Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! Critic Reviews

Doki Doki Literature Club is among the most memorable, creative, and iconic horror games of the last decade and should be experienced by anyone who is able to safely stomach it. The Plus version of the game effectively adds even more valuable story content to the mix.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is nothing short of a masterpiece and highly recommended to anyone who can handle darker content. It navigates the jump from PC to console well overall, with new mechanics developed to handle gameplay situations that would normally be impossible outside of PC. The extra content, especially the Side Stories, is terrific as well, though it may not be enough to justify a $15 price tag given that the original game is still free on PC.

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.

A strikingly immediate game that covers dark subjects most titles wouldn’t dream of approaching, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! left my jaw on the floor multiple times. I won’t tell you why, or when. You’ll know when you get there. I was at times happy, sad, and truly horrified.

Doki Doki Literature Club is one of the most celebrated psychological horror games of recent history, and the Plus release adds enough new content to refresh the experience for veterans who've already experienced the original. Meanwhile, players who have never tried out Team Salvato's original game will find the most complete experience yet from Doki Doki Literature Club Plus.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! compared to the free experience on PC, adds either a lot or nothing, depending on your point of view. Pragmatically one could argue the futility of the expense in the face of mostly identical content available for free. However, the point is not this: whether you want to reward the developers after the experience with the free edition, or in case you want to approach the game using its "improved" version (despite some limitations), Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! remains a work of extraordinary emotional impact.

If you're a mature gamer (I can't recommend this game to anyone still in high school, considering some of the subject matter that gets explored within) and you're looking for a horror story that doesn't depend on cheap shots or jump scares to entertain, then I'd suggest joining the Doki Doki Literature Club.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! is a great visual novel that we have loved, essential for all fans of the genre and highly recommended for those who are interested in discovering it.

Doki Doki Literature Club doesn’t disappoint as an off-kilter visual novel. If you, like me, tend to avoid this genre, you might consider DDLC as an exception to the rule if you can handle some disturbing content.

Don't discount Doki Doki Literature Club because it's cute, because it's pink, or because it's an anime dating game — this is one of the most unnerving, effective horror games on the Nintendo Switch to date. The extra content adds nicely to the creeping anxiety and the heartbreaking story, but the Switch version does end up feeling slightly inferior to the PC version, despite fantastic effort on the port. You won't lose anything by playing this version, though — if it's the one you want, go for it!

I’m not a fan of the genre and despite my complaints, this game’s story kept me intrigued throughout. And the additional side stories in Doki Doki Literature Plus! help flesh out the characters and supplement the darker more disturbing moments of the game.

Doki Doki Literature Club (and this Plus version) is both a homage and a challenge. It’s a homage in the way it delightfully plays with the dating visual novel genre – sure, it ends up subverting that to horrific effect, but there’s such glee in how it does that that hugely entertaining. On the other hand, it’s also a challenge – a suggestion that the genre can be a bit more reflective, look for ways to approach things differently, and that there is a lot that this genre can do with characterisation and relationship dynamics. The director has been outspoken that the initial seed of Doki Doki Literature Club from his “love/hate” relationship with anime and VNs. There’s much more of the love in there, I think, but developers making games in this genre should certainly play this game to encourage them to think about the structure of their own work from a different angle.

It does not pull it off as effectively as the original PC version for what I think are obvious reasons, but it works well enough. This is a decent way to play Doki Doki Literature Club if it’s your preferred option, and you definitely should play it. As long as you’re okay with some heavy, mature content, anyway. This is more of a horror story than anything else despite its candy-colored appearance. But it is an incredible one, and one that could really only be done in the medium of video games.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is a great way to revisit a visual novel that made quite a splash. For newcomers, it’s easy to hop into and enjoy, even offering the PC “workarounds.” For people who’ve joined the club before, the extra stories and media are enjoyable. The sole downside is that, with all its accessibility, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is difficult to read on the Switch and has an unfriendly UI. It also lacks easy one-button controls for things like auto-advancing or checking the history, as its contemporaries do. Still, it’s a fascinating read and story.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! goes far beyond the concept of subverting expectations. It is a work that creatively uses the capabilities of our medium to tell its story in a way that could not be done in any other way.