Niko: Through The Dream

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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 minimalist adventure accompanying Niko in her return to her world. We will travel through different islands, each of them being the oneiric representation of an important event of her past. Happiness, solitude or fear melted with hidden riddles, you will face up dangers and traps and, with Niko, you will confront them with determination, ability and logic. Playability…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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67%

Audience ScoreBased on 94 reviews

story5 positive mentions

monetization1 negative mentions

Beautiful, minimalist, surreal art style and stunning visuals throughout the game.
Varied and mostly intuitive puzzles that range from logic and colors to platforming and exploration, providing a unique and fresh experience each level.
Atmospheric and immersive soundtrack that complements the mood and enhances the dreamlike experience.
Compelling emotional and poetic themes explored through puzzles and environments, evoking reflection and introspection.
Generally smooth animation and flowing gameplay that invites calm, peaceful exploration.
Reasonable length for the price with a satisfying puzzle variety and an overall enjoyable relaxing experience.

Poor and clunky controls, especially in platforming sections, causing frustration with movement and precision jumps.
Lack of proper save system or chapter select, forcing players to restart long levels, leading to unnecessary repetition and loss of progress.
Mixed puzzle quality with some puzzles described as tedious, overly obvious, or relying on memorization or timing rather than logic.
Inconsistent difficulty curve, platforming elements often overshadowing puzzles and causing aggravation, particularly for keyboard/mouse users.
Obscure and confusing story presentation with minimal guidance; narrative feels vague, pretentious or underdeveloped.
Technical issues such as limited or no graphical options, fixed resolution assumptions, absence of controller support, invisible walls and bugs affecting gameplay and accessibility.

story
52 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
84%
6%
The story in "niko: through the dream" is abstract, subtle, and open to interpretation, relying heavily on visual storytelling through art, vignettes, and thematic puzzles rather than direct narration. While some players appreciate its emotional depth and dreamlike atmosphere, others find the narrative vague, obscure, and disconnected from gameplay, making it feel optional or hard to grasp. Overall, the story serves more as a mood-setting, symbolic backdrop than a clear, cohesive plot.
- “From the very beginning, it invites you to lose yourself in a dreamlike world where every environment tells a silent story.”
- “The story is told through puzzles and sketches (not a narrator), and is easily open for interpretation.”
- “There is a story told throughout the gameplay, described rather pleasingly through vignettes, sound clips, and hidden images, and often these provide something to search for in each level.”
- “There is a story told throughout the gameplay, described rather pleasingly through vignettes, sound clips, and hidden images, but often these provide something to search for in each level, making the story feel obscured and disconnected.”
- “The 'story' in Niko feels like something you might have had to follow through company devlogs or external sources because it is virtually non-existent within the game itself.”
- “The story is vague, and the game drags on with childish puzzles and platforming elements that require many deaths to get through, impeding engagement with the narrative.”
graphics
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
53%
7%
The game's graphics are characterized by a minimalist, low-polygon art style that some find beautifully surreal and atmospheric, evolving with vibrant colors and organic shapes as the game progresses. While praised for its unique aesthetics and meditative visuals, others view the minimalism as overly simplistic or "lazy," with limited graphical detail and few customization options. Overall, the graphics contribute strongly to the game's distinct mood and appeal, though they may not satisfy those expecting high-resolution or richly detailed visuals.
- “The art style is beautiful, minimalist, oniric and surreal.”
- “The art style develops through the game towards a more lavish use of colour, breathtaking scenery, and more organic shapes like nature and water.”
- “The graphics are what you'd call "minimalistic" but I found them stunning nonetheless; almost all levels are very pleasant to the eye.”
- “The lack of textures is a method that lazy developers often use to disguise their lack of talent or interest in doing the graphics properly, trying to disguise it under the name of 'art' or 'we made it look bad on purpose,' which really isn't something gamers should have to put up with.”
- “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!”
gameplay
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
86%
7%
The gameplay is a mixed experience, offering a variety of puzzle mechanics that are unique but often poorly introduced and inconsistently executed, leading to frustration. While the puzzles encourage exploration and problem-solving, awkward platforming controls, sudden death mechanics, and unclear instructions detract from enjoyment. Overall, the game struggles with a lack of cohesive core mechanics and polish, making it less satisfying for players seeking smooth, well-designed gameplay.
- “Engaging and intuitive gameplay.”
- “Puzzle mechanics are quite unique and it never gets repetitive.”
- “I agree that puzzle mechanic is relatively simple but it's only because everything just makes perfect sense - it's so well put together!”
- “That's all there is to the game now, apart from jumping off the edge, and even that doesn't end the pain as you restart the game and are stuck with the same simple environment with no way to unlock more gameplay.”
- “It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
- “Several game mechanics are not well thought out and are just horribly unfun.”
music
38 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
53%
39%
8%
The music in the game is widely praised for its emotional, soothing, and atmospheric qualities, effectively complementing the visuals and enhancing the overall experience. While some note occasional silence or less remarkable tracks, the soundtrack is generally considered a standout element, creating a meditative and immersive mood that resonates with the game's themes and story.
- “The soundtrack is a masterpiece on its own — soft, melancholic, and deeply emotional, perfectly accompanying every step of the journey.”
- “The music is beautiful and matches the emotions that Niko is going through - which also makes you empathize with her story.”
- “The soundtrack is really effective here, too, setting the character and mood of each island.”
- “For a long time, the soundtrack is actually absent and you'll play in silence except for certain moments; I'd say it's about 50-50.”
- “You can't even mute the music or change controls.”
- “I wanted to mute the music before I knew it wasn't possible; I was halfway done with a puzzle in a scene, paused the game, and the three buttons on the pause menu are icons with no text.”
atmosphere
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
72%
16%
12%
The game is widely praised for its rich, immersive atmosphere that effectively conveys a surreal, dreamlike mood through stunning visuals, lighting, and soundtrack. While some find the tone alternating from serene to nightmarish and occasionally pretentious or frustrating due to puzzles and platforming, many appreciate the unique, tranquil experience and emotional depth the atmosphere provides. Overall, the atmosphere stands out as one of the game's strongest and most captivating aspects.
- “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 lighting and skyboxes are really impressive for an indie title, probably my favorite atmosphere in any indie game.”
- “The first thing that will grab you about niko is the atmosphere.”
- “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 game has a nightmarishly depressing atmosphere that adds to its pretentious vibe, making the overall experience frustrating and unenjoyable.”
- “The atmosphere is overwhelmingly negative and depressing, which contributes heavily to the game's frustrating and pretentious feel.”
emotional
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of "Niko: Through the Dream" is highlighted by its beautiful, melancholic soundtrack and artistic visual storytelling that many find deeply moving and touching. While some players appreciate its emotional depth and allegorical ending, others feel it lacks a strong sense of emotional connection or suspense. Overall, it is praised as a heartfelt indie puzzle game with a memorable atmosphere.
- “The soundtrack is a masterpiece on its own — soft, melancholic, and deeply emotional, perfectly accompanying every step of the journey.”
- “If you enjoy artistic games with emotional depth and visual storytelling, Niko: Through the Dream is a hidden gem worth discovering.”
- “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%
Users find the humor in Niko Dream enjoyable and entertaining, praising its funny and engaging elements that complement the complex and interesting puzzles. The game’s comedic touches enhance the overall experience, especially for fans of story-driven games.
- “Its puzzles aren't basic, they're complex, very interesting and funny.”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is well-optimized, running flawlessly without causing overheating issues even on mid-range hardware like a GTX 970 and i5 4570 at 1440p.
- “One thing I will note is that it hasn't overheated my computer (unlike some 3D or even a few 2D games), so at least it's optimized reasonably well.”
- “Apart from that, the game's performance was flawless as expected (1440p, GTX 970, i5 4570).”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users criticize the game's $10 price as greedy and not justified given its flaws, especially when compared to many free, higher-quality alternatives available on Steam.
- “Through the Dream has a greedy cash grab price of around $10 USD. It's not worth it given the defects and shortcomings of the product, especially considering the sheer number of completely free, much higher quality games on Steam.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in the game can be engaging and immersive, but frequent failures in puzzles may lead to tedium and frustration.

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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
€8.99
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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, Toren, Vane, Dreaming Sarah, RiME and others.

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