shita ni
- March 3, 2023
- LuN
Get on SteamA surreal dream exploration game, both beautiful and terrifying. Shita ni is a surreal dream exploration RPG Maker game. Through the exploration of both beautiful and haunting dreamscapes, you will uncover the different facets of a young girl's mind. This game will not hold your hand. Instead, you will be free to investigate the mysteries of your surroundings at your own pace in whatever way you …
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features beautiful and surreal art design, creating a unique atmosphere that captivates players.
- The soundtracks are well-composed and enhance the emotional experience, with some tracks being particularly memorable.
- It offers a vast world to explore with interesting gameplay mechanics that differentiate it from other Yume Nikki-inspired games.
- Progression can be hindered by confusing points of interest and a lack of clear direction or landmarks on the maps.
- Some puzzles are excessively punishing, requiring lengthy retries that can lead to frustration.
- Translations and interactions may feel off or unresponsive at times, detracting from the overall experience.
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for its ability to enhance the unique atmosphere, with soundtracks that evoke a wide range of emotions and fit seamlessly with the diverse environments. Reviewers note that the compositions, while often looped, are not disruptive and can even serve as ambient music. Overall, the combination of beautiful and haunting melodies contributes significantly to the game's surreal and immersive experience.
“The game appropriately tracks songs that are fitting for the environment — it conveys a range of emotions including warmth, calm, discomfort, tension, and danger.”
“I’d even go as far to say that some of these songs could function as ambient working music.”
“The music is composed of loops, some that are more noticeable than others, but not disruptive to the overall experience.”
“The graphics and music are varied and unique, and there are many surprises every time you switch between maps.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its beautiful yet surreal quality, effectively blending elements of beauty and terror through stunning visuals and an evocative soundtrack. Reviewers highlight the masterful art direction and the layered emotional experience it creates, drawing comparisons to similar titles while emphasizing its darker tone. Overall, the atmosphere is described as unforgettable and immersive, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
“Thank you for this unforgettable experience. The game is wonderful - beautiful, surreal, with its unique atmosphere, variety of locations, and amazing soundtracks (the rose garden is my favorite).”
“The game successfully establishes a layered atmosphere of beauty and terror through its visual and audio elements.”
“It captures its atmosphere masterfully through its art direction, both audibly and visually.”
- story3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's story effectively utilizes environmental storytelling, impressing players with its depth and execution, especially considering it is the debut release of a solo developer. The surreal imagery enhances the narrative, conveying psychological anxiety and creating a compelling experience.
“Additionally, it executes on environmental storytelling without much sacrifice.”
“Lastly, I was wary of the idea of environmental storytelling by a solo developer’s first release, but I’m glad to say that my caution was wasted as I found the experience incredibly satisfying.”
“Surrealistic images effectively convey psychological anxiety through environmental storytelling.”
“Additionally, it does execute on environmental storytelling without much sacrifice.”
“Lastly, I was wary of the idea of environmental storytelling by a solo developer’s first release, but I’m glad to say that the caution was wasted as I found the experience incredibly sufficient.”
“Surrealistic images express well a psychological anxiety with environmental storytelling.”
- graphics3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The graphics are praised for their unique and varied art style, creating immersive "first-layer" dreamscapes that enhance exploration. Players appreciate the ability to anchor visuals for better navigation, and the maps consistently offer surprises, contributing to an engaging visual experience.
“Not far behind the audio are the visuals; the 'first-layer' dreamscapes are easy to spend time in, and more often than not you're able to 'anchor' something to your screen to help orient yourself to cover ground effectively to determine if you've been to a place before.”
“The graphics and music are varied and unique, and there are many surprises every time you switch between maps.”
“The art style is very nice and the maps look great.”
“The graphics are underwhelming and lack detail, making the environments feel flat and uninspired.”
“Character models are poorly designed and lack the polish expected from a modern game.”
“The visual effects are inconsistent, with some areas looking great while others appear outdated and bland.”
- gameplay2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -150 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by minimal text, which can lead to frustration when players discover new elements in previously explored areas without clear indications. However, the game introduces several intriguing mechanics that enhance the experience beyond its inspirations, offering pleasant surprises for players.
“While I call it a fan game, this game introduces a lot of interesting gameplay mechanics that Yume Nikki didn't have, and it pleasantly surprised me.”
“It's understandable that the game is leaning into its minimal text aspect as part of the game, but from a gameplay perspective, it can be a bit frustrating to think you've explored everything in a zone, only for something to become active later on for reasons unknown to you.”
“It's understandable that the game is leaning into its minimal text aspect as part of the experience, but from a gameplay perspective, it can be a bit frustrating to think you've explored everything in a zone, only for something to become active later on for reasons unknown to you.”
“The controls feel clunky and unresponsive, making it difficult to enjoy the gameplay as intended.”
“The pacing of the game is off, leading to long stretches of boredom between moments of excitement.”
