There are 24 proper Effects in Yume Nikki. Each effect changes Madotsuki's appearance and some provide special abilities.
Gathering all 24 effects is considered to be the primary objective of the game, and only when all effects have been gathered can the player see the game's finale by leaving them all in The Nexus and waking up.
The effects are scattered throughout the dream world, and some are more easily found than others. Some are found by touching particular objects whereas others are received from interacting with characters.
While none of the effects are mandatory to progress through the game, many events and locations are unreachable without them. They can be collected in almost any order, except for the 'Poop hair' effect, which requires either the Yuki-onna or Umbrella effects.
Effects
Frog (かえる）
Become a frog
Appearance: Madotsuki transforms into a humanoid frog. She walks with a hunched over back.
Passive Effect: Madotsuki walks at normal speed through water.
Action: (1) Madotsuki hops in place like a frog
Location: Either The Forest World or Dense Woods B (Frog Path) - Interact with the Frog
Practical Uses: Walking through the Pink Sea and Uboa's Trap is much faster, although the Bicycle does the same thing.
Umbrella （かさ）
Open an umbrella
Appearance: Madotsuki holds a red umbrella
Passive Effect: It rains, which continues until Madotsuki unequips the umbrella into her normal form. The rain also enables the Demon effect to produce a clap of thunder and lightning.
Action: (1) Madotsuki spins the umbrella
Location: Puddle World - Pick it up off the ground
Practical Uses: Can be used to douse the fire in the The Blazing Corridor, although the Yuki-onna effect does the same thing. Can be used to stop the rain in Dense Woods A.
Hat and Scarf （ぼうしとマフラー）
Wear a hat and scarf
Appearance: Madotsuki wears a hat and scarf.
Passive Effect: In the snowman form, Madotsuki cannot pinch herself awake due to her lack of arms.
Action: (1) When snowing, Madotsuki transforms into a snowman.
Location: Block World - Pick it up off the ground.
Practical Uses: As a snowman, interacting with Mafurako will always teleport you back by her side on the return trip, meaning you don't have to search for her to teleport again. In the Blazing Corridor, standing next to the fire will cause Madotsuki to slowly melt and become immobile.
Yuki-onna （ゆきおんな）
Become the snow woman
Appearance: Madotsuki transforms into a Yuki-onna.
Passive Effect: It snows, which continues until Madotsuki unequips the Yuki-onna effect into her normal form. This also enables the Hat and scarf effect to transform Madotsuki into a snowman.
Action: None
Location: Snow World - Interact with the Yuki-onna.
Practical Uses: Can be used to douse the fire in the Blazing Corridor, although the Umbrella does the same thing. Can be used to stop the snow in the Snow World.
Knife （ほうちょう）
Wield a kitchen knife
Appearance: Madotsuki holds a knife.
Passive Effect: Mobile NPCs will run away from her. Most characters that can't move will animate faster, as if in panic.
Action:
- (1) Madotsuki switches the knife between hands
- (Z) Madotsuki stabs with the knife, killing or wounding characters. Some characters and objects react strangely to being stabbed, including:
- Toriningen - Become Lunatic
- Mars-san - His eye changes color
- Arms and Legs in the The white street 2 - They twitch
- Eye Box in the White Desert - Has a 1 in 30 chance of taking you to the eye people room.
- Henkei Shita - The one in Hell has a 1 in 256 chance of transporting you to Footprint Path 1
- Extinguishes candles in the Candle World
- Makes the eyeballs change color in the Eyeball World.
Location: The Dark World (Somewhat north-east of the gate to the Wilderness)
Practical Uses:
- Killing/wounding NPCs
- Scaring NPCs away from you - Can be used to move NPCs that block your way
- Interacting with the environment
- Obtaining Money by killing NPCs
- Sending Toriningen into a Lunatic state
- Accessing new areas
Medamaude （めだまうで)
Become Medamaude (Translated as 'Eyeball Hand' in English)
Appearance: Madotsuki's head becomes a giant hand with an eye in its palm.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki closes her palm and teleports to The Nexus
Location: Eyeball World - Interact with Medamaude
Practical Uses: Can be used to teleport back to the Nexus quickly and escape from traps without having to pinch yourself awake.
When Madotsuki pinches herself, you can notice a little teardrop.
Fat （ふとる）
Get fat
Appearance: Madotsuki becomes fatter.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki's belly rumbles and an emote appears.
Location: The Docks - Interact with Strober
Practical Uses: None
Midget (こびと）
Become small
Appearance: Madotsuki becomes very small
Passive Effect: Madotsuki can fit through certain small entrances
Action:
- (1) Madotsuki produces another midget which walks in sync with her. She can produce up to 7 midgets at once.
- (3) One of the cloned midgets will burst in a small spray of blood.
Location: Candle World - Catch and interact with the Dwarf.
Practical Uses:
- Getting in and out of the Stairwell on Mars.
- Getting into Sewer Tunnel C from Sewer Tunnel B
Flute （ふえ）
Play a flute
Appearance: Madotsuki holds a flute to her lips
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki plays a short tune. There are a few different tunes that Madotsuki randomly plays.
Location: The Music Room in the Mall - Pick it up off the floor
Practical Uses: None
Neon （ネオン）
Become a neon light
Appearance: Madotsuki glows like a neon sign.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Causes the screen to change colour as if bathed in a neon light. The effect wears off when the effect is unequipped. Pressing the 1 button again causes the screen to cycle randomly between shades of red, blue, yellow and violet.
Location: Neon World - Interact with the Neon Parrot
Practical Uses: None
Nopperabou （のっぺらぼう）
Become the faceless ghost
Appearance: Madotsuki becomes a Nopperabou (A faceless ghost)
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki's head jumps off her shoulders and spins around.
Location: Sewage Processing Plant B in The Sewers - Interact with the faceless ghost
Practical Uses: None
Severed Head （なまくび）
Become a severed head
Appearance: Madotsuki becomes a severed head
Passive Effect:
- Madotsuki's height and speed decrease
- Madotsuki cannot pinch herself awake due to her lack of arms
Action: None
Location: The Guillotine World near the Bed Room - Interact with the Guillotine.
Practical Uses: Allows Madotsuki to see Closet Madotsuki, as her normal height blocks the view.
Towel （タオル）
Wrap up in a towel
Appearance: Madotsuki has a towel wrapped around her.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki sneezes.
Location: The Infinite Wilderness - Interact with the Towel character
Practical Uses: None
Cat （ねこ）
Grow ears and a tail
Appearance: Madotsuki grows cat ears and a tail.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki faces the camera and meows like a cat, with large red eyes. She paws the air with her right hand and holds a koban coin in her left, resembling the Maneki Neko.
Location: Shield-folk World - Interact with Nekoin.
Practical Uses:
- Drawing NPCs toward you - Can be used to move NPCs that block your way or to find NPCs hidden in the area
- Provoking a reaction from certain NPCs and the environment
- Summoning UFOs in certain locations
Notes: In most cases, this allows you to move characters out of your way without using the Knife Effect to kill them. This may be in tune with the Maneki-Neko being loosely associated with Gyuanin, who is revered in Japan as Kannon (観音), the goddess of mercy and compassion.
Lamp （でんとう）
Become a lamp
Appearance: Madotsuki's head transforms into a lamp.
Passive Effect: When the light is on, dark areas light up, improving visibility.
Action: (1) Switches the light on and off.
Location: The Lamp World - Interact with Raitou-Oka
Practical Uses:
- Can be used to navigate the Dark World and the Dark Woods more easily
- Can be used to light up the inside of the hot spring house in The Wilderness
Bicycle （じてんしゃ）
Ride a bicycle
Appearance: Madotsuki rides a bicycle
Passive Effect: Madotsuki's speed is doubled
Action: (1) Madotsuki rings the bell
Location: The Graffiti World - Pick it up off the floor
Practical Uses: Can be used to travel through the dream world much faster than by walking, catch fast moving characters and escape from Lunatic Toriningen.
Long Hair （ロングヘアー）
Grow long hair
Appearance: Madotsuki's hair becomes longer
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki sits down (Same as default).
Location: Mural World - Interact with the Brown Hair Mouth Monster.
Practical Uses: None
Poop Hair (ウンコヘアー)
I certainly hope it's hair
Appearance: Madotsuki's hairstyle is done up to resemble a poop. At least; we hope so.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki drops a fly which buzzes around in place
Location: The Storage Room, Underground World - Interact with Poop Hair Mouth Monster.
Practical Uses: Can be used to mark locations for a short time.
Blonde Hair （ブロンド）
Grow long, golden hair
Appearance: Madotsuki's hair becomes long and blonde.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki sits down (Same as default).
Location: Mural World - Interact with the Blonde Hair Mouth Monster
Practical Uses: None
Triangle Kerchief (ずきん）
Wear triangle kerchief
Appearance: Madotsuki wears a triangle kerchief as a tiara, symbolising death in Japanese culture.
Passive Effect: In the 'ghost form', Madotsuki is invisible to NPCs.
Action: (1) Madotsuki transforms into an 'invisible' ghost, and becomes translucent.
Location: The Ghost World - Catch and interact with the Fleeing Ghost
Practical Uses: When in 'ghost form', lunatic Toriningen can be avoided as Madotsuki is invisible to them, but they will trap her if she interacts with them intentionally.
Witch （まじょ）
Become a witch
Appearance: Madotsuki becomes dressed like a witch, including the pointed hat and robe.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki mounts a broom and hovers a short distance from the ground.
Location: The Witch's island, Dense Woods - Interact with Kimajo.
Practical Uses: Can be used to fly off The Rooftop of the Mall. Pressing Z returns to the rooftop, Pressing 1 dismounts the broom in midair, causing Madotsuki to fall out of bed and wake up.
Demon （おに）
Become a demon
Appearance: Madotsuki transforms into a Demon. Her skin turns red, horns appear on her head and she wears some sort of animal skin.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) When it's raining, a clap of thunder and lightning can be produced. In snow, only the thunder is heard.
Location: In the FC Demon Room of the FC Basement - Interact with the FC Demon
Practical Uses: Can be used to summon the Demon in the Pyramids area of the FC Overworld B. The Demon warps you to the Demon Room in the FC Basement.
Buyo buyo （ぶよぶよ）
Body becomes soft and squishy
Appearance: When Madotsuki walks, she wobbles around like jelly.
Passive Effect: None
Action: (1) Madotsuki wobbles up and down
Location: FC World Sea Cliffs - Interact with Buyo Buyo in a sub-area of the FC Overworld
Practical Uses: None
Stoplight （しんごう）
Become a stoplight
Appearance: Madotsuki transforms into a stoplight
Passive Effect: Madotsuki cannot pinch herself awake due to her lack of arms.
Action: (1) Switches stoplight between green (go) and red (stop)
Location: Dense Woods B (The Road) - Interact with Shitai-san
Practical Uses: When the light is red, it affects NPCs in a couple of ways:
- All NPCs will freeze in place, which is useful for avoiding Toriningen or catching fast-moving characters.
- The appearances of some characters also change, for example:
- Monoko: Transforms into her five-armed state. Also allows access to her full-screen event when interacted with.
- Mafurako: Becomes fully visible.
- Steve 'Leif' Kareha: Closes his eyes
- Wheelies: Transform slightly.
- The Thing with the Quivering Jaw: Its jaw stops quivering
- KyuuKyuu-kun: stops rubbing his pole
Instructions （ゲームのせつめい）
See the instructions again
Appearance: None
Passive Effect: None
Action: (Equip) A basic tutorial on how to play the game
Location: Madotsuki starts with this effect
Practical Uses: Learning how the game works
- This is the only effect that can be used in the real world and cannot be dropped as an egg in the Nexus.
Pseudo-effects
These are actions that work like effects, but are not added to Madotsuki's inventory and are not required to finish the game.
Chair
The chair in Madotsuki's dream room can be ridden when Madotsuki sits on it then pulls the chair away. Instead of writing in her diary, sitting at the desk and pressing Z (facing the desk) will let Madotsuki scoot the chair around her bedroom. She can ride the chair to almost anywhere in the dream world (albeit very slowly), but will not be able to get off it until she returns it to her desk.
Crick in the Neck
The only involuntary effect, Madotsuki has a random chance of waking up with a crick in her neck. She will constantly be looking left. As she does with no effect, pressing 1 will cause her to sit down. She is unable to write in her diary or play NASU. Going back to sleep and waking up again should solve the problem.
Madotsuki will not dream that she has a crick in her neck, and yet there is a matching FC world sprite.
Effect Glitches
Speed Glitch
A useful glitch that quadruples Madotsuki's walking speed. Although Madotsuki will appear as her normal sprite (except in the FC world), the glitch will be active. The bicycle is the most commonly used effect for this, as it allows for quadruple speed. The Speed Glitch is an oversight caused by allowing the player to use the menu in the chair.
Instructions
- Sit in the chair in Madotsuki's dream room
- Open the menu with X
- Equip the Bicycle
- Press down, then Z to exit the chair.
The glitch will now be active. The effect will disappear if you equip any effects. Madotsuki will sit if 1 is pressed, but the other action will happen as well (e.g. with the bike, the bell noise will play).
Hyperspeed Glitch
A related glitch that is slightly more complicated, but allows the effect to stack allowing for movement eight times faster than the walking speed, which is equal to that of the Candle World Toriningen.
Instructions
- Sit in the chair in Madotsuki's dream room
- Open the menu with X
- Equip the Bicycle
- Press Z to ride the chair
- Ride the chair into the Nexus
- Press 5 to drop the bicycle effect, then pick it back up
- Open the menu (You should hear the 'unable' sound effect), and equip the bicycle
- Return to the bedroom. There will be no chair at the desk.
- Go to the desk and sit down on the invisible chair, then press down and Z to get up.
Noclip Glitch
Disables most collision, allowing Madotsuki to walk through objects and walls.
- Note This will also work with the umbrella effect
Instructions
- Sit in the chair in Madotsuki's dream room
- Equip the knife effect
- Press down, then Z to get off the chair
- Quickly (while Madotsuki is moving) press 1 to switch hands with the knife
This will allow Madotsuki to walk through anything with any effect equipped, however some loading zones don't trigger.
Broken Instructions
A somewhat convoluted glitch that allows you to be able to move, and enter a new area while the instructions are open which leads to a variety of glitches.
Instructions
- Equip the frog effect in the chair.
- Go to the area you want to do this. It has to be somewhere where you can just walk into a different area.
- Press 1 and you should see Madotsuki sit down, then jump back up.
- Equip the cat effect. (Can also be done with an egg drop in The Nexus)
- Wait for a little while and the game will force you to sit down.
- Press the X key once (only once) a few seconds after being forced to sit down.
- Press 1 and the menu should open after the animation for the cat effect is finished.
- Open the instructions (don't close them).
- Wait a few more seconds and then press 1.
- You should hear the same sound as when you use the cat effect, and be able to move freely.
- Walk into the walk in area mentioned before.
- Press the Z normally to reopen the instructions, however pressing Z while equipping effects will not reopen it.
Sub Glitches
Invisible Madotsuki: This glitch is a side effect of broken instructions, and requires no extra setup beyond what's listed above.
BGM storage: Another side effect of broken instructions. The way this one works is that when you open the instructions the music stops, but it starts again after you close it. If you close the instructions in a different area it will take the music from wherever you opened the instructions and play that. This is because the game still has it stored.
Glitched movement: Glitched movement is a glitch that occurs when you close the instructions while sitting down. Your movement will be cycling between 4 of the sitting animation sprites. Left is the first sprite and then it continues in order clockwise.
Broken save: This is a glitch that makes a save file unplayable. To do this glitch do broken instructions and wake up with the instructions. Press 1 so you are sitting, then press Z to reopen the instructions. This will give you glitched movement. If you save with glitched movement your save will be unplayable.
Broken witch event: If you do broken instructions and close the instructions in the witch event the game will put you in the center of the witch event where you can work around. This works because the game stores Madotsuki when you open the instructions, so if you close the instructions in the witch event the game will think it needs to put you back into the game in the same way you were when you opened the instructions. This causes there to be two Madotsukis you control at the same time. As well as enables menu use.
Video demonstration: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIPXeCRhY2s&t=1s
Unused effects
These are effects that exist in the sprite sheets and have limited handling in the game's coding, but are not accessible in the game. These may be added in a future version of Yume Nikki.
Blindfold
Appearance: Madotsuki wears a black blindfold
Speculation: Some kind of effect that affects what Madotsuki can (or can't) see.
This sprite was used in Yume Nikki 3d (a Yume Nikki fan game).
Grayscale
Appearance: Madotsuki appears in monochrome.
Speculation: It's possible this was intended to be the appearance Madotsuki takes on in the White Desert, as there is no counterpart FC world sprite. If this is the case, then it's likely that it was dropped since it could cause confusion as to whether the White Desert was really white, or whether the effect was a result of a problem with the player's perception of it (as is the case with old monochrome photos).
Allowing Madotsuki to retain her hues makes it clear that the player's vision is normal and that the world is white.
Another idea is that this is an effect that you get from the White Desert that makes Madotsuki (And possibly the room you are in) monochrome.
Do note that this spirite is in fact used for Madotsuki's Ghost.
Will o' the Wisp
Appearance: Madotsuki transforms into a blue flame-like spirit wearing the Triangle Kerchief.
Speculation: A possible alternate form considered for the 'ghost form' of the Triangle Kerchief, as spirits are commonly depicted as blue wisps in Japanese folklore (They're called "Hitodama" [☀人魂, ひとだま]).