Oneiric Gardens

Oneiric Gardens is an open-ended adventure game released in 2014, created by Lilith Zone under the pseudonym Cicada Marionette. The game invites players to explore surreal, disconnected environments, offering what its creator calls a "series of chambers drawing from half-remembered spaces (and) feelings." Players move through rooms using the keyboard, interacting with doors, objects, and scenery. Doors lead between contrasting, discontinuous areas, reinforcing the dreamlike atmosphere. There is no final goal or ending; players simply navigate and discover the various spaces.

Lilith designed Oneiric Gardens as a playful, exploratory space inspired by early 3D video games. She compared the game to a "playground," noting that early 3D games felt "loose and free as self-assured jungle-gym worlds." A specific influence was the 1994 PlayStation title King's Field, which sparked her desire to "capture the feeling of sludging around uncomfortable dream geometry."

In February 2016, the game was featured as an installation in the Intersections exhibition at MAMA Rotterdam, a gallery for emerging and experimental art. This was facilitated by Het Nieuwe Instituut, which later selected Lilith for its October 2017 International Visitors Programme, inviting professionals from digital culture and related fields. Through this program, she participated in several festivals and events. Het Nieuwe Instituut praised her work for pushing "the boundaries of contemporary art and gaming," calling it "surprising, poetic and innovative." Oneiric Gardens was also shown at The Overkill Festival, a Dutch art and culture event, from October 27–29, 2017.

Critics responded positively to the game's surreal presentation, viewing it as an example of "arty indie games" that "exploit the strangeness of early 3D environments." Adam Smith of Rock Paper Shotgun highlighted its variety of "strange and occasionally sinister spaces," describing it as a "hypnagogic hallucination" reminiscent of 1990s first-person shooters. Dan Solberg of Kill Screen interpreted the game as aligned with the Surrealist tradition, praising its "playful exuberance" and "fresh" approach. A less favorable review from Kratzen criticized it as a poor environmental simulation, noting that despite encouraging exploration, there were few secrets or surprises beyond what most players would encounter.