Kataribesou ~Ensouki~ (かたりべ荘～淵藪記～)

Overview
Kataribesou ~Ensouki~ (かたりべ荘～淵藪記～) is a game inspired by Yume Nikki created by Toripote, featuring a featureless figure named Shidonoko (しどのこ)  who is often assumed to be a girl due do their ponytail, traveling onto weird worlds from a building.

It has more of an actual RPG (combat and item shop) than most fangames. There is also a difficulty mode choice at the start. The atmosphere often varies widely, like Yume 2kki. The worlds are usually somewhat light-hearted.

The game is also praised for its music. Though it is difficult to beat the bosses on the start, it gets easier later on, once you start selling the items to earn state-increasing boosters/ weapons/ tags at the warehouse.

Gameplay
You start in a yard with a house that has several doors and a lamp post. The lamp post is the save point. Each of the doors has a room inside that has an object that leads to another world.

To go back to the house, one must either lose a battle or interact with a fountain, which is found frequently.

The characters usually talk three speech bubbles: An item or giftbox (receive item), a skull (imminent battle) and a scribble line (frustrated). Another, much more rarely seen, is a heart, which usually stands for them liking the items given.

You can only earn a certain amount of items (generally 1-4) from each different character per world entrance.

The bosses are noticeably difficult, and to get effects, you need to beat them up/defeat them.

The warehouse contains various tags obtained upon reaching a determinate amount of money, that if mixed, produces support items, These tags, if used in battle, summon helpers.

From time to time, a little girl can be found randomly in the worlds, which can be either White (difficult mode only), Black or Red. The interaction with the White one is essential for one of the endings.

Since Shidonoko doesn't grow in level, it is needed to use state boosters.

Plot
There doesn't seem to be a cohesive one.

'Note: Spoilers come from this point. Refrain yourself.'

However, the endings seem to imply that Shidonoko is an artificially engineered being, created by a scientist, in the image of what appears to be his/her wife/husband. With that, one may assume that the whole world was some sort of training and "purificating" facility in order to make Shidonoko better. The bosses are all based over people the scientist knew himself/herself.

The Heart Wound Ending shows Shidonoko getting boxed by an unknown being (possibly the impurity/tainted part/the wounded heart) and subsequently apparently dying.

Another ending shows the scientist returning from his duty on working only to find out that his friends and wife don't want to speak to him anymore. He then enters the world where Shidonoko lives, seemingly to never return.

A particular event shows a more human-like Shidonoko that turns into a demon-like being, and then things go downhill from there.

And another event reveals the scientist's name, as it seems that Shidonoko turned into a huge monster. After losing the battle (It is unwinnable), you get scorted away by two red girls to a graveyard. If you have an item, you can re-start. If not, then the girls will pull the scientist away.

Links

 * Walkthrough/wiki - In Japanese(There are supplementary information for English in here).


 * Pixiv encyclopedia page - In Japanese.


 * Niconicodouga videos - In Japanese.