Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC) is one of the most famous anime games of all time.
Not to mention one of the most popular anime games online in particular.
The game is also FREE, making it available for everyone who chooses to download it and play it.
But is the game worth all the hype over the years?
Well, let’s start off with what the game is about.
It’s set up like a dating sim where you choose between a set of girls.
Their character profiles are like this:
- Tsundere.
- Yandere.
With at least two of the female characters being Yandere (too much of a spoiler to mention).
One of them is “cute” which becomes obvious early on.
The rest you’ll have to figure out based on the mysterious paths the anime can lead you in.
The developers also have a warning on their website saying:
“This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.”
This is because of the game’s, we’ll say, “mature” and disturbing content.
Let’s talk about the pros of Doki Doki Literature Club:
1. The game has alternate paths with alternate endings
Video games like this, or in this case, online games with these features are always better.
Why? Because:
- The game becomes more entertaining.
- You get more out of the experiences.
- There is MORE gameplay to be squeezed out of the game.
- It encourages you to replay the game to get different outcomes and results.
- Each result is different and can be genuinely SHOCKING if you get to know the characters.
- Taking specific actions will lead to specific results, but they have to be in a certain order.
- This encourages thought and intention, unless of course you just “Google” the answers.
- But this takes the fun out of it.
When you first play the game of DDLC you’ll likely never come across anything too crazy. But as you keep playing you’ll begin to notice the somewhat disturbed part of the game.
This depends heavily on the characters you choose and keep choosing, but in the end, once you fully dominate the game then your understanding of its alternate paths and what that looks like will make sense.
2. Longevity is built into the game
Games with Longevity, whether RPG, dating sim games, or otherwise, are always games with high entertainment value.
Of course, the game has to be good for longevity to even matter, but once that is out of the way, everything else will be smooth sailing.
Learning about even ONE of the girl’s personalities will be a task in itself as far as the different sides to each character, and how things can change or shift based on your choices.
You can learn the dark side, the bright side, and everything in between and that adds up to more hours of gaming when you explore other characters as well. And learn about the multiple paths.
3. It gets more interesting over time
The one thing about dating sim games, or other games, that can be a put off is the fact things can get stale.
Sometimes the same themes or outcomes are too repetitive, or the characters (with dating sims) are too stereotypical with nothing changing over time.
Even for me, a guy who does NOT play these types of games but chose to based on a recommendation, I was surprised by how hooked I was.
This “hook” only got stronger the more I played the game, because of how much more spicier, disturbed, crazy, and twisty the plot became.
This is the reason the game is so influential in the world of online anime dating sims I guess.
4. The game is FREE
You can’t beat free. And even though a lot of games, regardless of anime that are free can be mediocre, DDLC (Doki Doki Literature Club) is a solid game.
In fact, it’s clearly a game that requires a lot of effort despite being released for FREE. That’s how the game caught fire and has over 1 million downloads in total.
So you can’t really go wrong with downloading and giving DDLC a try since there is nothing to lose.
5. DDLC fan pack
If you do decide to contribute $10 to the game, you can get a special DDLC fan pack.
This obviously comes with more benefits than the original game which is free, even though the FREE version is so stacked you can’t feel cheated either way.
As the DDLC site says in their own words:
“Doki Doki Literature Club (DDLC) is 100% free to play, but you are welcome to contribute any amount you’d like. Contributing $10 or more will reward you with the DDLC Fan Pack!
6. Available on Steam, desktop, Linux, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, And Xbox
It speaks for itself. You can buy Doki Doki Literature Club for a lot of different consoles or types.
You can get the official lowdown on their shop page.
Cons of DDLC:
7. Not available on the Android or Apple store
This isn’t a mobile game you can play from the Google Play store, the Apple store, etc. And it’s not something you can download to your phone through an APK either.
But in my eyes, it’s not a major issue because the experience wouldn’t be the same if it were.
A bigger screen, given the context and the content of DDLC, makes sense for it to be this way.
The effects wouldn’t be as potent on a smartphone.
8. There is no new content available
Many games continue to be developed over the years, but this is NOT the case with DDLC (Doki Doki Literatur Club).
That may not matter because like some games, they’re made to be played once, or as many times as it takes to complete everything. Alternative routes included.
So this may not matter. But for those who are die hard fans and desire more content, this is not the game for that.
Once you’re finished, it’s the end of the road as a DDLC gamer.
In the end, it being a FREE game means no strings are attached
It’s worth playing, and the most die hard fans will also buy it for PS5, Xbox, or through other methods.
Maybe one day there could be a spin off from the game?
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