The game takes you on an emotional roller coaster where you go from slice-of-life to Sayori hanging herself, then back to slice-of-life again. One moment, you’re enjoying conversations about school events and poetry with the members of the literature club, the next… The game’s combination of cute anime aesthetics and a K-On!-like premise boosts its horror factor effectively. Developed by Team Salvato, this innocent-looking indie game made waves in the horror video game genre with the way it completely subverted typical expectations of horror games.ĭoki Doki Literature Club!, which is sometimes shortened to DDLC, uses a visual novel format to convey a story revolving around obsession, mental health issues, and the existential horror of a character in a game realizing they aren’t real. If you are uncomfortable with any of these topics or they are likely to put you in emotional distress, please be advised that it may be in your best interest to not read this article.ĭoki Doki Literature Club! is still going strong five years after its release in 2017.
Content warning: This article mentions fictional depictions of suicide, self-harm, and, depression.
