It all started when I was on YouTube, watching a video I've already forgotten about some game more in my wheelhouse. Something in the suggested viewing down the side caught my attention for reasons I can't recall - maybe it was the word "Literature" or maybe I thought "Doki Doki" sounded funny. Maybe I even meant to click on something else entirely. Wouldn't be the first time.
However it happened, a few minutes later I was intrigued enough by what I'd seen to pause the video before I spoiled things for myself. I read a few of the comments. They piqued my curiosity even more but then I had to stop that too.
I've been a complete sucker for post-modern irony since the late 1980s. It can't get too meta for me. I love things that turn out not to be what I thought they were and even more than that I love being lost, at sea, struggling to work out what's happening. I love self-aware, self-referential, playful art and entertainment that takes no prisoners when it comes to explaining itself. This looked like it might be any or all of that.
If I sound vague it's because this is something that deserves not to be spoiled and honestly, even saying that is a spoiler. I imagine the best possible experience would be to have downloaded the game thinking it was exactly what it appears to be. Or maybe that would be the worst possible experience. DDLC is not to be taken lightly.
Since we've come this far, though, I'll try to open things out just a little. I guess it's obvious that, like Dr. Langeskov, DDLC is not a straightforward proposition. Oh, boy, is it not...I downloaded it via Steam a few days ago. It's free. I played for about an hour, my first session. Nothing much happened. The characters were well-drawn. The writing was decent. It definitely seemed to be more of a visual novel than a game. There wasn't a lot to do other than click and read.
Next evening I played again. By then I was kind of hooked on the characters. I wanted to see what would happen next. Something was off, though. Behind the haribo-bright surface, little anomalies and oddnesses were starting to appear, a queasy, off-kilter feeling beginning to build.
Around the end of the second hour I hit a major decision point. I made a choice that had implications that unsettled me. I stopped to let it filter and went to bed.
This morning our internet went down. The estimate was at least three hours. I did some housework but then I wanted to play something. I have very, very few offline games to call on but I wondered if DDLC could work without Steam being able to connect. It could.
It took me another two hours to reach what is apparently known as the "best" ending, which I seem to have hit upon entirely by chance on my first playthrough. Geeez. If that's the best one I dread to think what the rest are like.
Even with some idea of what to expect there were a couple of occasions where I swore out loud and a couple more where I just leaned back in my seat and stared. Having finished I feel a strong desire to play the whole thing through again right away to see where else it can go. And then again after that.
Or I might just watch some playthroughs on YouTube. It would be appropriate, given that's where it all started. Anyway, it was an experience. An intense experience. If this is typical of the standard of visual novels I need to try some more.
As must be obvious, I highly recommend joining the Doki Doki Literature Club but be aware of the potential risks. The game opens with an onscreen warning : "This game is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed" and they aren't kidding. The full warning contains spoilers but might be worth checking before you play, if you have any concerns.
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