Doki Doki Literature Club Plus Review – Memorable & Unique Experience

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus Review

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is a difficult game to recommend. The game’s greatest strength is the secrets it holds, and I’m sure most players who have completed it will want to tell everyone they know to play and experience its unique story. The trick is that it’s hard to explain why it’s so memorable, without giving away any of those secrets. If you are at all intrigued by this game, then it is a must-play. It’s for fans of unique experiences, visual novels, Japanese culture, and a whole bunch of other aspects I can’t mention.

It reminded me of the feeling I got after fighting Psycho Mantis in Metal Gear Solid for the first time. What it is not, is a traditional video game, by any typical gameplay standards. Obviously, it’s not going to scratch an FPS itch, or provide a platforming challenge; it will, however, be an unforgettable game narrative.

Still not convinced? Then look at the game’s cover art. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus appears to be a generic Japanese harem dating sim/ visual novel, but just when I started to forget that it was anything but… Just look at those images! Look at the color palette! Then look at the game’s M rating. Know that there is an age verification on the game’s website, and a content warning upon boot up. How does that make sense with this pastel pink, cutesy anime girl aesthetic? And no, it’s not one of those pornographic hentai games. There’s something much more strange lurking behind Doki Doki Literature Club Plus’ generic façade.

High Definition Graphics

If that doesn’t pique your interest, then perhaps Doki Doki Literature Club is not the game for you. It is a short game (maybe 5 hours to see everything), and has a slow start. Also, anyone who is cautious about M rated games should stay away. Despite a warning at the beginning of the game that says the characters are not of high school age (the warning clearly only exists to avoid legal issues) all the characters found within are high school students who deal with M rated themes.

If you have already played Doki Doki Literature Club, and already know its secrets, then is the “Plus” portion of the game worth an additional purchase? That depends. There is some new side story content that could add a couple additional hours of gameplay. There is also lots of additional art and music, all of which can be unlocked in galleries. And those visuals are now in full HD, which alone might justify a second purchase. While Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is definitely the definitive version of the game, the important parts of the experience remain largely the same.

It is very awesome to see Doki Doki Literature Club available for consoles. A curiosity to those who have already played the vanilla version, might be how this game, designed specifically to be played on PC, functions on a console. Without giving much away, I can say that the main menu of the game is like a Steam game screen, with an exit game option. When this option is selected, it takes players to an in-game desktop. Beyond that, my lips are sealed.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is the kind of game that provides experiences unique to the video game medium. It is also the kind of game that pushes the visual novel genre’s boundaries, and serves as an excellent example of what non-video game players might not know they’re missing, if they’re not willing to try different kinds of games. This is a game you will tell everyone about when you’re finished playing it, and at the same time, just like this humble reviewer, you won’t want to share why. For less than $20, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is a highly recommended and very unique gaming experience.

*** Switch game code provided by the publisher ***