And that sense of trauma, in most cases, is something that is revealed gradually and subtly rather than being suddenly blurted out.ĭoki Doki Literature Club absolutely nails this side of things - and while the resultant “bad thing” has had its effect somewhat diminished by the tedious memesters of the Internet, nothing can quite prepare you for experiencing it the first time, particularly with the well-handled build-up towards it in the preceding scenes. Rather, we tend to find that the most interesting and best visual novels are about cute girls with varying degrees of trauma doing cute things. This is part of what Doki Doki Literature Club pays homage to with its overall tone and sense of respect for the genre it’s actually pretty rare to find a romantic visual novel that is just about cute girls doing cute things. The thing with Japanese visual novels in particular is that they’ve always been willing to tackle subject matter that more mainstream games tend to shy away from - and not just sexual content, either.
Hell, even if you’re watching someone else play the game having experienced it yourself, observing that player’s reactions as the story progresses is an absolute joy, as anyone who has ever enjoyed some of the more legendary Let’s Plays out there ( ProJared and Game Grumps’ being personal favourites) will attest.ĭoki Doki Literature Club is also written in such a way that even without the initial warning, visual novel veterans will be able to tell that something is wrong well before “the bad thing” actually happens. Those who have already played the game know precisely what happens, of course, but for those who are new to it, that sense of lurking dread can be surprisingly effective. Given how warm, friendly and wholesome the opening of the game is, what could possibly happen to warrant such a severe warning? And when is it going to happen? There’s an argument to be made at this point that while the initial warning does mean that you’re expecting something unpleasant to happen at some point - and for some, that would constitute a “spoiler” - there’s also value to be had from the sense of constant unease this creates. Dan Salvato and company definitely did their research when attempting to make the opening as “authentic” as possible. Its acoustic guitar and synth-heavy soundtrack in particular really gets the “Theme of Every Day” feel absolutely right. Not only that, but the overall look and feel of the game really nails the “wholesome romantic visual novel” vibe. All too often, English-first visual novels have a snarky, sneery tone to them, and this is completely absent from Doki Doki Literature Club’s opening hours it’s composed with genuine affection and warmth, and that’s one of the things that makes it so effective. There’s no sense that it’s mocking people who like that sort of thing indeed, I’d go so far as to argue that the game’s writing demonstrates a keen understanding of the genre and its appeal for many. The whole “thing” with Doki Doki Literature Club is that in its initial hours, it does a really good job of paying homage to the classic high school romance visual novel formula - and it does so completely unironically. But on the other, I feel like it diminishes the impact of some of the game’s revelations - because the warning means that you’re expecting them. I’ve felt conflicted about this ever since the game first released on the one hand, I understand why it’s there - a significant proportion of people in the western audience demand that such warnings are in place these days, and for many developers it’s easier to just put them in and keep people quiet. If you’ve never played it before, Doki Doki Literature Club might initially seem like your common-or-garden high school romance visual novel - were it not for the prominent warning prior to the game starting that it contains disturbing content.
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