About .flow
.flow is a free-to-play horror exploration game inspired by Yume Nikki and created by independent developer lolrust. The game was first released on February 15, 2009. Similar to Yume Nikki, there are no plans to complete the game, and it will forever be left unfinished.
This fan-game follows Sabitsuki, a young girl similar to Madotsuki in her dislike of leaving her apartment. Like Yume Nikki, .flow's gameplay centers on collecting effects in Sabitsuki's dreams. Unlike Yume Nikki, Sabitsuki's dreams are stored in her computer. Once every effect is gathered, Sabitsuki can give up the effects to her computer. Once she does, she is transformed into Rust, and must collect three Empty Boxes without the help of any effects in order to access the ending.
Despite the many similarities to Yume Nikki, this game differs in tone greatly. .flow takes on a heavier horror theme, with bloody visuals and disturbing imagery. Although it is much darker, it is one of the most popular fan-game derivatives of Yume Nikki.
True to the name, the "flow" of the game changes each time you enter Sabitsuki's dreams. NPCs might be in different areas, random events may occur, and certain areas can only be accessed sometimes.