There are visual glitches to keep you on your toes, character traits are stretched to such extremes that you dread talking to members of the club, and one section that plays like an anime version of Michael Haneke’s Funny Games infamous, lingering shot. The story then plays out again without Sayori, but this time full of moments that will upset, unnerve or just plain disturb. But after this transgressive moment, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus moves from muscular horror - all blunt shocks and unsettling images - into psychological warfare, kicking in the fourth wall, grabbing you by the throat, and refusing to let go. The closest hint you get to the darkness that waits is the poetry mini-game where you have to choose words to focus on the character you wish to woo, but terms like tragedy, suicide, and atone give an idea of where it could go. Sayori’s death hits hard because up until that point, the game plays like a typical visual novel. It’s a sickening jolt, and that the game abruptly ends there feels like an act of mercy more than anything else.
No matter what you say, you will then wake up the next day, eventually head to Sayori’s house, and find that she has hung herself. As she eventually reveals her depression and her feelings for you, you’re given a choice of telling her that you feel the same or that she will always be your closest friend. After a couple of days or so of chatting with the girls at the club, Sayori becomes visibly more and more withdrawn. Doki Doki on the other hand decides to ruin your sleep for a few months and turns into an all-out spiritual assault on your soul.įirstly, there’s the mid-game twist that is as harrowing as anything you’ve seen in a game before. A lesser game would let this play out harmlessly, as you try to woo the girl of your choosing and take it from there. She’s clearly someone you feel comfortable with, and she quickly pressures you to join her literature club, where you meet the only other 3 members: Head of the group Monika, the timid but passionate Yuri, and the sparky Natsuki.
You play a faceless student, who is best friends with the girl next door, Sayori. *Spoilers for Doki Doki Literature Club Plus ahead, which will touch on the themes of suicide, depression, and anxiety that are in the game.* Poetic justice Why? Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is clearly a game that toys with conventions that I’m not overly familiar with, but that doesn’t stop it from making its punches land. Basically, I’m going to get a lot of grief from gushing about an anime from the wider GamesRadar+ team, and that still hasn’t deterred me from writing this. My experience with it can be roughly summed up as watching half a season of Attack On Titan (fun concept, but the show is not for me) and reviewing a few games for Official PlayStation Magazine back in the day. Now, let me lay down some egotistical context.
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