This review will be as spoiler-free as possible. If you are comfortable with intense psychological horror and enjoy dating sims and visual novels, then I recommend not reading the rest of the review and trying out this game. The original version is free on Steam and the Plus! version is absolutely worth your time and money.
Once in a while a game will come along and change up the formula and subvert expectations far beyond what anyone could predict. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! absolutely falls under that category. The game is so emotionally driven, and so well polished, planned, written, and presented that this review could go on for a very very long time. But let’s break it down into three major aspects: presentation, gameplay, and story.
The newest edition, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! looks immaculate. I’ve been playing it on a pretty big 4K TV, and each character model, place, and piece of art look pristine. The soundtrack is infectious and so effective that hearing bits of it played days after putting down the game still gives me vivid flashbacks of in-game events. The game’s presentation of a psychological horror game being under the guise of being a Dating Sim is unnerving and brilliant. It’s safe to say that even if this game didn’t have the subversive horror elements and deep psychological aspects, this would just be a ridiculously well-produced Dating Sim/Visual Novel.
The gameplay here follows a very classic formula of other Dating Sims. A character is put into a situation where they have the opportunity and means to flirt with and attract various romantic interests. However, it’s great to see that DDLC Plus does mix up the formula by having you write poems to try and attract certain characters. It’s simple, but an entertaining guessing game that rewards players who think hard and search for clues before writing a poem. When the game starts to veer off into other genres, it still stands as prominently a visual novel, but choices feel far more impactful, terrifying, and real than when I’ve played other Dating Sims or horror games. This is first and foremost a game that requires choice, so patience and purposeful emotional investment can be required to get the most out of this game.
Now for the story; the thing that I want to talk about the most…but need to be the quietest about for those who want to play the game. I absolutely insist on not looking up spoilers if you are interested in the game now or in the future. It is 100% worth it going into the game as blind as possible. I was impressed with how much I cared about the characters and enjoyed their silly, yet real, drama. But as the story progresses, players are able to see very deep and powerful emotions, problems, and thought processes going through the characters. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so emotionally involved and worried about a fictional character in my life. The writing is incredible and the twists and turns of the story are mind-blowing. Along with the great plot, each character is written so well that when they speak, their “voice” is unique enough that it would be fairly easy for a player to recognize who is talking without seeing their name or character model on screen. The only complaint I have is that I do wish that just about every conversation was a few lines shorter. I found characters repeating sentiments with different words every now and then. This repetition can be powerful sometimes, but I think the game would be just as powerful if every conversation ended roughly 10 seconds earlier.
This game has had one of the biggest impacts on me of any game I’ve played. It is incredibly intense, profoundly intelligent and impressively designed. Like the warning says, I absolutely do not recommend this for people who are not prepared for incredibly disturbing images and events. But if you take the time to invest and can deal with some truly intense content, then Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is worth every penny and second of your time.
