

I don’t have “SJW issues” with the idea of young girls all being available for the main character to date. I’m fine with that so long as they are vaguely interesting along with it. The characters in visual novels, especially dating simulators, are often extreme stereotypes. The first two hours consist of getting to know some of the most shallow, vapid, and annoying characters I’ve seen in the modern era of gaming (Full disclosure: I haven’t played Breath of the Wild yet, so that may change). He joins up because he doesn’t have anything better to do and the fledgling club consists entirely of cute girls. You play as a high school guy who is pressured into joining the school’s new literature club by his sweet next door neighbor. Doki Doki Literature Club is a visual novel dating simulator, or at least, it’s a riff on those games. It’s impossible to review this game without giving some contextual spoilers, however I’ll keep the specific details to a minimum until a clear spoiler section below the score at the end of the review. The only question is “how long will it take before the weird shit starts happening?” The answer is “too long.” When you start playing the game, you’ll already know that it isn’t a straightforward dating simulator. Second, Doki Doki tells you multiple times that it contains disturbing content before you even reach the title screen. First of all, if you do go in completely blind then you’ll never make it past the first fifteen minutes of some of the most tedious dialogue and shallow characters I’ve ever experienced in a game, book, or movie. Everyone wants you to play the game blind and yet that’s practically impossible. That is how people talk about Doki Doki Literature Club.

It’s like nothing else I’ve ever played.” “You have to play this blind to get the full experience. “It starts slow, but it’s totally worth it.” “I can’t tell you anything about Doki Doki Literature Club.
