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.flow

Developer: lol
15 February 2009
.flow - cover art
Glitchwave rating
4.00 / 5.0
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163 Ratings / 1 Reviews
#306 All-time
#11 for 2009
A character known only as "Sabitsuki" explores her own mind, represented by a surreal and often unsettling digital world. As she delves deeper into this world, she confronts aspects of her own psyche and past, resulting in a narrative that is both cryptic and deeply personal.
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Yume Nikki is a well known cult game. I love that game but there are also fangames that I love and this one is really interesting. An important note is that .flow is by far the darkest game I've played. If you thought Yume Nikki was dark then this is on a completely other level. It's not really fair to call it a clone of Yume Nikki. On the surface, .flow copied so much so it's very recognizeable as a fan-game. But if you take the time to explore it, to experience all the hidden events, and ultimately to complete it, then you'll understand just how different .flow really is.

I'm going to continue with this comparison throughout the review since .flow has some trouble to break free of its shackles of "fan game" in the eyes of players. Yume Nikki is a game about dreams. All you know about Yume Nikki's real world is the small amount of information contained in Madotsuki's room and on her balcony, and the fact that she refuses to leave her room. Anything else is pure conjecture based on the contents of her dreams. While there's no shortage of interpretations you can make in Yume Nikki, ultimately things just mean what you want them to mean. They're dreams. .flow, however, is different. Although it doesn't have a narrative, it definitely tells a story, and although it is plenty surrealistic, the story it tells is not pretty. In the end, the game is a total mindfuck, but it's the kind of mindfuck you can sit down and piece together if you're dedicated, smart, and if you take aid from other players. It's a puzzle in the same sense as something like Inland Empire, though more unsettling and ostensibly more difficult. If you want meaning, there's a tangible feeling that it's there. It's just almost impossible to understand. I found it totally thought provoking but I definitely didn't understand it. It's like you piece some of the puzzles together but not the whole puzzle. Also there's tons of room for personal interpretation, much moreso than Yume Nikki if you ask me.

As for the music, it's disappointing compared to Yume Nikki. Yume Nikki's music is full of what I would call "ghost tones". Short loops that are spellbinding to listen to on repeat because despite the general theme of ambience in the music, they sometimes contain an overload of sound information, it is so easy to get lost in a song without actually really hearing all of it. It's not uncommon that I'll listen to a song, and notice a certain sound that I never really payed attention to before and listen to it in a new way. Tones might trail off, literally, or they might just be trailing off in your head. It's a very mesmerizing listening experience. Meanwhile, the music of .flow is generally very simplistic, and the repetition does not quite have that hypnotic quality. lolrust is just not a great composer, however, I still do want to compliment the way the soundtrack fits the game. Living up to Kikiyama as a composer is nigh impossible, and lolrust does a decent enough effort for his own game soundtrack. .flow's music isn't as good, but it can still sound distressing, mystical, tense, and sometimes it's actually kinda catchy. This game oozes dark emotion and the music generally does too. He can get all these emotions right, so the sound is absolutely an essential part of the playing experience. The music sounds broken, like ugly fragments of something truly disgusting. Even the catchy songs have this disturbing aura in the context of this fucked up game.

And the imagery, well... I called it by far the darkest game I've played for a reason. This game is bloody, creepy, gloomy, and sometimes sublimely terrifying. Describing imagery isn't my favorite thing to do in reviews so just take my word for it and PLAY THIS GAME NOW! It's a damn masterpiece. It's probably going to be taxing on your psyche to play through this whole game and see everything, as it's like a giant nightmare. It's the slow and brooding kind of horror which you could also see at times in Yume Nikki, and while some people argue that game wasn't a horror game, if this one isn't a horror game then no horror has ever existed in any media ever because .flow is horrifying. Most of the really sublime sights are hidden, so I'd recommend to not just shelve it upon seeing the true ending. Take your time to explore further and/or use the wiki to find all events. I think that lolrust is one of the most interesting game creators, though he's not as "mysterious" as Kikiyama, the game he's made should be just as legendary as Yume Nikki. Also check out lolrust's Pixiv! https://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=269411

Just be warned before playing .flow as it will disturb you. Consider not playing it if you're still growing, its terror could have a negative impact on your psyche. You might get nightmares. I'd say adults only but that would make me a hypocrite since I would've LOVED to play something this fucked up as a kid!
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Catalog

MartiniEldritch .flow 2024-03-24T23:53:23Z
2024-03-24T23:53:23Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
1jud3 .flow 2024-03-23T13:23:38Z
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In collection Want to buy Used to own  
shadowslink7 .flow 2024-03-17T17:36:01Z
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Zhix .flow 2024-03-12T15:15:27Z
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In collection Want to buy Used to own  
eightbaka .flow 2024-03-07T07:31:46Z
2024-03-07T07:31:46Z
4.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Kluwenblauw .flow 2024-03-04T23:34:31Z
2024-03-04T23:34:31Z
3.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
bebe12345 .flow 2024-03-02T09:36:05Z
2024-03-02T09:36:05Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
apomdoker .flow 2024-02-10T23:11:45Z
2024-02-10T23:11:45Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
5.555598416172731e+23 .flow 2024-02-04T22:20:36Z
2024-02-04T22:20:36Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Heike_Ghost .flow 2024-01-27T09:04:29Z
2024-01-27T09:04:29Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
DarioVA .flow 2024-01-25T17:39:42Z
2024-01-25T17:39:42Z
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
Jiqian .flow 2024-01-20T23:30:00Z
2024-01-20T23:30:00Z
5.0
In collection Want to buy Used to own  
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Single-player
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  • Previous comments (6) Loading...
  • Guitar_Lamb 2022-02-23 08:25:02.93765+00
    i love the sugar hole
    reply
    • Guitar_Lamb 2022-02-23 08:28:49.475209+00
      such a vibe
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  • RhinestoneHawk 2022-10-05 06:52:25.419696+00
    better than yume nikki from a gameplay perspective imo, i prefer it over yume nikki but that's just my taste.
    reply
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  • mirrorcult 2022-12-19 01:11:05.450327+00
    most swag game ever
    reply
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  • Dan_CiTi 2023-04-10 07:14:34.050128+00
    a poor man's flOw.
    reply
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  • M1N4fknRVVM3Z 2023-06-14 00:07:50.32766+00
    this is the most silent hill game that isnt silent hill
    reply
    • renegadexavier06 2023-06-16 03:54:57.808622+00
      Resident Evil:
    • _sawdustanddiamonds_ 2023-08-06 07:22:15.777073+00
      nah man resident evil and silent hill have very different atmospheres and thematic ambitions
    • More replies New replies ) Loading...
  • omo_ree 2023-10-24 00:49:08.66983+00
    i like that the top 3 narrative exploration games is all yume nikki
    reply
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  • ... 2023-11-08 19:28:20.653689+00
    idk, I really loved what I played of Yume Nikki [ゆめにっき] and Yume 2kki [ゆめ2っき], but I can't seem to get into this one.
    reply
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