Doki Doki Literature Club!

Viral marketing.

I only stuck with this because I was told beforehand that there was more to it. It almost lost me because I'm not really a visual novel guy (so I only seek out interesting ones) and this came across as very basic. Some of the writing is more explanatory than fluid, and I predicted some of what was to come, but the way it incorporates certain elements is endearing. I ended up caring about the characters. I'm not in love but by all accounts it's a great example of the genre.

Not all bad VN, but ultimately misses the mark. Lame criticisms of genre as someone who's not even experienced with it, fanbase is toxic and hard to disconnect from, probably tainted the Western view of VNs forever. It does a good job of highlighting depression and parasocial relationships, but a lot of its greatest parts fizzle out halfway through. The game itself isn't as bad as the culture around it, but the culture is hard to remove for me. At least it's free!

The only real positive that can be said of this game is that it was successful in being a subversion, but otherwise it's pretty awful. The story Is emotionally manipulative with tacky presentation that makes it hard to take seriously. The metaphors conveyed in the poems are less subtle than a brick to the face and moments like the suicide scene serves no other narrative purpose other than to shock the reader. Not to mention the writing is amateurish and awkward to read.

Avoid spoilers for this game! Love it or hate it, it is a one-of-a-kind experience. First couple hours or so are like a typical Japanese dating sim/visual novel, that many westerners are probably not familiar with. This is also the sort of game where you can get a lot of entertainment from watching other people's playthroughs (I've watched several). This game is absolutely not for everyone. Heed the warning at the start.

I guess this is my first ever visual novel, and I only played it because it was free and I heard it had a neat gimmick. That's true enough, I guess, and it was a pretty fun experience, but I thought a lot of elements of the narrative were sloppily handled. I guess I can't really talk about those since spoilers in this game are pretty important

the most cynical and self-congratulatory piece of shit i've ever played.

It more or less amused me for the time it lasted. It's short and free so I can't expect the same thing I can out of normal visual novels, but I felt like the major gimmick (not talking about it for spoilers) was expected to carry the game on its own too much. The "this game looks cute but then subverts your expectations" thing is done better elsewhere in the VN medium. Still, it looks to be a gateway game into VNs for people, so I have no ill will towards it at all. Just left mildly unsatisfied.

I love games that let me partake and form the story to my whims, except when the story is so phenomenal that it allows for no deviations. Both isn't the case here, although i'll grant that is has some great 4th wall breaking moments.

Really cool game wish it was bigger.

After going through my old reviews and seeing this, I felt compelled to update this review. Be warned: this might very well fuck you up. As an adult, I thought I was way past the point where media could scar me to the point of wanting to curl up into a ball and suckle my thumb in a foetal position. Colour me surprised. At a "certain" scene, I just cut the power to my PC and stared into the wall for about an hour. This game requires a very strong mind. Not for the faint of heart. At all. (!!!!!!)

There is a certain audacity in making this game but visual novels are universally terrible to begin with so making a subversion on something that is already bad is a doomed venture from the start.