Author’s Note: This post does not give away a lot and it does not reveal any mysteries outside of what’s literally on the Steam page itself. No in-game screenshots will be posted either, just to give you more of a sense of curiosity. :^) With that said, enjoy~! -notKotori
October 6, 2017
A free visual novel gets released on Steam, with an immediate “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating. Obviously interested, I downloaded it and then started to read the tags and the details of the game. “Psychological Horror”, it said. “This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.”, it said – twice.
Hmmmm…
Amused, I delved in – not knowing what kind of ride I set myself up for.
If you’ve read the page, you’d know that Doki Doki Literature Club! is a cute, slice-of-life VN involving you and 4 other girls and you are to “write your way into their hearts”, which references the poem-writing part of the game as seen in the screenshots.
I thought it was Steam’s good ol’ “I misleadingly tagged this game for the lulz” situation, as evident in the tagging for NEKOPALIVE as “Illuminati” and “Horror”…
…but the fact that the second quote was actually in the game’s description was pretty telling that there was more than meets the eye to this game. Hell, a review even said to “jump on ship before it gets really popular.” (Don’t read most of the reviews, by the way. Some spoil part of the surprise.)
So, as I played the game and knew there was something fishy, was I prepared for what they threw at me?
Hell no.
Even if you think you know what’s up, Dan Salvato’s execution is going to be the thing that gets you. And that man knows what he’s bloody doing, which is unexpected considering he came from Smash Melee and Project M of SSBB/Brawl fame; completely unrelated to the world of visual novels.
I don’t play Smash, but this guy seems popular.
The entire experience is enjoyable and is definitely something people should try out, may they be new to the visual novel scene or not. However, I’d wait for most of the hype to die down before playing in all honesty. Spoilers have been rampant since its release and hype can sometimes bring only disappointment if you’re expecting too much from the game or if it isn’t your cup of tea.
Also, if you’re going to play it, avoid reading anything else about it. Going in blind makes for the best experience.
I won’t say any more as the game is very easy to spoil (considering length and plot). It isn’t super-groundbreaking for what it is, but how it’s done is superb. I hope you guys give a few hours of your time to check it out.
My Verdict: 9/10 – Solid effort from a somewhat unknown dev delving into unknown waters. Short, decently written, but beautifully executed.
Thanks for reading and have a nice day~!
Props to RarelyDecent for the featured image.
NOHK Gaming 