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TOBIAS and the Nightmare DELUXE

A free platformer for kids, full of dreams: jump, collect stars, crack puzzles and defeat the Nightmare with the dream light Lumi. Right in the browser, on tablet, phone and PC.

▶ PLAY NOWfree · instantly · no sign-up
🚫 No ads 🙈 No tracking 💸 No purchases 📴 Works offline
REAL GAMEPLAY

🔇 23 seconds from the game, no sound

What happens in the video: Tobias runs and jumps across the Dream Meadow and turns into a wolf. In the dark Crystal Cave he melts an ice block with fireballs and jumps on. Then it’s through pink Cloudland and over Flower Hill, and finally he fights Wolli, the giant sheep.

✨ Tip: catch the stars in the sky! ✨
What’s it about?

Someone is stealing the children’s dreams

Tobias’ little sister suddenly can’t dream anymore. The culprit is the Nightmare: he collects every child’s dreams and locks them in four dream crystals – well guarded by his generals.

In the middle of the night Tobias is pulled into the dream world. There he meets Lumi, a small, brave dream light. Together they set off, win back crystal after crystal – and find out who the Nightmare once was.

A story about courage, siblings, friendship – and about how even shadows sometimes just need a friend.

“Don’t be afraid, I’ll light the way. And you do the jumping – deal?” – Lumi
TobiasThe hero with the cap. Sword in hand, heart in the right place.
LumiThe dream light. Gives tips, glows in the dark and runs the shop.
NachtiThe forgotten friend. A little shadow with a big secret.
The NightmareSteals dreams. But why? Only the ending tells.
For parents

Just play. Nothing else.

No tricks designed to keep kids glued to the screen. No fine print. The game wants exactly one thing: to be fun.

💛

Made by parents, for parents

“Tobias and the Nightmare” is a family project. It was born at the kitchen table, with our own kids as the strictest testers. Every level, every boss and every idea was tried by children and approved by parents. There is no business model, no company behind it and no data anyone makes money from.

📺

No ads

No banners, no videos, no “watch this for 10 coins” tricks. Ever.

📊

No analytics

No Google Analytics, no tracking pixels, no evaluation of who plays how long.

👣

No tracking

No cookies, no third-party scripts, no account, no email address. Progress stays on the device – unless you choose to create a family code.

💳

No in-app purchases

In the shop you only pay with stars collected in the game. There is no real money here.

📴

Works offline too

Once opened, the game can be added to the home screen as an app and played without internet.

🧸

Child-friendly and fair

No blood, no jump scares. After three tries an arrow shows the way, after five you may skip a level. “Relaxed” mode with more hearts.

💬

No chat, no strangers

There are no contacts, no messages and nobody you don’t know joining in. Two-player mode is on the same device only.

⏱️

Short rounds

A level takes 3 to 6 minutes, a boss fight about 2 minutes. The game saves at every checkpoint – you can stop anytime.

🎂

Ages 6+

Recommended from 6 (“Easy”) and from 8 (“Normal”); from 5 in “Relaxed” mode, ideally together with an adult. An optional tutorial explains everything.

Five dream worlds

From the flower meadow to the shadow castle

Every world looks different, sounds different and brings new enemies, puzzles and a new weapon. Tap a world!

World 1: The Dream Meadow
World 1

🌼 The Dream Meadow

Gentle hills, flowers and sleeping cloud sheep. Here you learn to run and jump and find the Dream Sword.

  • 🗡️New weapon: Dream Sword
  • 🦔Hedgehogs: sword only, don’t jump on them!
  • 🐑Boss: Wolli, the giant sheep
The guardians of the dream crystals

Five bosses. Dare you!

Every boss has its own attacks, its own music and a weak spot you have to figure out. Try it: tap a boss a few times!

And those are just the main bosses. Add five cage guards in the bonus levels and a dragon on the roof of the container school.

31
Levels
worlds, bonus, towers and extras
4
Playable heroes
each with their own powers
11
Weapons & spells
from sword to lightning
40+
Achievements
to collect and show off
What’s new? Version 4.0.3

Even easier for every child

The game keeps getting better – often based on wishes from kids and parents. This is what the latest versions added:

🌼

Lumi’s practice meadow

A dedicated tutorial level: in about two minutes Lumi shows running, jumping, fighting, magic, crates and keys. No danger, repeatable any time.

👨‍👩‍👧

Three profiles

Siblings on the same device each get a profile with a name, an icon and their own save.

🧭

Frustration help

Anyone who keeps failing at one spot gets a signpost and, later, the offer to continue on an easier setting or skip the level.

♿

For all children

Larger text, dream shards in three shapes instead of colors only, “Soften flashes” and “Extra slow enemies” in the options.

📲

Install guide

Step by step: how to put the game on the home screen as an app – for iPad, iPhone, Android and PC.

📱

Levels via QR code

Show self-built levels as a QR code: a sibling scans it and plays the level right away on their own device.

Try it right here

Give it a go!

Start Lumi’s practice meadow right here in the tablet – with sound. Nothing is installed; progress simply goes into the normal save.

Controls: ← → run, Space jump, X weapon, C magic – or a controller. On phones and tablets the game opens full screen. Open in its own window

What the game can do

Much more than just jumping

Behind the simple start is a really big adventure that grows with your child: at first running and jumping is enough, later weapons, spells, skills and tricky puzzles join in.

🗡️

5 weapons

Every weapon has its job: the boomerang hits far-away switches, the Thunder Axe breaks walls, the hammer makes the ground shake.

Dream SwordBoomerangCrystal HammerThunder AxeLight Blade
🔥

Spells

Fire lights torches and melts ice, Frost turns enemies into platforms, plus Shield, Lightning and two secret extra spells.

FireballFrostShieldLightning
🧩

Puzzles

Keys and doors, crates on pressure plates, color blocks, torch groups, sequence puzzles with sun, moon and star.

👥

Play together

Co-op on the same device: siblings, or a parent with their child. Piggyback rides, team stomps, and whoever dies floats to their partner as a bubble.

🦸

4 heroes

Free the children from the cages in the bonus levels and you can play as them: with animal forms, magic weapons or animal friends.

⭐

Level up

Gain experience, 12 experience levels, pick skills like double jump or dash, buy costumes in the shop. You only ever pay with stars.

🧱

Level Builder

Paint your own levels, test them instantly and send them to friends or siblings as a code. All 21 enemy types included.

📖

Dream Album

A collectible card with a picture and a little story for every creature defeated, plus stickers, daily goals and hidden dream pets.

🏅

For pros

Medals, time trials with a leaderboard, dream towers and “Nightmare” mode challenge older kids and parents too.

The world map with islands, level dots, bonus star and tower

A world map to explore

Tobias wanders from island to island. The map shows which levels are done, where dream shards are still missing and where bonus stars, towers and secrets are waiting.

Every finished level can be replayed, even against the clock. Good runs earn bronze, silver and gold.

The Level Builder with tiles, things and enemies

Build your own levels

In the Level Builder kids become game developers: paint ground and platforms, scatter stars, place enemies, set the goal and test right away.

Finished levels can be copied as a short code. That way siblings can build challenges for each other.

Lumi’s shop: heart containers, dream power, lucky star and costumes for stars

Lumi’s shop: stars only, no money

Collected stars are traded with Lumi for heart containers, dream power, a star magnet or funny costumes. Costumes are purely cosmetic: nobody gets stronger by playing more.

There is no way to spend real money. Not hidden, not via detours.

Self-assessment

What we set out to do

Not an independent review: this is how Dad Mario rates his own game – after many hours of playing along (and losing).

FunVaried levels, great bosses and always something new.
Child-friendlinessBig buttons, short texts, fair help and no forced frustration.
PrivacyNo ads, no tracking, no accounts. It doesn’t get much more private.
ContentOver 30 levels, bonus content, Level Builder and replay value.
Playing togetherCo-op on the same device, also with two controllers.
ChallengeGentle for little ones, really tough for older kids in Nightmare mode.
★

Golden Night

Recommended from age 6 · “Relaxed” from 5

Younger children play in “Relaxed” mode or simply together with Mom or Dad. Older siblings and parents find real challenges in “Nightmare” mode, the time trials and the gold medals.

Dialogs are short and easy to read aloud. Tutorial prompts wait patiently until every button has really been tried.

In short: a game you can hand your kids with a clear conscience. And one you’ll happily play along with.

Play on any device

Tablet, phone, PC or controller

No installation needed. Progress is saved automatically and can be taken to another device with a code.

📱 Touch

Big, round buttons for small fingers. Try them:

◀▶✨🗡️▲

Tip: hold your iPhone/iPad sideways and save it as an app in Safari via Share → Add to Home Screen.

⌨️ Keyboard

←→run
Spacejump
XweaponCmagicVdash

Player 2 has their own key layout.

🎮 Controller

Standard gamepads (e.g. Xbox or PlayStation) work on PC, iPad, iPhone and Android, even two at once for co-op.

Menus and the world map can be fully controlled with the gamepad.

Frequently asked

Questions from parents

Is the game really free?

Yes. “Tobias and the Nightmare” is completely free: no in-app purchases, no subscription, no account. In the in-game shop you only pay with stars collected while playing.

Are there ads or tracking?

No. There are no ads, no cookies, no analytics and no embedded third-party services. Fonts, images and videos are not loaded from third-party servers.

What age is the game suitable for?

Recommended from age 6 (“Easy”) and from 8 in “Normal” mode; a level takes 3 to 6 minutes. From age 5, children play in “Relaxed” mode with more hearts and slower enemies – ideally together with Mom or Dad. There is no blood and no jump scares.

Which devices does the game run on?

Right in the browser on iPad, iPhone, Android tablets and phones, PC or Mac. Controls: touch, keyboard or controller. No installation needed, but you can add the game to your home screen as an app.

Can you play without internet?

Yes. After the first visit the game also works offline, for example in the car or on holiday.

Is progress saved?

Yes, automatically on the device. With the save code or a family code you can take your progress to another device.

Can two children play together?

Yes, on the same device. Here’s how: in the game go to Pause → Options → “Two-player mode: ON”. Player 2 uses the arrow keys (↑ jump, ↓ dash), comma to attack and period to cast – or a controller. With a single controller, that controller is player 2 and the keyboard or touchscreen is player 1. Even quicker: just press Start on a second controller. Both pick their hero in the options.

Do siblings share one device?

No problem: the title screen offers up to three profiles with their own name, icon and save. Nobody overwrites anyone else’s progress.

Is there chat, contacts or purchases?

No. No purchases, no ads, no chat, no contact with strangers. The game connects to nobody – except, voluntarily, via your own family code to sync progress between your own devices.

More info, setup tips and a printable info card: For parents & educators → · How the game came to be: About the project →

Like the game?

Tell other parents about it. Word of mouth is the only “advertising” this game has.

For kids

The kids’ corner

Color in, decorate your screen and send in your own ideas for the game.

🖍️ Coloring pages

Tobias, Lumi, Nachti, Wolli and the Nightmare to print out.

🌙 Wallpapers

For phone, tablet and computer.

📮 Idea mailbox

Your idea for a level, a hero or a boss – straight to Dad Mario.

Ready for the dream world?

Lumi is already waiting. One click and the adventure begins. No sign-up, no download, no ads.

▶ PLAY NOWTobias and the Nightmare – Deluxe