I had initially dodged Doki Doki Literature Club hype when it first broke the YouTube feeds. To be honest, I was under the impression that Doki Doki Literature Club’s substance hinged only on the shock that came with its unconventional twists topped with some jump scares. To be fair, that’s all the internet would talk about. Now that I’ve finally experienced the updated version for myself, I can say that Team Salvato’s Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is truly a clever and fascinating experience that is very clearly made with a lot of love and passion.
For the lucky two of you in the back that haven’t been spoiled, I’ll give you the two spoiler free pointers I hear everyone give about this game. The first is that the game isn’t kidding around when it flashes the warning, “this game is not for children or the easily disturbed.” The second is that the game really is best enjoyed without much more spoiling than that.
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! doesn’t deviate from the original story of its predecessor. The premise still follows that you play a good old generic visual novel protagonist, “friend A” who gets reluctantly dragged to the literature club by your childhood friend, the (seemingly) happy go lucky Sayori. You soon discover that everyone at this literature club is, against all odds, incredibly attractive… you immediately join the club. In the following days leading up to the school festival, you spend time closing the gap between you and your clubmates while preparing for the festival and participating in club activities. At the end of each day, you “write” a poem for the girl you’re most interested in. I say “write” but this only consists of you choosing words from a list that you feel aligns with the girl’s personality and interests. The next day, you’ll get a cutesy romantic moment with the girl who liked your poem the most.
What seems on the surface a painfully traditional dating sim premise with painfully overused character tropes slowly peels back throughout the course of the game to reveal multilayered characters all with their own motivations, struggles, and mystery. This is directly connected to the most satisfying part of Doki Doki Literature Club: the way it’s able to entice the player to continuously search for answers among its dark twists and turns. It’s much easier to make sense of all the crazy stuff that happens later in the plot when the player has an understanding of the characters, rather than remaining only shallowly attached to their initial tropes. In this way, the game rewards observant players who are sharp to pick up on character nuances and the occasional subtle, but foreboding dialogue.
Beyond the twists, the writing in general… was surprisingly very good. Characters are all likeable, and the fleeting moments of happiness you share with them earn more than a couple of “awws”. The writers’ extreme commitment to writing some truly heartwarming moments while keeping close to familiar tropes serves the game well. After all, it becomes easy to forget the warning signs the game tosses at you while you’re drowning in a sea of “moe.” This sets the player up for some serious subversion of expectations.
The attention to detail in bringing each character alive was also impressive. Poems are written befitting of each girl’s characteristics and psychosis, but also use realistic poetry writing techniques that bring the characters to life. It becomes easy to believe that these quirky schoolgirls would really all have their own unique writing style and preferred literary techniques. The attention to detail that brings this game to life continues throughout the game such as when the club president would give you very realistic (and legitimately helpful) writing advice.
As for the new content in the plus version, one notable note is that the game is now ported for console players. For that reason, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! now comes with a new menu that allows certain functions of the game to work properly on console. Without spoiling anything, I can say that if you want to experience Doki Doki Literature Club’s story at its fullest, I recommend playing the original version on PC at least once, then, if you love the characters and want to experience the side stories, go on the the plus version for the extra content. There is a good amount of side stories included in the plus version. The side stories are unlocked as the player progresses in the main story. There is a good amount of content focused around the friendships between the literature club’s members (excluding you) and reveals more insight into who they are. Overall, still well written, but know that you’re not going to be there as a player character, rather, only a detached observer.
I don’t think Doki Doki Literature Club (and by extension, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!) has an AMAZING GROUNDBREAKING story, but nevertheless, the creators’ passions for both the genre and the simple fun of gaming shine through. At times, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! feels like a love letter to a beloved genre, and at the same time, also being brutally honest about the genre’s common downfalls. For that alone, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is worth revisiting.
8.5/10
Check Out the Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! Gameplay Trailer:
Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! releases today for PC via Steam.
For more information, visit: http://serenityforge.com/games/doki-doki-literature-club-plus
Related: Doki Doki Literature Club! Review for PC
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