RecommendedSteam player
I'm not Oki-Doki after playing Doki-Doki.Show moreShow less
3.6 hours at review5,151 people found this helpful
Doki Doki Literature Club!
Poem writing and meeting the club members give Doki Doki Literature Club! its narrative frame. At $0.00 from 
Steam, consider whether this single-player experience suits you at today's price or whether you would rather wait for the next announced Steam sale window, Dec 17, 2026 – Jan 4, 2027.
The Steam player rating is 96% across 229,213 reviews. Keep in mind the description's warning that the game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed. At $0.00 on Steam, you can weigh the literature-club story against Steam's current price.
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Price History
Past 36 months · Updated dailyHistorical Low~ $0.002023-08Current Low Across Stores~ $0.00SteamAt its historical low now
Prices cover Steam and 39 authorized stores; only legitimate offers are counted. The chart shows weekly market-wide lows and Steam's official price across the past 36 months.
01About Doki Doki Literature Club!
Write poems and get to know Sayori, Natsuki, Yuri, and club leader Monika in a literature club. Conversations and shared activities shape this single-player game. Steam player rating: 96%; 229,213 reviews.
Credits
Developer
Team Salvato
Publisher
Team Salvato
Lowest recorded in 36 months
$0.002023-08-12 · SteamBase game · same records as the chart above; USD history, not a regional Steam low.Language support
| Language | Interface | Subtitles | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Steam PC edition data · 2026-10-19
02Before you buy
Play and language
The Steam PC game is single-player. Listed language support is English for interface, audio, and subtitles.
Content note
The description says the game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
03Frequently asked questions
Is this suitable for all ages?
No. The game description says it is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed.
Which language is supported?
Steam lists English for the interface, audio, and subtitles.
Can I play solo?
The listed play mode is single-player.
Popular Steam reviews
Native-language selection · 10 reviewsSelected helpful reviews in this language show both recommendations and criticisms. This selection does not represent the overall positive rating; opinions reflect the version reviewed.
Not recommendedSteam player
Doki Doki Literature Club is a game that comes around every once in a while, falling under many different names but all falling into the category of "Go in blind so you can see how ♥♥♥♥♥♥ up it gets." Other such games in this category include Eversion, the phenomenal Pony Island, and Higurashi (the latter of these is itself a mock-dating sim that becomes dark). Even Undertale applies to some small degree. Being familiar with this trope as it comes around, having seen the exaggerated praise and the fake "look how cute it is" reviews, I've got to say this was an unimpressive entry to the genre. That's not to say anything about the developers, it is certainly an ambitious game and I cannot wait to see where their individual talents take them, but I can't help but find myself annoyed and disappointed with Doki Doki Literature Club. For review purposes I'd like to make a few notes: I am not a phenomenal judge of art, the music is standard enough to not comment on, and being familiar with Ren'Py, this game is a technical marvel with at least one extremely talented programmer at the helm. The story can be accurately divided into two parts: the set-up and the payoff. The set-up in a game like this is to, if not draw the player into its world (as these harsh tonal-shift games are usually satire and thus not attempting to be sterling examples of the genres they parody) then to create a world in which they can subvert and destroy expectations like a house of cards or a sandcastle. This is all in service of the shock value, which is often the value touted by said game's biggest fans. The problem is that both the set-up and the payoff are disappointing, in that the set-up is brazenly stereotypical and, thus, extremely taxing to play through. Higurashi opened with its intentions on its sleeves (with a bizarre and gorey opening) and then allowed the tension to drive the opening bits with the after-school club and various personalities involved. Corpse Party dons a horror mask right away, but subverts expectation by revealing itself not to be a cutesy anime horror in which romance blossoms, but to in fact be even more gruesome, brutal, disgusting and jarring than its opening would have allowed anyone to guess. Doki Doki Literature Club, in contrast, relies on word of mouth and a cryptic opening message about "those who are easily disturbed" to drive interest in its premise. Which is a fine idea, but in a world where word of mouth can't even bring audiences to a three-hour movie that's exciting immediately, relying on word of mouth to drive players through an experience that doesn't become interesting until an hour in is ill-advised. If the intention was to subvert the expectations of the intended audience for dating sims, someone who may find themselves falling in love with overtly arch characters with no depth, then they will almost certainly resent the game for not giving them they payoff they expect and instead becoming twisted. Those who have arrived for the twist, however, are forced through an excruciating experience, one that inadvertantly gives itself away due to the fact that these are, in fact, arch characters. The moment an arch character is forced, by circumstance, to go off-script, they give away that "something has gone wrong", so the entire first hour can be considered bloat and I was able to accurately predict when I was supposed to start paying attention by noting the moment where characters are forced into real human drama. As for the payoff? It's... okay. It's hard to be shocked after a visual novel like Song of Saya. Aside from one genuinely upsetting moment (the "let me just look at you" scene for any curious), it's typical meta, fourth-wall-breaking yandere, Giffany from Gravity Falls "Let's Be Together Forever" spooks. What made Higurashi so disturbing, for me at least, was how mean and hostile the girls presences became when I knew that I was supposed to like them and that the main character depended on them to at least some degree. Look. It's free. Try it if you're interested. If you ARE interested, there's no reason not to try it. Just know that if you find yourself quitting an hour in, there's no shame in it and you're not missing out on much. That said, like I had mentioned before, I'm putting a tag on this developer. I'd really like to see what else they've got up their sleeves.Show moreShow less
2.7 hours at review236 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
This game was quite different from the other visual novels I͡ ͜ha͠ve͘ played (I haven't played too many of them, th͟҉o̧u͜͞g̸̷h̴̸, m҉̧a̕͜y̧͠͡be͜ ̵͟I̶ ̧͏w͝i̧l̶l̸͞͝ play more of them from now on) It made me question some aspects of my m͖̙͇̳̜͜ͅͅo҉̜̤͙̞͍͕̗̗n̨͏̩̖͍͖͈̠̱̀i̤̜̖̣̮̘̘k̸̳̗͍͕̥͉̹͇a̷͖̜̕ and other people's too. It was a̢̨͍͎͇̅́͜ ̷̡͎͙͓̙̭̫ͦ̆ͬͤͩ̊ͮ̚p̺̳̺͎͇͙͌͞r̵͕͓̘̠̺̂̍ͨ͘ȩ̲̻̭̀ͮ̍̌͊͛̚t̶̛̰̗̪͉͗́t̵̘̙͒̍̈̀yͬ́̑҉̷̭̠̹͇ ͙̾̇̊fun experience ṭ̡̞͖̱̫̺̉͛ͤ̽̓ͥ̑͗̕ŏ̲͇̘͈͔̿̊o͍̬̜͉͓̤̿̂̃.̮̲̝͚̩ͭͯ͐ͩͭ͟͜ The game takes about 4̾͛̈́͛ͬ̾̍̉͂̿ͬ҉̧͝͏̭̞̫͚̰͎̩̖̪̦̗̰͖͙̬̗̪͍̞ ̶̟̮̝͔͉̞͕̞̺̳̬͈̯͓͕̰̖̄̓̒̑̍̄̋͘ͅo̡͕̞̲͔͎͈͔̬̲̗͖͉̗ͪ̋͌̽̆͆ͬ̉͋̂ͩ̓͋̈̓͛̌̀͟r̃ͩ͆͑̿ͣ̃̉͗̓̌ͬ͐͒ͬ̎ͧ͛ͬ͏̨̧̡̭͈̘̭̺͕̺̬̮̻͉̬̳̭̖̤̦̞ ̂̊͗ͣ̂̊͂̎͒̀͛͑̇҉͚̗̯̯̩͕͙̰̲̫͢5̵͓̼͎̱͍̬͖̮̞̤̦̤̮̟̖ͨͤ̒ͣͮ̌͑̂ͬ̏ͬ̈͂̒ͥ ̵͔̞̞̰̼͕̻̼͖̦̻̺̤̬͕͕̰͍̈́̀͊̂͂̇͑̀̚h̷͚̹̦̯̗̞͚̹̖̱̗̋̔ͤ͛̏ͩ͆ͮ̅ͦ͋̎̚ͅͅo̴̡̰̫̺̥̺̟̮̜̝̥͖͎̬̩̦̜̍ͥ̍ͨ̽͐͊͒͆͛̏̆ͥ͛ṳ̹̯̫̠̟̬͇̹̤ͮ͗ͪ̽ͮ̌̑ͩ́͑̆̓̈́ͤ̕͢r̷̯̮̼̹̤̳̈́̄̄̄̈ͩ̄̏̾ͥ̆͆̎ͤͨ̃͢͠s̨̥̖̰̟̦̥̲̯̝̯̏̓̃̆̎̂̂̍͊̀͘͠ ̵̴̗̝̤̯̭̠̳ͮͦ̐̌͞ţ̷̑̍̌ͨ̈́́̚͘҉̹̦̳̲̪̟̟̜ó̃̅ͯ͒̃͊̉̿͒͆͟͏̘̝̜̫̫͚̹͖͎ ̴̵̲̦͈͙̜͇̻́̾͊̏ͦ̂̿͋ͭ̾̊̽͑̍̕c̛̞̺̗̙̥͇̘͎͇̲̱̦̘̜̱̠͐̂ͤ̂ͪͩ͢͡o̐̀̈́͗̈́̒͑̌̔̈̍̇̓͒ͫ̚҉̫̭̱͓̤̩̗͎̹̪͚͖͟͢ͅm̷̸̳̬̺̩̙̭͈̝͔̾̈́̂ͭͤ̚͠p̔ͭ̉̐ͧ̽ͭͬ͒͌̈͐ͫ͛ͤͤͫͤ͗҉͘҉̞̮̝͚̼̩̣̬̩̩̝̀l̵̷̵̨̥̫̫̮̮ͫ̓̐̓̊̂̆̑ͤ̌ͬ͢e̷ͧ̌̊͊ͪ͑̄́̚͢͟҉̝̝͖̠ṯ̸̟̤͇̲̥̹͈͊̊̈̏̿̽ͨ̒̆̓ͯ̈̍͝͠e̶͔̟͉̪̖͂̌ͨ͋ͪ͛̏ͬ̑̽͜͢, b̏̔ͯ̾͛̍̎҉̩͚̮͕̬̟̰̞͇̜̖͝͝u͒͋̽ͨ̃͋ͨ͑͑̄̍͛ͣ̀҉̡̰̺̥̬̼̪́ṱ̵͇̼̭̫̞̜̮̥̙̳̺̐̊̀͂̉ͫͬͭ̈́͘͟ͅ ̹̺͈̥͍͉̭͒͑͆ͦ̄͜͡͠͞a̿̈̏͊́̾̿͂ͩ͗̅͏̱̟̖͎̭̖͇̬͡͡f̶̷̵͙̝͚͉̼͈̠̩̖͕̱̣͒̆̉̐͋̇̒͛̋͘t̴̵̶̨̡̜̹̩̝̪͇͎̤͚̯̳̄ͭ̽̓͑͂͌̈̎̄̔͊̈́ͮ͑̒̓ȩ̳̟̹̩̖̣̱͚͔̣̅̈̓̆ͯ͘͞͞r̷̴̯̳͙͕͓͈̖̫̋̇͆͗̿̒̂ͬ͋͢͜ ̽̋̂̈́̒ͧ̈̉̊ͫͩ͘҉͍͕̺͈̙͇̝͖̳͇̥c̛͎̪͖̖͙̜͇̻̥ͦ̎̂́̏̿͛͑̇̅̀ͅo̸͙̩̘̱̠͕͉͔̱̭͍̥̗̳͇̳̓̈́̇̌̀͘͟͝m̊̋ͯͪ̒̔̽̏̈́ͮ͏̨̡̟̻̼̘̺̭͓͖p̾ͥͨͦ̓ͪ͑̈͏̨̡̛͏̪̱͉̺͎l̸͍̮͔̩̊ͨͩͤ̑͢ḝ̟̙̤̰̯̙͎͔͙̥̲̝̏̽̄̔ͩͮ̈ͦ́ͨ͂͛̋́̕͘ͅͅt̉ͧ̅ͨ̇̌ͯ͏̵̛̭̯̜̰͕̭͙̞͞ͅi̶͕͙̦̫͓̻͈̿̓̊͒ͮ̈́ͪ͐́ͬͫ̓ͮ̇͌ͮͬͩͅn̨̛͇̰̮̘̼̩̫̭̝͕̩͕͉̳̗̍́̂ͪͬ̇̋̌̉̍̓̋͂͌͞͝ͅg̯̮͎̬͎̬̖͇̬̠̰̼̱̝͚͔͓ͥ̀ͦ̋ͦ͒́ͦ̾̇̏ͩ͑ͣͥͧ͋̀̚͝ ͣͥ͛̅͆ͦ̄̈́̈́̎͐̒̑ͯ͆̀̃͑̔҉͏҉͈̱̼̹̹͍̣̳̼͇͇̣̯̙̙̕ţ̡ͬ̂̽ͯ͋ͤ̐ͨ͋ͩ̿́͌̉ͧ́͏̟̞̫͔h̶͚͎̘̪͔͓̯̀ͧ̊ͣ̆̃̽͑ͥ̈́̐̽͂ͣ͡e͙̮̟͖̦̝͔͍̳̙̔ͥͩ̊ͭ̉̉͘͠ ̴̸̰̯̫̜͙̼̼͎̫̩̠͙̦͇ͣ͐ͯ̌̕͘ͅm̶̃̉́̂̀̓ͬ͌҉̴͘҉̳̫̞̲̻̫̳̱̩͉͕͙̙̮̣̥ȧ̛̛͓͖͇͚͕͙̘̤̻̭̜̝̺̅̅̽ͥͭ̏ͣ̑̉̀̉̈́̽͌ͥ̊ͤͯ͜ͅȋ̸̶̔̀̔ͫͯ͘҉̢̞͉̣̟̝͈͔̦̗͙̙͕ņ̶̙̠̱̣̆͗ͦͪ͛͑̈͒̎̇ ̷̵̨̻͙̠̭̗̱̩̞͈̩͎̜̟͙̗̺̼͆͊̊ͨ͑ͧ͒̐͞Mͨ̆͊̓̔ͦ͑͊͌̏̃ͦ̽̽ͬ́͘͟͏̼̩̦̮͇͍͖̪͍͔Ǫ̼̭̼̼͉͔̖̲͖͚̭̱͐͋͋͑ͧ̕͡͞N͑̆ͬ̓̓ͫͮ̅̈ͣ̂͏̷̪̖͈̖̤̮̠̰̬̮̞̳̕̕͡I̧̛͕͎̳̣̱ͨ̓̇̓̓̇Ķ͇̦̝̦̬̘͚̝̬͐ͯ̊͗̑̍͐ͩ̋̎̔ͧ͛͌͜Ǎ̶̧͙̜͍̯̩̺̼̮̼̻̬̼̪͈̾͂̌̽ͪ̆ͤͯͨ̐͛͢͠ ̵̘̪̠̱̫̱̟̣̳̬̠̙̲͒͗̈͌̇͂̔ͫ͆͂̋͊ͫ̀̃ͥ̽̍̑͢ṫ̤̯̱̝͎͇͎̦ͧͨ̒ͫ̕h̠̞̘̮̗͍̩͕̺̘̱̱͑̇̄͂͛́͘e̛̪͇͖͉̳͎̝͚̞̫̠͕̰̽̄̆͌̇́ͥ̅͌ͬͮͪ̊̎̂́̚͟ŕͯ̀ͣ̾̌̿͌͐̽̅̏̂̒̏̃̅̇̿҉̷̯̱̫̤̰̤̬̺̹̤̦͚͙̤͈̞̹e͊̈͋͗͐ͫ͊ͭ̒̆̌͜͝҉̵̪͖̥͍̼͜ ̶̞̭̦͊̄̐̽͒̚͜͠͠ͅi͔͉͔͖̯̝͚͙̝̣̳͙̲̜̜̣͎̿ͧ̒̒̌̽̅ͯ̈́ͯͯ̑̿̍̆̽̓ͬ͞͝͝ͅsͯ̂̃̀̅̎̀͡͏̸͔̲̲͔̰͈̠͚̩̹̜͇̬̮̖͜ ̶̛̰͍̞͓̬͉̟̦̐̽̋̾̆͒͆̈ͥ̏̈̏̔͒̚s̛͇͖̦͈̜̳͎̲͍̪̝̫͉̻̟̦͕͒͌̔͗͗ͯ̂ͤͧ̈́̓̅̚̚͘͟͜͞ţ̢̬͍̦̝̺̗͓̬̩̱̅̎̇̌͞i̢̛͖͖͚͔̙̫̞̞̳̝̝̗̋̐̽̄̿̕l̵̡͖̯̗̥̘̱̥͂̑̊̓̓̈ͨͫ͗́͜l̛̜̖̫͍͇̳̠͚̹͉̼̘̮̔͛̿̔ͣ̅̈̀̕͡ͅ ̡̥̙̪̘͚͔̗̟̪͓̯̗̩̞̓͒͗̈ͬ̍̈́̿͌ͫ̚͟s̷̙̭͙̮̳̪̠͚̗̪͔͚̰̙̥̙̙̱͆̃͐͂́o̵̯̪͉͇̘̻ͭ̈̄͂ͩͩ͐͛͟͜͞m̵̛̯͙̱͔ͣ̏̐̎̐̾̏̂̀͗̔̋͐̚ẽ̡̛̘͚̙͔̤͙͖͓̜̮͍̤̺͌͂̊̇ͮ͛̅̕ ͍̺͚͈̙̂͑̎̏̏̀͡͡͞M̤̪̗͖̥̺̰͇̰̯̜͉͈ͫ͐͋ͭ̅̔͂̃ͩ̈̉͗̿͒́̚͞O͗͂͐̆͒҉͏̭͈̖͈̩̻̺͓̥̩̠͔N̸̬͓͚̻̭̺̞̳͇͚̜̘̻̠͕̠͍̝̓̎̑̆ͬ͛̒ͣ͆̌ͨ͌̀ͨͥ͊͌̓̏͝I̷ͥͦ̈ͨͤ̔ͫͣ̔̐ͦͮ̕͘҉̢̗̯̩͕̱͙͖̳͕̥̝̝̤̞͓͔̣Kͩ͑͋̀̓͗ͩ͑ͬ̽̓͒͊̅̔̿̄̃̚͏̷͖̳̘̳̘̺̞̠̟̤͇̖͔̻̝̣̻̜A̸̴̰̘̠͆͐ͭͥͫ̇͐ͦ̉͆ͬ͋͛ͬ̔ͣ̀ͅ ̸̴̾̌ͮ̉́̐̿̄̂̂́́͟͏͖̠̟̝̦̫͕̤̖̤̤̲͙̲͇͓͇ͅt̶̜͍̥̼̹͖̥̼͈̞̬̝̻̂̅͌͝o̽́ͨ͑̆ͪͯ̈́̓ͧ̎͗̏̚҉̸̨͈̫͇̪̲̗̯͚͇̫͖̗̼̺̼̗̝̖̪͘ ̸̧̻̮̜̱͕̘̜̝̫̺̏̃̄̎ͣͬ̒͒́ͮ̍́͢ͅͅḍ̛̗̲̘͙̝̜͉͚̼̼̮͈̿͒́̒ͥͤ̂̋́͝o̸̺͕͍̹̦͎̮̖̣̳̲͔̭̙͚ͤ̒ͯͥ͛̐̔ͬͪͥ̆ͥͮͦ͂̚͠ ̵̢͚̻̼͎̦̜̭́͑̓ͮ͊͋(̵̨̧̦̗̣̄ͥ̔́͗̄̋̏ͣ̉͊ͬ́ͅM̛͙̙͇̜̜̲̫̪̣̩̯̫̱̫̼̞̞̭̬̉ͯ̋ͨ̒̓̎̒̄ͫ͞͞O̷̢̢̤͚̞͕̬̩̩͚̘̐ͪ͆̒̾̃̒ͪ̏͂̈́͋̒͑̈ͣ̾͝Ņ̨̼̝͓͓̠̗̘̇̇̂͛̃ͦ̐͐̐̊͌͋ͣ͂̐̆͜͡Ỉ̸̜͓͕͍͕̦̣̯̳͔̱̫ͬ̋̅͐̏̂̃̊ͦͯ̄̇̍̂ͤ̆̚͝K̶̡̧̳̞͕͈͍̦̜̩͖͈͇̠̳̩̄ͤ̊͋ͩ̈́ͨ͟A̵̫̦̠̯͇̖͈͈̬̭̳̜̣ͪ̔ͪ̾̽̒̿ͬ͘ ̴̡͕̖̤͓̪̇͊̅̍͒̇̆͞M̴̢̠͍̜̯̖̻̬̗̤̩̝̣̪̗͕̾ͬͭ́͜Oͩͫͬͮ̽ͨ̃̅ͮ̂ͥ͂̇̌̓̽̃̿̚҉̸̮̦̟͉̙̼̦̝̳̕N̶̸̿ͭͭ̇͊ͮ̋ͬ̈́̌̍ͧͯ̓ͪ̍̽̚͏̧̘̙̹̘̰̯͍̫͇̣̱̭̳͉I̱̫͔̼̰̥̥̭͕̗̖̟̖ͮ͐͆ͩ̌͜K̵̢̛͓̖͕͈͎̱͇̟̮̞̫̦̭͈͋ͥ͐ͮͥ̎̓̅̅̐̊͊͋̚̚A͛͋̋ͪ̓̐͊̾̅͊ͭ͑̈́̈́҉̧͎̠͍̠̝͙̰̟̼̭̹͉ͅ)̨̧͉̙͓̘͙̝̊́͒ͮͧ͊ͨ̂̑ͤ͂̌̊ͨͮͨ͜͞͝ M̪͓̻̝̪̼̙̮̹̦͇͔̯̏ͨ̅ͭͯ̔͐͒ͨ̍ͤ́͠͝O̡̬̫̲͓̹̤̥͚̰͉͙̣̼̼̤͈̦̫̽ͯ͑̋̀̋͂͛̿͌͊̚̕͜͞N͈̱͍̽͛̓ͣͤ̍̇̔͊̚̚͟ͅÎ͖͇̫̰͓̞̦̰͌ͫͦͮ̒̋̌͘͞K̢̀͂̓̍͒͆͗ͬ̓̂͐̈́̏ͨͮ̄̆̀̚͜҉̸̩̹͕̻̻̭̠̫͕͓A̛͙͚̬̻̻̘̩͙͇͎͓̩̭̘͍͇͇͂ͫ̃ͦ͋̈̂ͧ̓̿ͧ̋̀͟͝ ̢̡̛̩͖̙̤̖͙̘͖̞̋̋̃̊͊͒͆̎ͯͩ͗͑̓͒͡M̢̢̬͔̻͕͍͇̳̥͎̘̬̦̰̳̌ͭ̾̉̍ͮ͛ͨ̓̇͑O̶̡̨̫̹͈͍͇̮͎̼͉͈̊ͤ̿ͣ͟͡N̴͆ͬ̐̓҉̛̩͉͔̻I̡̡̱̞̩̘̰̲͇̪̮̱̤͚͍̩͕̝ͬ͑͐ͩͭ̌́͐̐̓̉̃̈̑̀K̶̵̷͇̝̘̝͖̆̊̆̅ͧͯ̉̚͟͞Ä̛͎͕̘̟͇̹̮̞̗̩̳̘̣͉́͊͆̕ͅ ̵̝̬̰͙̹̻̤̪͖̞̼̥̭̜̑ͨͪ͆̍̔̍͟͜M̂̍ͦ̾ͮ̓̈̒̔̑̅͒̍ͩ̋͏̮̜̝̼̬̹̝̪̼͢ͅO̶̢̡̦͖̱̹͐̿ͮ͊ͧͧ̿̎͛ͣͪ̄̀̐̈́ͫ̾ͮ́̕N̢̨ͣ͆ͥͬ͐͐҉̶͍̳̻̯̹͙̻̘̠̯̜̠̻̦̦̦̬İ̷̷̐̎̒͂̅̇̍ͦ͂ͯͥ́̋̑̆͏̢̰̫̙̗̼̯̩̥͉ͅK̸̶̮͓̩̺̬͈̰̗̤̬͚͔̗͕̟̩͓̎͆̌ͫ͐́͢͜A̡̨̼̳̪͖̺͚̅͆̐ͣ͒̄ͬͭ̽̓͌͛͐ͨ̋ͦ͘͡ ̛̩̱̰͈͓͚̻̭͕͙̟͎̰̜͗̉̎ͤ͌ͧͩ̑ͯͫ͑͡M̢̧̩̜̳̗̬̣̳͖̳͌͋̋̊͜͠͞O̵̡͍̫̺̜͈̝̳͙̦͖̞̪̙̺̗̞̓͐̓̐̈́ͣ͐͗̔̉ͬ̋͡N̵͉̙͓̘͕ͩ͑̍ͨ̍ͬ̋̈́̓̽̈̓̕ͅI̷̹̭̫̺͇̪̠͎̬̱̣̳̭̠̘̹̻ͯ̈͊͆̎̋ͣ̈ͣ̎̕ͅK̸̼̩̘͖͓̭̹͙̻̲̫̈́̉̀͑͠ͅͅA̵̢͖͔͉͙̜̩ͣ̏ͫ̔͌ͭ̂̾͌̈́̃͑̌̃ͯͭͭͧ̀ ̨̼̙̩̙̠͔̉ͧ̌̽̎̽͂̿͠M̆̃͛ͭ̃ͨͩ̕͏̼̦̲̣̭̹̣̝̖̭̲̻̤͉̗̠͙̞O̷̢̾́̂̍͛̎̂ͣ̐ͫ͆̿̽̈́̉ͭ͜͠҉͖͕̬̼̭͇̩͍̠̺N̶̴͇̣̼̯̣̝̰̙̟͚̘͍̂ͨͯ̄̃I̢̘͉̦̰̮̽̐̏ͥ̈́ͥ̆̋̇̂ͧͪ̒͛̂͘K̞̱̣̮̃͑̄̍ͫ̓ͨ̑͋̽̾̀́͆̋͜͠Ả̉̂́̿̐̀͐ͤ͌̋͌ͮ͏̶͖̦̺͈͎̤̲̘̫̩͉̹͟ ̡̻̞̮̪ͥ͛̄̋͊͌̾ͣ͌̉̔ͭͩ̃̅͌̕͘͢M̨͔͇̺̥̰̜̞̯̯̝̗͖̭̥̳̲͑͂̾̀ͮ́ͯ͊̉͋̇͑̄ͥͤ͟͟O̴̸̷̼͙̮͉̘ͭ͋͐͋ͫͭͫͪ̌̀͂ͫͫ̅͢͜N̢̥̦̭̝̥͙̤͙̙͚̝͇̫͋͂͐̆̃̿ͥ͑͐ͦ̉͛̈́̎̎̈́̚͜͟I̢̛͐̏̿̄̈̋̉̇̒̆̎ͫ͊̔͐͛͟͝͏̝̖͍̟̘̳K̨̛͎͕͈̥͕̱ͧ̇̃͌̿͝Ã̸̶̡̛̙̩͙̞̟̥͚ͦ͊̓̏̆͝Show moreShow less
7 hours at review3,522 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Nobody will EVER read my review so I will Eat 1 Tablespoon of сum for Every Like this gets.Show moreShow less
0.8 hours at review121 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
How can I explain this game without spoiling any of its content... Imagine you have a cake. It's pink and white and layered with strawberries so you kind of already know what to expect. Sure, there are some hints of chocolate icing here and there that suggests there might be a little bit more to it, but overall it seems quite simple. And sure enough it is. You take a bite here, and another forkfull there, and all you can taste is the sweetness of the strawberry and the light fluffiness of the cream. The chocolate icing makes its way onto your tongue every now and then, but it's all within the realms of expectations. You decide to push forward a little more, dig in a little deeper. But something's wrong, and you sure did not anticipate this. Thick caramel sauce starts oozing out from the centre, dragging little chunks of honeycomb with it. You realise that the strawberry and vanilla cream you've been tasting all this time has been but a pretense for what it really hid inside. You try to soak up the caramel with the outer layer of the cake, but it's no use; eventually the caramel drenches everything into mushy, sticky mess. And boy, is it glorious. You come into the experience expecting something light, but you come out having swallowed the heaviest dessert you've ever had. And the combination somehow works. Definitely should play this game without reading any spoilers.Show moreShow less
2.3 hours at review3,307 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Doki Doki Literature Club is a classic example of "style over substance". The game is marketed as a cute and fun dating sim, but fails to deliver on any of its promises. There's no real story to captivate the player, and the characters are completely uninteresting and shallow. Not to mention, the game is a total waste of time. It takes way too long to get to the "shock value" that it supposedly offers, and I'm disappointed that I invested my time into this game. What's worse is that the game is completely lacking in any real fan service. When I play a dating sim, I expect to see a lot of hentai scenes, and this game had none. I would have liked to see some naughty scenes with the girls, like a threesome between the main character and Sayori and Natsuki, or a shower scene with all the girls getting naked. But, there was nothing. The art is nice, I'll give it that, but it's not enough to keep me playing. The music is forgettable and the dialogue is generic, and it doesn't help that the characters are so unlikable. I can't feel anything for them, no matter how hard the game tries to make me. Overall, Doki Doki Literature Club is an absolute disappointment. The developers clearly put more effort into the aesthetics than the actual game, failing to deliver a compelling story, interesting characters, and most importantly, the fan service that I expect from a dating sim. It's not worth the time investment.Show moreShow less
18.2 hours at review111 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
i wanted a dating sim but i got depression good gameShow moreShow less
47.7 hours at review3,148 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
Full spoilers and all that. Dan Salvato writes "My own favorite games have always been ones that challenge the status quo. Even if not a masterpiece, any game that attempts something wildly different may earn a special place in my heart" in his end 'letter' to players who went to the effort of getting the 'good' ending. I didn't do this myself, I admit, I just looked it up because I am just not that patient or willing -- especially when I didn't expect my takeaway to change drastically. Yeah, I suppose I think it's overrated, but woe unto me if I'd ever base my own opinion of a thing on the aggregate way others are receiving that same thing, or upon preconceived expectations of how something should or shouldn't be. That's not a good way to evaluate things. Regardless, given the widespread response to the game, clearly Salvato's effort and passion for challenging that 'status quo' has been seen and appreciated. For my part, I am deeply sympathetic to his goals and desires for what games can be and what he wants his games to do. Knowing that he'll refine his skills and perfect his craft, I am inclined, further still, to view his efforts and this particular effort sympathetically. However, that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of missed opportunity or worthy criticism to be made here. I think, for all that the game does to 'challenge' the 'status quo', it's not enough and could've gone much farther. Let's refine what we mean a little here. By 'status quo', I mean conventional dating sim garbage where the self-insert male protagonist is surrounded by desirable women and the game takes the form of fantasy more than character exploration or, really, saying anything. At the very least, it is at least admissible that whatever message or character exploration is done in most of these games is certainly undercut by absurd, obnoxious harem tropes. How does this game challenge that 'status quo' so described? Well, it presents itself on the surface as being more of the same thing, but then throws you for a loop continually. Slowly at first, but it builds until reality is breaking down. Admittedly, I found it difficult to slog through even the first hours where it appeared as though it were still the same thing, apart from the early and not so subtle hints of something else going on coming from, say, Monika's poems. So, for the most part, as things ramp up, the 'challenge' takes the form of simply subverting your expectations, of the game saying to the player 'Hah, you thought this was a harem VN, but actually it's creepy and there's depression and suicide!' You thought you were going to get x, but now you're getting y! What do you think of that, player? That's all a nice start, but you can't JUST subvert expectations! You need to actually say something meaningful, perhaps about that same status quo that you're subverting! It really just doesn't, though. The explanation for all of the game's creepiness, depression and violence just ends up being Monika, a character who understands her position as being a character in a 'game' and, trying to break the game down, and the fourth wall with it, has all the other characters kill themselves or deletes them. All so she can speak directly to 'the player' What does she say? This was the moment I was waiting for the game to really do something with all of it's build-up, for Monika to turn the game into a real commentary on the 'status quo', a real criticism of the way those players think when they approach games looking for fantasy fulfillment, for escapism. She doesn't really say anything, though. She's just psychotic for the sake of being psychotic. The game isn't saying anything with her character about the status quo, about VNs. It's just creepy for creepy's sake and breaks the fourth wall because that's cool I guess. This is super frustrating! Everything has been set up so that, finally, the game can contribute to some sort of conversation meaningfully, so that there can be some message beyond just, 'LOL HAHA YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THAT WERE YOU? TRICKED MUCH, PLAYER?' And the game just says nothing! Earlier in the game, one character, Yuri, comments about how she likes stories where the reader's expectations are subverted, where the protagonist ends up being wrong and the villain sympathetic -- where the paradigm shifts and the reader's perspective is utterly altered, their sympathies changed. You know, a twist. This doesn't really happen though, Monika isn't sympathetic, she just kills everyone so she can have 'the player' to herself. The game ends shortly after. You'll delete her file, she'll react, accept her deletion, then begin the game again without her existing, and then the character 'Sayori' will promptly assume Monika's role, having learned everything Monika knew -- and begin the cycle again. At this point, Monika ends the game and the credits roll. Maybe there's some bare minimum meaning, some faintly intelligible message to be interpreted from this. I'll be ♥♥♥♥♥♥ if I know what it is though. Maybe the game ending, with Monika's background voice declaring that there is 'no happiness to be found here after all' really IS some commentary on how inane, stupid harem VN garbage isn't conducive to meaningful characterization or storytelling, maybe it's trying to communicate something about how ultimately that kind of self-serving fantasy has the opposite effect? About how it makes the characters meaningless, pre-programmed to fit into the player's fantasies so the player can be happy, instead of behaving like real, complicated people? About how, ultimately, it's really a rejection of narrative, of engagement? Maybe? I'm really grasping at straws here to try and give the game the benefit of the doubt. I just don't think it says enough with all of the opportunities it goes to all the work of setting up for itself. Who really is Monika? Why is she really aware of what's going on? What is her real nature as a 'consciousness' in the game? What does she really want? Why does she want it? How can she be any more of a consciousness than the other characters can be? Why is she uniquely imbued with free will? I don't really know, the game doesn't *really* answer these questions. In so answering them, the game could have developed some real message, some tangible takeaway for what it's trying to say about what appears to be it's subject matter, about the 'status quo'. It's a minor gripe, but why the ♥♥♥♥ is the 'good' ending just playing through all the possible screens with the various characters so that, at the end, instead of Sayori beginning to behave like Monika, she just thanks the player for 'making all of them happy' and says that, though the game has to end now, 'they'll all be here for them'? The good ending is legit just ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ turning the game ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ BACK into ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ a regular ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ harem VN. Whatever. I'm not really sure whether it's more right to blame Salvato's maturing experience with making games, with some overcautiousness on his part about not wanting to reach too far or attempt to do too much or whether it's Salvato's pluralism about different players' preferences for different kinds of games which also shows itself in the 'good' ending letter. It might be wrong to read too much into what he says there, but if he really means it, then maybe he just wrongly doesn't think that certain genres, trends, practices or fantasies that play out in games or other media can be rightfully criticized because 'everyone has their preferences'. If he does think that, then that's too bad, because if we can't criticize, if we can't genuinely talk, engage with and think about things in a way that has consequences beyond expressing 'preference', then we can't challenge the 'status quo' at all.Show moreShow less
3.2 hours at review104 people found this helpful
RecommendedSteam player
A little bit of Monika in my life A little bit of Monika by my side A little bit of Monika is all I need A little bit of Monika is what I see A little bit of Monika in the sun A little bit of Monika all night long A little bit of Monika here I am A little bit of Monika makes me your manShow moreShow less
2 hours at review2,847 people found this helpful
Not recommendedSteam player
THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS (I played this title before the steam release came out so please excuse my low playtime on steam and understand that I have actually finished the game) My experience with DDLC was a polarising one. I've played my fair share of visual novels before that have really pushed the limits of the medium and have shown some incredible ways to tell a story using the visual novel medium to its fullest. DDLC is.... not one of those visual novels. If I were to sum it up, DDLC feels more like a tech demo than an actual full on finished product. It has a lot of good ideas but it just doesn't DO anything with them outside of the initial oshit value. I do applaud the efforts of the dev team for really trying something new and creative with the ren'py engine but the problem is outside of shock value those new and creative ideas never actually amount to anything. The story in all honestly is DDLC's weakest link and that is not a good thing for a visual novel, a genre that first and foremost, is about telling a story. Speaking of these ideas, as much as I hate to say it, half of those ideas have actually been done before. The idea of dropping game files into a directory and doing stuff like that is a well explored area and games like OneShot (also on steam) are good examples of how you can use these types of ideas to really further the story. Is DDLC a bad game? I wouldn't say that but I wouldn't call it a good game either. It's a catalist of interesting ideas marred by sub optimal execution and tied around a rather cliche and predictable plot that really doesn't help give those ideas justice. My advice to team salvado would be this. You have some good ideas here but you need to work on your execution. For all intents and purposes the actual story in the game.... wasn't very good. Yes I know it's a free game but I've seen plenty of other free games that have been able to tell a far more compelling story and use their ideas to their advantage. You guys need to expand beyond the "oshit" shock value of the ideas and gimmicks and instead start using them as the building blocks for the most important part of any visual novel, the story. Using gimmicks and quirks to your advantage and actually intergrating them into the plot can make for an incredibly compelling story and it actually makes said gimmicks relevent outside of the "oshit" aspect. If I could recommend some good examples on reading material to show how you can better impliment these gimmicks I'd have to recommend 9 Hours 9 Persons 9 Doors on the nintendo ds which actually uses the hardware of the Nintendo DS itself to make the plot twist that more flooring. For now, I personally find it hard for me to recommend DDLC to people. It's got good ideas but it just doesn't go anywhere with them and at times it feels like it is putting more focus on the gimmicks than the story itself which for a visual novel is the number 1 thing you should never do. Granted a lot of people would probably disagree with me and I am fully expecting to get flooded with comments after I post this from angry people who can't handle the fact that someone didn't like the game but hey, that's the nature of the internet.Show moreShow less
0.3 hours at review85 people found this helpful
Source: original Steam user reviews. Helpful votes are an archived snapshot, not live data. Last collected: 08/14/2026.