Doki Doki Literature Club! |OT| Writing her way into your heart

Uzzy · Oct 26, 2017

THIS GAME IS NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN OR THOSE EASILY DISTURBED

Developer: Team Salvato (Dan Salvato, formally a developer on Project M)
Release Date: 22nd September (PC), 6th October (Steam)
Platforms: PC, Steam
Genre: Lighthearted Harem Romance Comedy Visual Novel
Price: Free!
Playtime: Four to Six Hours.

Synopsis: You play as a normal, generic boy in a generic high school, who isn't into any clubs until your childhood friend Sayori forces you to join the Literature Club. Luckily for you, it's filled with cute girls!
Now you have to write poetry to impress the girls and help them prepare for the upcoming school festival!

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Hi, Monika here!
Welcome to the Literature Club! It's always been a dream of mine to make something special out of the things I love. Now that you're a club member, you can help me make that dream come true in this cute game!

Every day is full of chit-chat and fun activities with all of my adorable and unique club members:

Sayori, the youthful bundle of sunshine who values happiness the most;

Natsuki, the deceivingly cute girl who packs an assertive punch;

Yuri, the timid and mysterious one who finds comfort in the world of books;

...And, of course, Monika, the leader of the club! That's me!

I'm super excited for you to make friends with everyone and help the Literature Club become a more intimate place for all my members. But I can tell already that you're a sweetheart—will you promise to spend the most time with me? ♥

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Note: Please use spoiler tags when discussing this game. If you do choose to play it, know that the game's not over till you see the credits. And remember, this game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.

definedMF · Oct 26, 2017

My friend just completed it and he's been itching me to play it. How many endings are there?

RROCKMAN · Oct 26, 2017

Was hopping this thread would come over. I might hang out here for a little bit.

sinonobu · Oct 26, 2017

I thought I was finally overall this game but this OT's bringing back my trauma...

definedMF said:
My friend just completed it and he's been itching me to play it. How many endings are there?

It take about 4~6 hours to play through all the ending. And for the question regarding how many endings, I'll just say there are multiple endings.

Toa Axis · Oct 26, 2017

This game fucked me up.

I have some pretty big criticisms of the game, but... damn. I knew it wasn't what it seemed like on the surface, but I certainly didn't expect it to be... that.

ArclightBorealis · Oct 26, 2017

Funny, I've actually started playing this myself. People I follow have mentioned this game and how it's way more than what it comes off as on the surface. With where I'm at in the game (still somewhat early), knowing that it's got some shit makes me somewhat anxious.

David · Oct 26, 2017

ǰ̶̬͈́̈́͝u̵͔̲̎̒͝š̸͉̟͌͛̓̽ẗ̴̘̥̭̺́ ̷̤͔̈́̽̏͑m̶̟̦͚̭̼͆o̷̱͕͍͕̭͌̎̿̿͛n̴̡̗̲̻̹̅̓̽ī̸͎̺̠̺̈́͛̃̚ͅḳ̷͚̻̦̒̌́ȁ̵̡͍̙̏̓

j̶̧̩͓̟̼͙̠͉̞͇͎͙̫̗̟̗̭̲͚̯̒͝u̴̯̽̃͂̊̐̓̚s̵̢̡̢̢̫̘͈̩̻̙̪̠̰̖̰̦̪͇̥̭̻̦̳̰̦̾̄̆͑́̎̃̀̈́̋͊̌̈́͗̇͜t̸̹̳̠̲̲͇͖͔̞̥̟̣̃͆̈̚͝͝ ̴̧̛͕͖̭̦̪̬̞̠̲̱̹͇͍̼͕̗͉̠͚̮̋̐̓̊ͅm̴̹̘̘͖͉̼̗͓̓o̸̡̢̡̡̱̟̻͉̭̭̩͈̘̝͈̭̼̙̝̮͇̭̩̭̲̩̭̍̿̋̀̈͌́̔̓͐̈́̑͜n̵̡̢̛̪̘̰̗̮̳̦̬͎̟̻̹̠̲̳͈̗͖̩̟̰̱͛͑̊̽͐̀̃̈́́̆͋͑̈̓̀̓̎̎́͘̚͜͝͝͝͝͠i̶̮̱̹̞͕̼̳̺̟͙̻͙̣̯̥̭̤͋̋̀̒́́̓̔̐̇̕͘͘k̶̢̛̥̘͍̙̼͈̻̯͖̩̹̻̘̖̠͇̰͖̉̌̊̓͗̐̓̚͘̕̚̚͘ă̸̢̛̰̮͔̤͈̲̬͎̭̍̈̿̈́͐͌̄̌̒̄̒̃͋̋̊͑͝ͅ

j̷̢̧̧̡̡̭̪͎̝͖͉̗̪͖̫̼̗͇͈͉̝̭͈̹̜̻̩̝͎̹̭͈̣͎̟̮̮̙͇̯̩̘̠̖͔͇͕̪͎̫̜͚̘̭̳̼̱̬̠̮͌͋̏́̒́̈́̔̒̂̂̍͒̏̅̔̇͐͊̎͊̈́̉̉̊͑̀̄͋̈́̏̽̋̄͗̈́̈́̒̎̈́͌̄́̆̕͘͘͠͠͝͝ͅu̶̢̧̡̧̢̢̥̠̣̠̪̪̰̹̜̭̜͚͎͔̥̗̼̠͖̱̩̼̗̙̻̭̮͍̟̩̖̙͖̠̺̦͓̟͙̜͓̻̠̩̤̺̲̼̩̫̳̦̞͑͐̌͂̅̌̅̿̄̐̅̆̈́̀̓̈͛͒̾̄͘̚͜ͅs̷̢̢̧̛̰̬̮̙̦̠͖̯̪͚͔͙͙͖̓̐̐̑́͒͋̅̔̃̎̌͗̓̽͂̀̏͑̿̊̅̑́͂̆̉̈́͊̏̋̚͜͠͝͝͝ͅt̴̨̢̢̡̻̟̪̮̫͓̜̱̝͇̥͇̬̠̰̝͈̠̪͇͉̩͙̗͇̻͓̙̮͈͍̱͚̺̱̥͎̜̝̪̳͍̦̘͎̀̆̋͗̿̄̎͋̋̈͑̉͊́͂̎͊̄̔̂̄̊̆͆̈́̈́̃̂̀͜͝͝͠͝ͅ ̸̨̡̛̳̠̹̥̦̣̼̜͕̱̪̬̞̣͔̝͙̪̮̺͉̙̪̬̺͍̪̈́͋̈́̿͒͆̇̑͗̉͊͋̍̿͆͑͐͛̌̿̒̐͑́̾͆͊̓͐̑͑̋͗͂̿͒̕̕̕̚͜͝͝ṃ̷̡̧͈̼̭͚̫͙̺̖͚͙̺̞͎̩̭̀͂̆̊̃̐͑́̅̈́̐̾͗͌͗̇̾̐̐̔̿͛͂͘͜͜͜͜͝͝ơ̴̧̡̧̱̩̣͚̯̥̜̙̻̱̹̞͖̰͓͍͎̣̖͍͚̹̭̭̜̫͖͚͈̹̘̣̼͉̤̔̔͆̅̽̽͐̽̄͗̈́̀̔͑͑̌̈̋̀͆̇͌̕͘̚͠͠͝n̷̢̪̺̗̘̯̮͎̖̟̫͎̲̙̳͎͕͕̈̉̃̓̽͋̈̓͐̋̊͂͆̄̆̿̅̔̅͋͑̍́̆͒̆͊́͌̋͝͝͝͠͝į̵̡̢̡̢̨̢̨̱̮̯̘̥̪̯͔̖̰͇̜͉̻̹̳̰̣̳̫̤̼̱̯͕͈̘̫̙͖̼͎̯̰̘͙̫̩̩̍́̋͒̈̈́̋͆̄̋̄̓̃̉̎̿̓́̈́̽̀́̃̓͐̈́́̏̏̋̃̏̓̄̓̽͆͌̿̈́̉̇̀́̐̏̂͋̌̚͘̕̚͘͝͝͝k̸̜̇͛̉̀̒͆́̿̑̃͆́́͗̅̋̅̏̈͛̅̉̎̅̾̆͆͂̍̑̌̈́̿͗̇͂͋́͂̔̀̄̕̕̕͘a̵̡̨̛̹͚̞͕̦̱̙̟̼̳̳͍͓̭̱̱͉͔͍͇͕̻̰̰͖̼͒͗͊̌͊̉̔͊́́͊͑̀̇̊̓̍̅̂̈́̉̒̈́̐̀̈́̎̏̀̓͗̎͒͗̑́͆̽͗̐̎͐̾͗̕̚̚̕̚͝͝͝͝͝

j̴̡̧̧̧̧̡̨̡̢̨̛̛̛̛̛̛̝̝̮̫̩̪̦̹̳͖̪͕̭͖̼̗̙̯̦͉͉͕̤̥̱͈̘̞̮̟͙̙̳̼̝̲̮̰͉̭̻͔̭͈̦̼͓̘͓̗͚̝͙̪͇̖̯̞̥͍̦̱̺̤̣̝̜̰̥̯̝̘͕̲̹̱͉̭̮͎̳̖͈̗̫̝̹̹̺͚̮̘͇̱̦̞͇̠̟͛̅̄̽͊͌̾͑̉̈́̔́̒̄̄̾͋͌͂̾̌̈́̆̿̂͒͒̾̒͛̍̈́̌̆̓́̽͗́̋̈̒́̋̏̏̂̊̅͐͒̇͗̈̾́̽̆͂̔̄͗̽̆̄͑̓͑͐̆̊̽̾̇̓̉́̄̋̅̿̀̏̒͂̾̍̌̒̈̄̊̊̃̇̅̏͛̊̇̋͛͋͑̌̃̔̆͆̊̉͑̋̐͋̃̔͂̀́̎̏̐͊͊̐̈̽̑̇́̾͂͂̀͊̏͂̚̕͘̕͘͘͜͜͜͜͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅͅų̷̢̧̧̢̧̨̧̡̨̧̨̧̛̛̛̛̛̲̺̫̘̯͇̘͇͖̖͎͕̭̗̯̬̩̺͕͓͉̩̬̘̥̩̯͔̘̝̫̩͕͓̺͇͔͔̞̝̤̠̱͓̘̳͙̩̣̗͖̼͇̰̞̖̮̹͎̱̖͕͔̬̖͔͎͚̙̟̹̲͎̣̥̤͈̪͍͕̘͚̘̗̘̙̖̤̘̼̬̠̗̙̮͉̘̗͙̜̙̻̩̺̯̞̩̘̳̗̘͙͈̤̥̫̫̤̩̱͔̪̬͍͇͇̦̹͚̖̱̞̬̜̥̯̜̪͍̮͇̘̖̩͔̣̹̞̪̥͓͓̬̩͉͇͈̟̙̮̼̖͍̱͉̞̮̥̪̱͐́̅̉̎́̀͑̌͐̈͒̐͌̊̔̿́̎̀͐̌̓̌̿̐̇̄̏͒̾͛̀̐͛̈́̒̇̀̇̆̓̇̈͑̃͋͋̑̏̽͂̀͋̿̿͊̂̀͌͛̓͂̌̏͌͒͋̏͆̀̇͊͊͆̔͂͒̇͂͐̔̔͊̂̄̀͊̎̈͑͑̋̅̿̎͋͌͑̐̿̌̓̑̄̔̋̅̔̇̀̈̃̆̅̊͆̒̊͂͐̾̎̎̾͊̆̾̒̉̍̎̽̀͒̏͂̾̒̒̅̂̉͒͆͂͌̒͐̂͋̀͂̎̚̕͘͘̕̕͘͘̚͘͘̕͜͠͝͠͝͝͠͠͝ͅͅͅͅs̵̨̨̨̨̧̢̧̧̢̢̢̨͚͍͖̠̣̦̫͔̫̗̹͍̦͈͙͎̫̥̙̘̹̲͇͈̣͕͈̝̯̫͙̤̗̣͍͕̰͉̬͕̦͇͇̩̲̳̠̝̱͇̖̲̺̯͔̘̟͓̞͎̤̤̼̪̜̠̥̯̭̪͖͇͙̮̦͉̪͓̠͙͇̻̱̋̉̌̈͌͆̇̏̑̇̑̑͐̓̎̈̓͘̕͘̕͝͝ͅͅṱ̶̢̢̨̡̧̧̧̧̢̡̧̢̢̛̭̭̖̥̳̩͕͍̟̖̳͙̤͇̤̖͕̖̭̜̩̰̲͓͓̞̹̜͔̬̹̭̯͉̯͉̠͓̜͇̰̟̤̟̤͇̯̟̘̣̪͖̞̝͖̘̪͇̙̯̟͉̰͍͈̱̯̖͖̩̱̳͍͚̬͔̹̤̲̝̻̞͖̜̗͕̩͍̦̝̹̹̞̯̣̘̣̙̯͇͈̥̣͓̟̥̖̯͈̹̰̞̫̫̜̬̮͕̭̟̣͎̖͕̘̗̘̪̥̣͎͈͍͚͍͖̖̃̂͐̑̄̽́͑̊̅̏͂̉̃͊̆̀̎̆̽̌̏̂̎͑́́̈̓̕̚͜͜͜͜͝͠͝ͅͅͅͅͅͅͅ ̷̧̡̢̧̡̛̩͍̭͓͙̲̹̼͕̮̘̙̘̝͖̳̠̜̰̗̯̺̬̯̻̖̻̖̦͎̫̜̹͇͇͉̙̜̩̝̭̦͇̲͍̲̩̤͉̗͈̼̘̣̹͉̬͆̂̌̉͆̍́̍͑̽̉̈̔͑͋̂͐̒̑̈̔͗̒͂͋̃̇̀͒̄͆̅̒̋̓̀͊̈̏̓̌͊̀͊͗̈̏̐̚̕̚̕͘̕̚͜͜͝͝͝͠ͅͅm̷̨̡̧̡̢̢̡̡̛̥̬̝̹̖̪̗͈̟̙͈͍̖̜̯̝̘͔̝̠̹͇͇̖̻̹͔̭͕̦̱̹̳̜͍͓̠̙̗̗̖̜͈͚̞̫̣͍̞̝̤̯̩̳͓̹̞̦͉̱̥̜͙̺̳͍̦̙̞̹̙͇͔̞̥̔̀͒͆̀͛́̓̉̓̓̓̋̔̎̊͂͋̂͌̀͑͑̐́̽̎̿̀͊̀̐̓͆͑̒͋̔͌̐́͒̃̿̉̏̇͊̅̿̉͛́͐͑̓͂̄̐̋̋̋̔̀͒̅̔͐͆̋̒͑̏͛̈̇̋͊̆͋̍̔̅͐͌̎͆̓͐̉̊̍̓̕̚̕̚͘̕͘͘̕̚̕͘̚͘͜͜͜͠͝͝͝͝͝͝͠͝ͅơ̸̡̛͍̪̜̹̯̠͎͕̭̬̤̜͚͍̠͕̤̈́̌̃̽̀͒̓̂͑͒̉̈́̽͌͋̊͑̓͌̈́̅͒̀̌̒̑̓͒̓͒̇̎̉̂̏̀̽͛͛̈́̓̀̄̊̈́̕͘̕̚͘͠͝͝ͅn̶̨̢̧̧̧̡̧̡̧̢̡̨̢̧̢̛͔̟̤̙̖̪͓̳̣̥̦͖̱̞̣͔̲̣͍̤͙̮̹̟̯̝̠̗̝̩̲̮͎̝͓͓̬͍͍͉͍̦͚̤̥͙̟̙̩̱̯̳̳̲̲̲̳͖̠̝̠̥̦̺̝͇̬̳̗̹̙̯̱̥̱̙̳͙̲̜͎̻̟̯͚̘̮̞̜͙̰̦̰͍͎͖̟̰͙̮̱̙͕̰͈͍̠̠̹͕̗͔̱̣̰͓̫̟̯̯̘̳͓̺̜̣͔͓̻͈͚̬̦͔̲̳̳͚͚̳̻̹͕̯͖̰̝̺̩̣̳̝̳͈̺̾͋̎̍͛̏̈́̈́̓̔́̆́̑́̂̿͆͑̈́̀̄̚̚̚͘̚̚̚͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͠ͅͅͅͅͅi̴̡̡̨̧̡̡̨̧̧̨̡̛̛̛̜̦͇̙̺͈̮̭̹̭̙̘͓̣̭͔̪̺̺͔̳̳̩͚̪̜̙̻̤̩̞͖͔̜͎̬͕͓̪͈͇͕̝̥͕̘̮̦̣̼̳̟̺̻̞͎̥͙̻̗̪̠̲͈̪̥̲̪̦͎̘͍͈̥̜͙̣̣͎͔͉͔͉̪̲͎̥͓̰̖͇͖͉͉̣̩̯͍͉͖̩͉̩͚̺͉͕̙̮̞̞͍̩̹̣̱̱͇͍͔̙̼̹̮͔͈͍͇͕̱̗̠̰̘̼̲͖͚̘̾̇̓̇͋̑̈́͑͒̓̒͂̆̌͌̉́̋́̏̾̒̾͐̋͆̇̽͐̊͊͒̈͋͋̄͑́̾̎̎̃̈́̊͌̀̆̔͋̋͑͗̀̅̀͛̒̆̌̈̑͂̿̌̄̽̑̋̿͑͆͆͒͒͊̋̇̽̕̚͘̕͜͜͜͠͝͝͝ͅͅk̴̢̧̢̧̧̧̡̢̧̢̢̢̡̧̢̨̭̟̥͙͔̭̳̮̰͉̠̪̼̱̺̟̼͈̼͉͇͍̰͇̗̹͔͇̦͖̣̰̝͙̯̥̣̤̮̗̰̙̫̬̳̭̺̻̲̭̬̮͖͓̯̗͔͇̮̞͔͓̹̞̝̣̮͇̭̪͚̙̳̮̹̘̼̪̺͉̲̝̲̬̟̺̝̱̪̣̝͚͍̦͔̱͕̤̜̖͇̱͕̬̻̠̞̭̯̳̻̯̰͖̘̭̞̙̦̣̹̜͍̥̻͙̠̟̣͉͇̤̞͈̘͍̝̻̺͕̦̙͉̻͉̍́̌̑̈́̉̐͐̃̎̊̈́͐̂̐͂̂̓̒̓̈́̔̈́̈̐̋̀̓̀̀̒̀͒̌̀̄͗̓̓͌̒̀̀͗̈́̿̋̾͌͂͂̊̽̕͘͘̚̚͜͜͜͜͜͠͝͝͠ͅͅͅͅͅą̸̨̢̧̢̨̡̡̧̧̡̨̨̧̡̢̛̛̛̙̖̞͇̦̭̞̠̭̲̮̬͚̪̩͇̦̦̟̤̩̼̞̪̦̼̟͎̟͈̲̬̭̝̮͉͈͎̣̯̼̙̥̖͖̰̦͈̘̮̲̰̣͓̠͙̭͙̥̣͉̫̝̖̲͚͕̖̰͉̰͎̬͕͉̜͎̺͔̮͇̮̩̫͎̠̻̹͎̜̺̗̗͔͕̞͎͓͙̲͈̘̜̝̝͖͉̰͔̪͈̲̙̣̟͍̤̞̤̮̫̲̳̖̥̙̘̠͍̟̜̣͙̙͎͉̮͈̺̹͎͈̬͍͉̗͚̙͉̫̙͍͈̋̂͌̃̇̃̀̎͋̎͛̊̀̃̇̆̓̋̎͛̊́̃̇̌̍͂͌̄̋̈́̽̑̾̓̌̍́̒̋͊̌̅̈́̀̔͛̈́͒̀̽̉̄̂̇̋̆̇͋̓̿͑͛̀̃̚͘͘̕͜͜͜͜͜͜͜͠͝ͅͅͅ

sinonobu · Oct 26, 2017

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 26, 2017

Can people recommend any other visual novels like this?

I'm interested in VNs with similar meta/horror elements, and also in VNs that play the early part of the DDLC straight, since that was quite enjoyable too, until everything went wild.

definedMF said:
My friend just completed it and he's been itching me to play it. How many endings are there?

A handful. You should be able to reach all endings in about 4-5 hours, depending on your reading speed.

sprinkles · Oct 26, 2017

I thought I wasn't easily disturbed.

I was wrong.

Azar · Oct 26, 2017

I hadn't heard of this game until today, but we're going to have an article about it on the PC Gamer Indie channel tomorrow, I believe. I'll drop in a link later if anyone's interested!

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 26, 2017

Azar said:
I hadn't heard of this game until today, but we're going to have an article about it on the PC Gamer Indie channel tomorrow, I believe. I'll drop in a link later if anyone's interested!

Please do!

jman2050 · Oct 26, 2017

This game was a heck of a ride, that's for sure.

Really quite enjoyed it.

ArclightBorealis · Oct 26, 2017

Okay, so as to where I was before my initial post:

I had left off on the day before the school festival when Sayori told me about her depression, and I was spending the day with Yuri preparing for the event. Given how that day ended and what Sayori talked about I assumed the game was gonna put a major focus on exploring issues with depression or maybe other social anxieties. Needless to say, I ended up saying I wanted to stay friends with her because I don't like making that kind of love commitment on the spot, even in a game.

I played a bit more after the fact, and well...

Game went for several scenes with no music, got shown a freaky ass poem, and found Sayori committed suicide. Worse yet, the entire game world seemed to glitch and reset itself, removing Sayori entirely from the timeline, leaving glitchy artifacts in its wake. It's fucking 11 PM, I was not prepared for that and spooked me harder than I thought possible. I didn't even read the special poem that was unlocked, because the setup made me worried it was gonna be a setup for some screamer shit. Now I don't know what to believe anymore.

God damn, now I'm starting to get why people are talking about this game.

Deleted member 452 · Oct 26, 2017

I still can't believe that this is what the Project M developer followed up with, what a ride. I'm hyped for the upcoming game they hinted at in this game too!

Conkerkid11 · Oct 26, 2017

Played this because some friends recommended it to me. It's really really good. Go into it blind.

I beat it in one playthrough. I was hooked.

Zonic · Oct 26, 2017

Thanks for bringing the OT over, I got this downloaded but keep forgetting to get around to actually playing it. Subbing to remind myself I need to check this out one of these days.

Azar · Oct 26, 2017

Exzyleph said:
Please do!

Here it is!

Doki Doki Literature Club! hides a gruesome horror game under its cute surface

Akari · Oct 26, 2017

Played it back when it came out and thought it was great.

Monika is best girl!

Myradeer · Oct 27, 2017

Monika is the best girl. Dialogue with her was personally more enjoyable than any of other characters.

I wonder whether the warning was necessary; it communicates Doki Doki Literature Club is not what it seems to be - and this game benefits from clueless player as is the case with Undertale. Not that it matters anymore now with there being several articles and threads about the game's genre. And it still has decent amount of surprises which can catch even "prepared" players off-guard.

Aranea · Oct 27, 2017

I'm not easily scared,but game made me feel unsettled after the first ending

Played the game because I was reading a thread about horror games and someone brought up DDLC!

Since it was free,I just went in thinking "what could go wrong?" and boy,everything went wrong

While not being overall scary,it's definitely one hell of an experience

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 27, 2017

Azar said:
Here it is!

Doki Doki Literature Club! hides a gruesome horror game under its cute surface

Thank you!

Myradeer said:
I wonder whether the warning was necessary; it communicates Doki Doki Literature Club is not what it seems to be - and this game benefits from clueless player as is the case with Undertale. Not that it matters anymore now with there being several articles and threads about the game's genre. And it still has decent amount of surprises which can catch even "prepared" players off-guard.

I think that the warning is warranted, considering the nature of the events depicted in the game. While there are certainly people who would enjoy being completely surprised, there are probably also those who would negatively affected by the same, due to temperament or personal history. In contrast, Undertale does not contain similarly unexpected disturbing elements, so no content warning is needed (EDIT: The official description of the game also makes it quite clear that it is not a run-of-the-mill RPG).

MaskedNdi · Oct 27, 2017

I got an ending and played a little bit more before I had to shut things down for work. So glad there's an OT for this!

I was expecting Sayori to commit suicide, but I wasn't prepared for any of the glitches or weirdness that came after. After the first ending, my assumption was that Monika is a sociopath that tries to push fragile people into suicide and that someone dies no matter what choices you make. Now I'm not so sure.

Really dig some of the poems, and I'm curious to see where the game goes from here. I'm glad I won't be alone while I'm playing tonight!

ArclightBorealis · Oct 27, 2017

So I've had to start playing this game during the day as the subject matter's made it harder for me to wind down at the end of the day. And now, well...

After witnessing the game fall apart at the seams, Yuri cutting herself in pleasure, becoming ultra obsessive to the point of committing suicide and me being unable to leave her corpse for the weekend, my mental state is pretty all over the place right now. And then Monika happened.

Just Monika

The worst part about it all, I was wanting to spend time with Monika from the very start, so the fact that her spiel about the game and her frustrations with every other girl was on point for me. Except now I'm stuck in a void, listening to her talk about whatever, and I'm way to curious to see how much dialogue she has to say before diving further into the abyss that is this broken husk the game is now. Assuming there is anything else to see that is.

Doki Doki Literature Club is the scariest game I have played in 2017. That is my ringing endorsement. Holy hell, what a bizarre fucking game.

haku · Oct 27, 2017

I've just finished it and it was a good ride!
After finishing Danganronpa V3 last week, this cheerful game helped me a lot to recover from my depression

NOT

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 27, 2017

ArclightBorealis said:
So I've had to start playing this game during the day as the subject matter's made it harder for me to wind down at the end of the day. And now, well...

After witnessing the game fall apart at the seams, Yuri cutting herself in pleasure, becoming ultra obsessive to the point of committing suicide and me being unable to leave her corpse for the weekend, my mental state is pretty all over the place right now. And then Monika happened.

Just Monika

The worst part about it all, I was wanting to spend time with Monika from the very start, so the fact that her spiel about the game and her frustrations with every other girl was on point for me. Except now I'm stuck in a void, listening to her talk about whatever, and I'm way to curious to see how much dialogue she has to say before diving further into the abyss that is this broken husk the game is now. Assuming there is anything else to see that is.

Doki Doki Literature Club is the scariest game I have played in 2017. That is my ringing endorsement. Holy hell, what a bizarre fucking game.

There is more to the game.
Vague hint:

You have already been told what you can do next.

ArclightBorealis · Oct 27, 2017

Exzyleph said:
There is more to the game.
Vague hint:

You have already been told what you can do next.

Yeah, I just got done with the game so I was able to figure out what was next...

Well, not necessarily figured it out as in just recently, like I already knew what else was possibly left. But I almost did not want to leave that Room simply because I got what I essentially wanted from the start, which was to end up with Monika. Seriously, I left that game on for two hours with the dialogue running on auto because I had to know what else there was, and too much of what she was saying I found intriguing, or was on the same page with. I pretty much became disappointed the moment I saw the text boxes repeat. She even disabled skip on me when I tried it out. And no joke, I probably would've left the game running for even longer if I was crazy enough to do so, but I felt I had to move on at some point. There's immersion, and then there's something beyond that.

What came after was...kinda sweet, but I almost wish that sort of epilogue wasn't there. Like deleting Monica should've just led to the credits or something instead of yet another retread of the start of the game with some dialogue shifted around. I dunno, there's definitely things the game does that feel almost unfulfilled like with the other characters and subjects of depression, largely because of how much Monika's presence and interference with the game takes priority. But considering it technically gave me what I wanted from the start, I suppose I can't judge too much.

Didn't get the best ending, since I didn't save scum to get all the character CGs from the first act, and I'm probably not gonna do so in the future. Hell, I already uninstalled the game once the end was finished, didn't even keep the backup I made with just Monika (yeah, I briefly considered having it saved on hand just to revisit). I guess how I was feeling by the end was that I'd rather just have the memories of the crazy shit from this game left as they are and not add anything to it with a repeat playthrough or the like. Not to mention sparing those characters any more hell from existing on my tablet. Especially Monika. Poor Monika...

I need to lie down after this. Issues and all, I'm putting this game on my best of 2017 list already.

Psyotic · Oct 28, 2017

I was honestly expecting to be depressed by the end of the game given the nature of the characters. But instead I'm creeped out and sorta sad.

I liked the .exe-esque elements in the game with the file manipulation and such. While I think it could have done more with these elements, I think it would certainly open people up to experimenting more with the visual novel medium to use such techniques in a way to genuinely tell a story rather than subverting established tropes (not that there's anything wrong with that).

That being said, it's still ultimately a creepypasta .exe game wearing the skin *cough* Yuri *cough* of a dating simulator. Because of that, I think the idea of the game as well as the ARG elements external of the actual game are ultimately more interesting than the content of the story itself.

Jacobson · Oct 28, 2017

How do I make sure that I have all the CGs to get the "true" ending?

masaa · Oct 28, 2017

Probably one of the best use of the medium in recent years.

That said...

I followed the Yuri route and wasn't completely sold on her personality switch. I mean, becoming obsessive is fine and all but your speech register shouldn't do a 180 as it did. You could argue it's due to her file being broken, but she felt like a completely different character and I thought it was a bit lazy.

But oh well, I just wanted to spend time with Monika anyway.

Also glad to hear this was inspired by Irisu Syndrome. Another game I'd recommend if you like this one's twist.

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 28, 2017

ArclightBorealis said:
Yeah, I just got done with the game so I was able to figure out what was next...

Well, not necessarily figured it out as in just recently, like I already knew what else was possibly left. But I almost did not want to leave that Room simply because I got what I essentially wanted from the start, which was to end up with Monika. Seriously, I left that game on for two hours with the dialogue running on auto because I had to know what else there was, and too much of what she was saying I found intriguing, or was on the same page with. I pretty much became disappointed the moment I saw the text boxes repeat. She even disabled skip on me when I tried it out. And no joke, I probably would've left the game running for even longer if I was crazy enough to do so, but I felt I had to move on at some point. There's immersion, and then there's something beyond that.

What came after was...kinda sweet, but I almost wish that sort of epilogue wasn't there. Like deleting Monica should've just led to the credits or something instead of yet another retread of the start of the game with some dialogue shifted around. I dunno, there's definitely things the game does that feel almost unfulfilled like with the other characters and subjects of depression, largely because of how much Monika's presence and interference with the game takes priority. But considering it technically gave me what I wanted from the start, I suppose I can't judge too much.

Didn't get the best ending, since I didn't save scum to get all the character CGs from the first act, and I'm probably not gonna do so in the future. Hell, I already uninstalled the game once the end was finished, didn't even keep the backup I made with just Monika (yeah, I briefly considered having it saved on hand just to revisit). I guess how I was feeling by the end was that I'd rather just have the memories of the crazy shit from this game left as they are and not add anything to it with a repeat playthrough or the like. Not to mention sparing those characters any more hell from existing on my tablet. Especially Monika. Poor Monika...

I need to lie down after this. Issues and all, I'm putting this game on my best of 2017 list already.

Mechanically that is a pretty cool way to progress the game. It's not something I had seen before.

I think the epilogue is important (if you mean the one before Monica permanently deletes the game), as it reframes the events in the game quite drastically. Consider what Monika had stated up till then: She was self-aware and had discovered that she was in a game, everyone else were mere scripts. However, Sayori suddenly obtaining awareness upon becoming the club president suggests that there was actually not as big a difference between Monika and the other girls as Monika herself states. The fact that Monika attempts to give you the play-through that reveals this, suggests that she was unaware the source of her self-awareness and the potential of her friends, which makes her all the more tragic.

Also, did you try adding Monika back? There's a small bit of dialogue if you do so.

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 28, 2017

masaa said:
Also glad to hear this was inspired by Irisu Syndrome. Another game I'd recommend if you like this one's twist.

Are there instructions for how to play that game, or is figuring that out intended to be part of the experience?

masaa · Oct 28, 2017

Exzyleph said:
Are there instructions for how to play that game, or is figuring that out intended to be part of the experience?

It's not a terribly complex game. You shoot projectiles at shapes and make them collide with each other. You score by making identical-colored blocks collide with each other. Scrolling down will make the blocks fall faster.
Endings are unlocked by reaching a certain score. You'll see the first infamous one by playing 6 times and getting a score of at least 20000. At 40000, you'll unlock a new mode that is a lot more interesting that the normal one.
Also, keep an eye on your game folder as you play the game.

Deleted member 679 · Oct 28, 2017

Thanks for bringing the thread over!

Play this game, Era.

EDIT: Knurek recommended Cupid (which is also free) in the previous thread for people who enjoyed this game:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/421670/CUPID__A_free_to_play_Visual_Novel/

Still didn't get around to it myself, but it's already installed and I'm looking forward to playing it.

Nemesis Warlock · Oct 28, 2017

Monika is best Waifu.

I could stare into her eyes forever...

Lokoline · Oct 28, 2017

I expected something bizarre from it before starting but what I got was even worse (in a good way).

Poor Yuri, I was really sad when she died. :(

I'll go after the secret ending now.

afreaknamedpete · Oct 28, 2017

I can now consider myself easily disturbed. I wasn't surprised to find out the writer used to do creepypasta.

Deleted member 4037 · Oct 28, 2017

I had so much fun with this, all the girls were so nice. ᴵ ᵈᶦᵈⁿᵗ ᵗʰᶦⁿᵏ ᵃᵇᵒᵘᵗ ᵈᵉˡᵉᵗᶦⁿᵍ ᶦᵗ ᵒⁿᶜᵉ

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 28, 2017

masaa said:
It's not a terribly complex game. You shoot projectiles at shapes and make them collide with each other. You score by making identical-colored blocks collide with each other. Scrolling down will make the blocks fall faster.
Endings are unlocked by reaching a certain score. You'll see the first infamous one by playing 6 times and getting a score of at least 20000. At 40000, you'll unlock a new mode that is a lot more interesting that the normal one.
Also, keep an eye on your game folder as you play the game.

Thanks! I hadn't realized that you could scroll down to make blocks fall faster, and knowing what scores I need to aim for is very helpful. I already noticed

the files that started popping up in the folder.

quocia · Oct 28, 2017

I've started it yesterday evening and decided to stop after 2 jump scares (I'm easily frightened). Finished it this morning, I liked the characters, the music and the game overall. I don't feel like restarting the game for the true ending right now but maybe later.

Myradeer said:
I wonder whether the warning was necessary; it communicates Doki Doki Literature Club is not what it seems to be - and this game benefits from clueless player as is the case with Undertale. Not that it matters anymore now with there being several articles and threads about the game's genre. And it still has decent amount of surprises which can catch even "prepared" players off-guard.

I agree but at the same time many of us wouldn't have played it if it had been labeled as a pure romance VN.

catboy · Oct 28, 2017

Does it ease up on some of the... anime genre squickiness later on? I became kind of uncomfortable when one of the girls asked me to adjust her blazer and it was a really fanservice-y angle. Is it intentionally done to subvert tropes, or still trying to be appealing?

MH MD · Oct 28, 2017

This game was a pleasant surprise for me, nothing is better than trying a random game only to find that it was one of your best experiences in a while, and i played it directly after Sonic Mania and Persona 5 which is my favorite games in recent years, and yet i can put it besides them easily , this game is perfect for

Halloween , make sure to recommend it to anyone then!

Highly recommended, one of the better games to come out in 2017 for sure,and it's free!

MH MD · Oct 28, 2017

o k said:
Does it ease up on some of the... anime genre squickiness later on? I became kind of uncomfortable when one of the girls asked me to adjust her blazer and it was a really fanservice-y angle. Is it intentionally done to subvert tropes, or still trying to be appealing?

Nothing worse will come after this don't worry, there is really no fanservice so to speak.

Deleted member 1055 · Oct 28, 2017

o k said:
Does it ease up on some of the... anime genre squickiness later on? I became kind of uncomfortable when one of the girls asked me to adjust her blazer and it was a really fanservice-y angle. Is it intentionally done to subvert tropes, or still trying to be appealing?

Least spoilery answer:

It's hard to answer without spoiling too much, IMO, but I can say that those tropes are used with purpose other than titillation.

Doki Doki Literature Club! |OT| Writing her way into your heart

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