Have you played...? Dweller's Empty Path

Dweller’s Empty Path fan art showing Yoki sitting peacefully on a tree stump
Yoki, the stoic main protagonist - fan art

(Republished on 2024-03-13, originally publised on my Instagram account ⤴ on 2021-08-21)

Yoki from Dweller’s Empty Path, a delightful little game developed by Temmie Chang (@tuyoki ⤴), best known as one of the main artists of indie hit Undertale.

Dweller’s Empty Path is a very short (2-3 hours long) and lighthearted game, but has its contemplative and touching moments too. It is a retro-styled, character-driven, exploration-based RPG Maker game, as we follow protagonist Yoki on a day of her life, trying to clear her mind and get a good night of sleep after waking up from a strange nightmare.

Yoki’s a great protagonist: a strong, calm, kind and introspective person, she takes everything in stride even though she has her own conflicts, internal and external, to solve. I love her cool attitude and how unimpressed (tired?) she looks in many of her portraits and cutscenes. As the game progressed, I really wanted to see more of her story unraveled, but we get just a small taste of Yoki’s world.

Temmie’s art and pixel art are wonderful as always, as anyone who has played Undertale can attest. The graphics and characters exude personality, even within a choice of a limited 4 color Gameboy palette and resolution. The music is superb too - it was composed by Temmie and fleshed out by none other than Toby Fox, of Undertale fame. The main theme (“Leaves Fill The Path”) in particular has been on my mind for some time and it’s quite beautiful. It’s soothing, adventurous and has a hint of melancholy.

If you enjoy charming retro narrative games, definitely check out Dweller’s Empty Path!

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