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Doki Doki Literature Club!
PC (Steam)
Are You Playing the Game or is It Playing You?
4.5/5 stars
When entering games from Steam, you come upon a mountain of garbage - asset flips, mobile ports, God-awful achievement hunting crap, badly-translated Russian and Chinese junk... but because I enter every game, I can also stumble upon the odd gem. Doki Doki Literature Club! is a free game, it's a visual novel but the Overwhelming Positive reviews for a such a new game got me interested - even moreso as I read the reviews saying to go in to this game with zero spoilers that the game would mess with your head and that the story and characters were mind-blowing. I know a lot of joke reviews get written for bad games, but, as short as they were, these seemed like genuine reactions. As I make no qualms that I enjoy visual novels, I had to test it out and I am here to say the experience was unlike anything else from any game. For once, the Steam reviews didn't lie and if you don't mind being messed with a little, I think you will be just as impressed.
Presentation: As stated, the game is a visual novel, so, despite what anyone else might say, both design and dialogue are very important. The character design here is just fine - like any school setting, you have to make the characters cute without veering too far into either being too assertive or too cute. For being a slice-of-life kind of story, the character design works out well. Each character only has a few different poses so to speak, but they still come across as expressive enough. There are a few portraits thrown in here and there, and the artwork here is also very well done. The music is exceptional - one of the best aspects of the game, and while there is no vocal aspects (until the ending), you still get a very good feeling of the girls' personalities. There are four and each has their own tone.
I had no problem with the text - I didn't notice any glaring mistakes - seeing as this is U.S. based company, no translation issues to be had. The game isn't overly long, so there isn't a huge block of text to worry about. There aren't an abundance of choices to make, but, early on, they can still make a difference and unlock various scenarios (none of THOSE scenarios, though, you pervert). In any case, even if you hate reading, the game isn't that bad.
Story: The game begins by saying there will be disturbing images and it is not for children. If anything, that is putting things lightly. Honestly, I really can't go in to much detail without completely spoiling the game, and I refuse to do that. This is a game you must experience going in blind - no spoilers - to truly get the most out of it. The game opens on a very typical visual novel setup, you are (character) who is coerced into joining the Literature Club by your childhood best friend/neighbor Sayori. After promises of cupcakes are made, you find yourself in a club with Sayori, the petite but assertive Natsuki, the mature, brooding Yuri and the hands-on president Monika. While the club prepares for the upcoming school festival, it is decided to hone your skills that each person will write and share a poem each day. You are given a choice of specific words you can include in your own poem, and this affects your relationship with either Sayori, Natsuki or Yuri. Natsuki liked cute words, Yuri prefers darker tones while Sayori is all about happiness... but this is just the setup. While most of the game plays out like a typical visual novel, it begins to lead to something much different - and the game takes several unexpected turns that will leave you (or at least left me) to exclaim WTF several times over. In a good way. Like Forrest Gump said: That's all I've got to say about that.
Gameplay: I mean, it's a visual novel. You read, you get to know the characters' personalities, you gravitate to whoever you like best, you make a few choices, fall in love, happily ever after. It's not rocket science but believe me, it will be unlike any visual novel you've played before - just stick with it and don't worry when things start to go sideways - just keep telling yourself "It's only a game. It's only a game. It's only a game."
Replayability: I'm pretty sure this is a game that's meant to be played in only one sitting, but seeing as there are multiple girls, you can make different choices, so you can go back again (if you dare) and see if the outcome will be changed. I'm actually going to do just that, just to see if I can make this game even more interesting than it was the first time around.
Overall: I wasn't sure what to fully expect after some vague, cryptic reviews that were super creeped out yet overly positive. I'm glad I did, though, because it is fully worth your time and, hey, it's free - but you can still support the developer if you want and I did so, mainly because I want to see what they can come up with next.
Presentation: 4/5
Story: 5/5
Gameplay: 5/5
Replayability: 4/5
Overall (not an average): 4.5/5
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