Overview

The Other Line is an English game by PsiWolf674, a user known for his Youtube documentation of a large number of Yume Nikki fangames. It involves a boy in his apartment haunted by nightmares who, by use of his phone, dials into the alternate world (the "other line").
There are several distinctions that set The Other Line apart from the original Yume Nikki. The protagonist is a male, referred to as Nathan. Though the game is a work in progress, the author intends to include a plot, something new to the Yume Nikki genre of open sandbox exploration.

Gameplay

The maps in The Other Line are quite coherent. It provides a stark contrast to other fangames, suggesting that the Other World in this game is an alternate dimension or universe, rather than a mental construction of Nathan's.
Rather than totally free roaming exploration, there are more linear paths that focus on puzzles or events.
The game makes heavy use of adventure gameplay elements, such as requiring certain items or effects to trigger scenes or to get other items. There are quite a few puzzles too, such as the trivia guards and obsticles in the Temple.
• The debug speed option has been left in the game for convenience, and Heath restoration. (May be removed in future updates)
• There are many events that tell bits and pieces of Nathan's past (possibly), and there is an event counter too.

Plot

The Other Line uses events to tell Nathan's story and possibly his past aswell. It is unknown if the phone he picks up transports him to an alternate world, or if it is his own subconciousness and he is on the phone with a stranger/no one.
"Most of the story is told through events, which are usually small cut-scenes. They’re designed in a way that makes the game a bit more nonlinear than I’m sure most people are used to in games, but this means that you can “discover” more of the story the more you explore. This is also where the effects come into play: In order to explore, you’ll need their help.
Finding bits of the story isn’t the only focus, however. The worlds are designed in a way that the player can just sit back and relax. Some areas you may find to be more reminiscent of a painting in that there may not be a specific “purpose” for the area other than to simply enjoy the atmosphere.
The story is still undergoing many changes and tweaks, and these all affect the ending. The game’s main ending has gone through several drafts, and is likely to go through a few more.
I believe I said earlier that players could expect multiple endings. The idea of multiple endings is still something that is being considered, though I’ll make clear that this idea could easily be discarded if plot changes don’t allow for them. I wouldn’t want to “force” multiple endings." - Taken from The Other Line's Dev Blog.

Effects and Items

• Thunderbird- turns Nathan into the mythological bird, increasing his speed. It is found on the pathway in Psychedelic World.

• Coat- is received from an NPC in a green jacket in the Snowy Tree World, It gives the protagonist a gray coat. Pressing the SHIFT key makes Nathan put up or take down his hood. The coat is required to get the White Buffalo effect. It alows Nathan to go into the deeper parts of Snowy Tree World, Without equiping the Coat effect, Nathan will pass out, and you will be warped back to the small house with the NPC.

• Pumpkin- makes Nathan a walking jack-o-lantern. Using the SHIFT key will cause him to light up dark areas. The effect is found in the Famicom world, to the south.

• Red Cap- gives Nathan a red hat with a blue brim similar to Ness's from Earthbound. It's a purely cosmetic effect found in the northern house of Famicom world.

• Balloon- turns Nathan into a balloon with feet. It's a cosmetic effect received by talking to the sad boy outside the deserted mall area.

• Scythe- serves as Nathan's weapon, which can kill NPCs and monsters via the action key. It's obtained by talking to the Grim Reaper and interacting with the scythe he leaves at the train tracks (talk to the blonde girl first). Using the SHIFT key turns Nathan into a Grim Reaper himself.

• Alien- makes Nathan a green alien. Holding down the SHIFT key allows him to teleport back to the Nexus. The effect is obtained by interacting with the alien by the UFO in the left path of the Red Stairs World.

• Toilet- is a cosmetic effect that turns Nathan into a walking toilet. It's found in the restroom of the Deserted Mall Area. In future updates it will be used to drain from large areas of water.

• Poe Ghost- transforms Nathan into what appears to be a Poe from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. It's found by interacting with the purple soul in the bottom of the Apartment Rooftop World. Pressing SHIFT makes all but the lantern he carries invisible, and causes the ghost Nathan to laugh mischievously.

• Sand is the Other Line's answer to Yume Nikki's stop-light effect. Nathan's body becomes a pile of sand which can trigger a sandstorm by using SHIFT, which freezes NPCs for as long as the effect is activated. It's found in the desert area by walking south and standing on the stone table.

• White Buffalo makes Nathan wear the head of a white buffalo and no shirt in what is assumed to be a Native American fashion. The effect automatically makes it snow in the area. This effect is found by interacting with the blue fire on the snowy mountain behind the cabin in the Snowy Tree World.

• Girl gives Nathan a bow. He will curtsy when the effect key is pressed. It's found by interacting with the manequin holding the wig and bow in the girl's room with the Famicom.

• Tiki Mask makes Nathan wear a tiki mask and grass skirt and carry a wooden staff. Pressing the effect key will make Nathan do a dance and a sound play, and it will start to rain. Received by going to the Famicom island and interacting with the flashing tiki.

• Heart turns Nathan into a slow-moving heart. It's a cosmetic effect obtained by interacting with the monitor in the dying boy's room in the Hospital. Pressing SHIFT will make Nathan stop for a minute, and spirt blood over the screen.

• Lynx transforms Nathan into a small, gray mountain cat with a pink nose. its found by proceeding through the paranormal version of the Library (talk to the customer service NPC) and interacting with the pole-like object. Pressing SHIFT will cause his eyes to flash, and you will then be able to see invisible objects.

• Feather Headress is a cosmetic effect that makes Nathan wear a large, white feather headress. It can be purchased from a man in the Native Village for $1000.

• Broken Whistle- is used to attract a dog found in the area outside of the Park. After the cutscene, the dog will leave a bag containing $1000.

Characters

Nathan- The protagonist of the game. He is currently 17 years old, and not much is known about him until you view the events of the game. He lives in a slightly grungy apartment, and after collecting effects you find that there are other people in the building as well.

Kaliska- A young native in the Village world with a hyperactive and friendly personality. She is the younger sister of Aiyana. When she first meets Nathan she nicknames him "Cricket" Due to the color of his hair. She drags Nathan to Lunarlight Woods to see the view in the afternoon.

Aiyana- Kaliska's older sister. She seems to have her hands full with Kaliska, and acts like a mother to her.

Laura- One of the people living in Nathan's building.

Fay- One of the people living in Nathan's building.