Time: Doki Doki Literature Club!

​

It's been quite a while since I've posted a video game review (or any review for that matter), so I thought I'd fix that with a game that I enjoyed immensely: Doki Doki Literature Club.

Now, before you judge this game based upon its looks, I highly HIGHLY recommend that you give it a try. It's free to play on Steam (at the time of this review) and also on its download site. Play at least until the end of the first act to see if it's worthy of praise or deserves to burn in a dumpster fire. I promise you, it's well worth your time. Beyond this point, there may be some giveaways for potential spoilers. So if you don't care about spoilers or just want to see where this review leads, continue reading. As for everyone else, leave. NOW.

Story:

During my first playthrough of this game, my expectations were like most people who went into this game blind: "I've played visual novels like this before. What makes this any different?" That was my general thought process throughout the first act of my first playthrough. However, towards the end of the first act, I started to become skeptical of some hints the characters were dropping. Then, at the end of the first act, the story got turned on its head so hard it nearly broke its neck. Upon completion of the game (excluding the true ending), I was left with my jaw hanging down to the floor and needing to take a good fifteen minutes or so to process what I had just witnessed.

Characters:

Like with the story, I expected the usual tropes and the usual tropes is pretty much what I got...at first. You have the bubbly klutz, the tsundere brat, the shy bookworm, and the seemingly perfect one. However, just like with the story, the deeper you dig the more complexities and traits you unearth from these characters. I won't go into much more detail because I'm trying to keep spoilers to a minimum. Just know that some of the characters are not what they seem.

Gameplay:

At first, the gameplay it basically nothing to say anything grand about. It's a general click and read visual novel that relies heavily on dialogue. However, upon the completion of act 1, the gameplay becomes a bit...different. The barebones gameplay of read and click isn't necessarily what draws the player into this game, but rather the numerous Easter eggs hidden throughout the game that will leave the player speechless. This sort of mechanic is what sets it widely apart from other visual novels and makes it a truly unique experience of which I have never had before.

Verdict:

In all honesty, I cannot in good faith leave this post without giving this game my highest recommendation. The game developer, Dan Salvato, has truly made a game in which I can say with absolute certainty is nothing short of a masterpiece. If you're a fan of visual novels, you definitely owe it to yourself to play this game until its very end. And even when it does end, keep digging for more clues. I promise you there's always more.

 

Just Monika.

 

Brilliant game. Bought the fan pack just to give them my money.

 

#JustMonika

Same here. I would've gone onto the website and donated, but I'm a bit strapped for money (since it's December and Santa has to do his Christmas shopping)