels like something you might have had to have been following the company through devlogs on Discord or something because it is virtually non-existent.”
- “One last disappointing point is the 'story' the game tries to somehow build; this is even more obscure than the puzzles.”
graphics
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
53%
8%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a minimalist art style that some players find stunning and atmospheric, while others perceive it as overly simplistic or sterile. As the game progresses, the visuals evolve to incorporate richer colors and more organic shapes, enhancing the overall aesthetic experience. Despite some criticism regarding the lack of detail and limited graphical options, many players appreciate the unique and beautiful environments created by the game's design.
- “The art style is beautiful, minimalist, oniric, and surreal.”
- “The graphics are beautiful.”
- “The graphics are run with the Unreal Engine to really make those colors pop out at you like a little kid jacked up on sugar.”
- “As an art style, the minimalist white environments could be seen as unique, but I equate that with 'lazy'.”
- “The graphics are meant to be minimalist but a bit of detail would have gone a long way to make the game look even better!”
- “The bad thing is that some models could've used more work, not a lot though, and nothing to tinker with in the graphics options aside from the resolution and turning v-sync on or off.”
gameplay
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
84%
8%
The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing disappointment over its lack of cohesive mechanics and frustrating platforming elements. While some appreciate the variety of levels and unique puzzle mechanics, others criticize the game for introducing new mechanics without adequate explanation, leading to confusion and annoyance. Overall, the game seems to struggle with balancing aesthetics and gameplay, leaving players divided on its overall enjoyment.
- “I agree that the puzzle mechanics are relatively simple, but it's only because everything just makes perfect sense - it's so well put together!”
- “This game is also a great starting point for anyone who wishes to learn puzzle mechanics or become a better puzzle solver.”
- “Puzzle mechanics are quite unique, and it never gets repetitive.”
- “Instead of having got it for the puzzle gameplay, I found I was initially disappointed as not far into the game it seemed to devolve into a basic platformer, or fall-to-death simulator.”
- “Several game mechanics are not well thought out and are just horribly unfun.”
- “Unfortunately, instead of walking you through the mechanics one at a time in order to then progress to a more difficult 'puzzle' (platforming element), they are mixed up in difficulty in a nonsensical way.”
music
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
51%
41%
8%
The music in the game is generally praised for its ability to create a meditative and immersive atmosphere, with many players highlighting the soothing and beautiful soundtrack that complements the visuals effectively. However, some reviews note that the music can be inconsistent, with periods of silence and moments where the tunes may not resonate as well. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a significant aspect of the game's aesthetic, enhancing the emotional experience and ambiance.
- “The music is also pretty good, and puts you in a meditative or focused state which is ideal for this kind of game.”
- “The environments look beautiful, and the soundtrack has many soothing beautiful tunes that in general match the ethereal feeling of the surroundings.”
- “The music is beautiful and matches the emotions that Niko is going through - which also makes you empathize with her story.”
- “For a long time, though, the soundtrack is actually absent and you'll play in silence except for certain moments. I'd say it's about 50-50.”
- “Not sure if that's intentional or just a lack of time, money, or ability to make more music, but I guess some of the moments here are best played silent, so that's not entirely a bad thing.”
- “You can't even mute the music or change controls.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
16%
12%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its stunning visuals, immersive soundtracks, and ability to evoke a range of emotions, from serenity to horror. Many players appreciate the game's unique design and its capacity to create a dreamlike experience, although some note inconsistencies in the quality of the environments. Overall, the atmosphere is considered a standout feature, enhancing the gameplay despite frustrations with puzzles and platforming.
- “It's a varying set of atmospheres, going from serene to stressful to beautiful to horrifying, and yet they all manage to make sense with the story the game wants to tell you.”
- “The atmosphere of the game is astounding.”
- “The lighting and skyboxes are really impressive for an indie title, probably my favorite atmosphere in any indie game.”
- “Braindead puzzles, frustrating platforming, nightmarishly depressing atmosphere and overall pretentiousness of the whole experience reeks of post-modernist frustration with the cruelty of mankind and life itself.”
- “The first thing that will grab you about the game is the atmosphere.”
- “There's also some nice sparse background music which adds to the atmosphere and the general surreal feel of it all.”
emotional
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is mixed; while some players appreciate its beautiful aesthetics and touching soundtrack, others feel it lacks a strong sense of connection and emotional suspense. Some puzzles may frustrate players, but overall, the game is seen as more allegorical and emotionally resonant than physically engaging.
- “I don't think it was the developers' intent with the ending; in fact, I'm almost positive that it's supposed to be allegorical, an emotional act more so than a physical one.”
- “Niko: Through the Dream is a beautiful indie puzzle art game with overwhelming aesthetics and a very touching OST that offers you lots of hours of entertainment.”
humor
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted as both engaging and complex, enhancing the overall experience. Players find the witty elements intertwined with the storyline and puzzles to be enjoyable and entertaining. Overall, the game successfully combines humor with challenging gameplay, making it a delightful choice for fans of narrative-driven games.
- “Its puzzles aren't basic; they're complex, very interesting, and funny.”
- “Niko's dream is so funny in this game. If you like story-driven games, you should definitely try to buy this one. I have had such a great time playing it, and I love how funny it is!”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game is noted for its solid optimization, as it runs smoothly without overheating systems, even on mid-range hardware like a GTX 970 and i5 4570 at 1440p. Overall, users report flawless performance.
- “Apart from that, the game's performance was flawless as expected (1440p, GTX 970, i5 4570).”
- “One thing I will note is that it hasn't overheated my computer (unlike some 3D, even a few 2D games), so at least it's optimized reasonably well.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find grinding in the game to be a mix of excitement and engagement; however, repeated failures in puzzles can lead to a tedious experience.
- “It can be very exciting and engrossing, but if you repeatedly fail a puzzle, the game can get tedious.”

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90%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews

Review: Niko: Through The Dream
A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage.
Destructoid.com
90%

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Niko: Through The Dream
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2h Median play time

2h Average play time

2-2h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

Niko: Through The Dream is a action game with fantasy theme.

Niko: Through The Dream is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Niko: Through The Dream.

Niko: Through The Dream was released on July 17, 2015.

Niko: Through The Dream was developed by Studio Paint.

Niko: Through The Dream has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Niko: Through The Dream is a single player game.

Similar games include Kairo, MIND: Path to Thalamus, Seasons After Fall, Master Reboot, Candle and others.

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