Doki Doki Literature Club - A Unique Experience Like No Other (Game Review)

There was a popular visual novel that popped up in all the forums, Reddit, etc. that was free on Steam. I downloaded Doki Doki Literature Club as soon as I saw it as a free game on Steam. However, I didn't play it because I wasn't a big fan of visual novels. But this was an exception because people who played it really enjoyed how different it was. So I tried it out, and I was very impressed by the visual novel and its sense of identity. I will highlight the main points of why I loved Doki Doki Literature Club.

Plot Twist/Horror Element:

I won't spoil much, but there are essentially two ends - bad end and a "special/good end". The bad end is what I stumbled upon during my first play-through of the game, as should anyone if they did played it through the first time. It was really spooky. On the surface, we see how pretty and lovable the girls are, but as we venture through the game, we realise the dark secrets behind each girl. That's what the author wanted to do - they wanted to take a different approach on visual novel, and there's a special developer letter at the end that highlights all of that (Link).

The sense of dread is prominent near the end, where we slowly see the demise and glitches in the game. Some of them are gonna give me nightmares for days (I'm exaggerating a little), but they really sent chills down my spine. Perhaps this was in combination with the music, but whatever it was, the developers did a good job.

Breaking of the 4th Wall:

Another clever tool the developers used for this game was the breaking of the 4th Wall, usually through the character Monika. She is essentially the "person" who just wants the MC and would do anything, even "breaking" the game to change how the girls are to you - all just to make you be with her together. There is a scene where you sit in the void with Monika and she stares at you, and dialogue begins, and that's where most of the breaking of the 4th Wall occurs. It really is chilling.

Maybe it's just me, but I just love it when anime/games break the 4th Wall. I think why I like it so much is the ability to wake up the viewer/player and engage them - the developer/creators are directly speaking to you. They have a special message to us, and this again is a prominent aspect of the game.

Amazing Quality for a Free Game:

I cannot express how grateful I am for the developers releasing this visual novel for free. Even if they sold it at $10, there would still have a major fanbase behind them. But I believe there's always a reason behind every action. The developers wanted to make it free so he can spread a specific message, and he wanted to shock players with twists and a different style/approach to your typical visual novel. Furthermore, the game was of such high quality - I am appreciative of their effort and hard work. There was really cool effects that probably would have took a lot of work, and some like deleting a specific character file to get the best/secret ending.

Overall, this visual novel will be in everyone's hearts/minds because this is extremely commendable. Not only is it free, it is of high quality and engages players at every point in the game. The choices were somewhat important to get the best/secret ending, but ultimately, it was the characters that made the game so much better. Like in reality, we see only the surface of what people are, and only when we get closer, do we know the true nature of people, and what they are willing to do to get what they want.