"Welcome to the Literature Club! 💓"

[Tuxedo Prime]

So.... yeah. I imagine that any discussion of this will lean heavily on spoiler space and content warnings, but I have to say, while the game itself isn't necessarily all that in terms of structure (basic sprites, Ren'Py coding almost designed to be endlessly modifiable, a reliance on glitch-shocks), the "fun" it has in taking a Cliche Storm of anime tropes and putting them into a psychological thriller game where The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You seems to have inspired a lot of people. Besides the aforementioned mods, there are cosplay troupes, remixes of one-hit wonder songs, and newly created filksongs devoted to this game, and just last fall they launched a multi-platform expanded version of the game. Not bad for what started out as a free Steam release from a guy who was (in)famous for Mario mods....

Having climbed out of the rabbit hole of lore about it all, I won't deny it was a strange trip -- but I stand by my assertion that it's more wholesome than Kiss Players... which isn't to say you shouldn't heed the warning at the start.

 

[MEDdMI]

I've been wondering if it's worth playing, just for the psychological thriller angle.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

I've been wondering if it's worth playing, just for the psychological thriller angle.

Everybody's different, so I can't really answer the question on your behalf. If you want to go into the game unspoiled, it's probably best to just get a freeware copy and start -- with the proviso that "the game is free, the therapy bill not so much...."

That said, the Tube of You does have playthroughs, some of which have achieved their own level of infamy. Markiplier's playthrough even got made into a cartoon (Obviously, there will be significant plot spoilers if you watch it, but for those who want to know what's in the tin, I'll provide a link).

 

[MEDdMI]

Thanks, didn't even know the original was free. Gonna have to try it out sometime.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Thanks, didn't even know the original was free. Gonna have to try it out sometime.

It's like they say, nothing beats the low, low price of free! (Also we get a cupcake. )

As for myself, I've been greatly interested in the cultural impact of the game. For example, someone made an intro sequence for an anime from which DDLC could have been adapted, or vice-versa.

Spoiler: Of course, it wouldn't be DDLC without a glitched/gone wrong version....

Of course, it wouldn't be DDLC without a glitched/gone wrong version (Content Warning, images of suicide):

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Elsewhere on the boards, I had mentioned that DDLC fandom had taken a liking to Lou Bega's "Mambo No.5", remixing it to replace all the names with.... well, just Monika.

And here we have a Korean cosplay group doing their own dance to the reworked song. Don't click if you don't want to be spoiled regarding in-game events! (If you know the events, though, you have to appreciate the effort put in, especially on lighting.)

 

[MEDdMI]

I'm tempted to get the Switch version anyway, since having it's easier to carry around (also extra content). I have zero interest in these girls, but I am really in the mood for something messed up that isn't a straight out horror game.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

I'm tempted to get the Switch version anyway, since having it's easier to carry around (also extra content). I have zero interest in these girls, but I am really in the mood for something messed up that isn't a straight out horror game.

Yeah, while there is some blood, this is nothing like Five Nights at Willy's Wonderland or what have you. The horror elements are more existential in nature. (There are hints, here and there, of something called "Project Libitina", which may or may not be an ARG or a game-in-development which thrusts the DDLC cast -- possibly with name changes? -- into a more standard mad-science horror setting. But Game Theory may be making an omelette out of Easter Eggs on that one.)

And while I may be a straight male anime fan, I consider myself far too... experienced, let's put it that way... to get into the "who is Best (Fictional) Girl?" debates that one sees in the fandom. That being said, although Dan Salvato set out to make a dark parody of the School Romance Visual Novel, the characters do end up, like their counterparts in more traditional games, revealing hidden depths to their personalities, and they do grow on the player as a result. (I even felt compelled to give them family names, which the game itself neglects to do.)

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

While we're waiting for MEDdMI to try out the game, I'll carry on the thread by sharing some other products of the game fandom that I've come across. Preferably spoiler-free ones, though that's a tall order.

Anyway, this one here is kinda weird -- which I guess makes it very suitable. The mixing of DDLC imagery with a techno remix of a Japanese vegetable juice commercial resulted in this gem (the usual cautions for flashing/rapid images go here):

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

And now for something live-action....

So the Aianimecosplay troupe (which was not without some controversy regarding its break up and reforming as Square One) put out quite a few skits to the Tube of You involving the characters from this game. I looked for something suitable to place here, and found this reuploaded piece.

Natsuki decided to make a video demonstrating how to make her famous cat cupcakes. She gets the rest of the club to help her, but soon comes to regret that decision....

Don't worry, it won't give away the game plot (although a few Act 1 events get mentioned), but it is interesting to see how the cast gets interpreted in live action:

 

[MEDdMI]

Hoping to get a good chunk of time to set aside to start the game. Probably not for awhile, though.

 

[MEDdMI]

Game was on sale for just under $12. Had some leftover credit and coins, so that covered the cost. XD

Now to get some time to play it.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Game was on sale for just under $12. Had some leftover credit and coins, so that covered the cost. XD

Now to get some time to play it.

Yay!

(Although I'm not usually one for Multiple Collector Covers, it would have been nice to see everyone get a turn being on the Plus! edition cover.)

I don't know if you want advice, or if you'd prefer to go in cold. I guess I'll just say: Pay attention to the writing tips, make friends and spend time with them (this may require multiple saves), and we'll see you at the festival!

 

[MEDdMI]

I'm guessing that's when jive goes down. Yeah, I'd rather go in cold, I didn't check out anything you posted as spoilery.

I got to play a bit recently, on the 3rd day.

Spoiler

The disclaimer made me laugh. The girls are totally legal, we swear! Don't care for the MC, and there's small things about the art style that bug me, but no big deal. The poetry thing is interesting. I went with words I liked for poetry and got Yuri the first time. Deliberately went for a different girl on the other days. I can see hints of how darkness in their poetry and interactions, but we'll see. Also the false Metaverse computer screen boot up is interesting... dug around and found some hidden text files, including info on the words the girls like. I'm sure this is deliberate, and am curious to see how it ties in.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

I've been doing my best, especially as this game is verrrry dependent on surprises, to keep as much under wraps as possible. That being said, there's one bit from your covered text that should probably be talked about in the open.

The disclaimer made me laugh. The girls are totally legal, we swear!

So, early in development of Doki Doki Literature Club , the concept was that Natsuki would be a year younger than Sayori and the protagonist, who would be a year younger than Yuri and Monika. In a high-school setting that kind of gap can be a big deal (heck, even university can be like that to some degree). Shortly before the release of the game, though, Dan Salvato apparently became concerned about Unfortunate Implications, so he declared that everyone's 18.

EVERYONE'S EIGHTEEN.

This raises other questions about Natsuki and her figure, but there we are.

This is one of the reasons I stand by my assertion that DDLC is, while not for the easily disturbed, still more wholesome than Kiss Players -- where everyone may be canonically old enough to drive, but they sure aren't drawn that way!

 

[MEDdMI]

Omg, thankfully they aren't THAT squishy faced and tiny. Also there better not be robot penis tongues in this game.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Also there better not be robot penis tongues in this game.

"Robot what?!"

(Yes, I know that Japan never took Freud seriously. Yes, if the G1 cartoons were released today, they would probably get a C8 rating in my country for violence. But really, considering that the KP manga was tying into said cartoon, you think that Takara would have given itself a little more oversight....

But then, Hasbro didn't object to Megan Fox being leg-humped by a tiny Transformer in Revenge of the Fallen, so what do I know?)

 

[MEDdMI]

Got to the festival!

Spoiler

Aaaand I couldn't resist confessing to Sayori, so yeah. Saw it coming, but still. And then the New Game option looked all funky so naturally I had to try it and now everything's coming up Monica. What the hell, let's just romance all the girls and see how crazy she gets. Interesting to note the changes in the hidden files. Also the part where MC talks about how they should've stayed friends feels reaaaaally familiar, but I couldn't say where or why.

 

[Tuxedo Prime]

Got to the festival!

Spoiler: And now for the Sudden Genre Shift....

...for me at least, words fail to describe how I felt when the story gave a Hope Spot and then did what it did to Sayori. For those in the know, "I gently open the door" is a phrase no-one looks at the same way again... Thankfully r/DDLC is cleaning up the spoilerly puns that some wag will trot out every now and then. Youtube is another matter.

But, now that we're in Act 2, Act 1 saves won't load. It's almost as though the game broke with the death and removal of a key character.... and the save files call up a character that the game code can't find anymore. Bit of an improvised patch job, it seems....

So, Act 2 feels like a new game, but everything is now glitchy and corrupted, and the personalities of Yuri and Natsuki will seem overcranked. And with no Sayori to moderate their conflicts, prepare for fireworks.

I would probably recommend attempting to befriend Natsuki in Act 2. On a certain level, though, it won't really matter, what with Monika still not having a route (despite all the buttons pointing to her) and Yuri changing from a shy busty horror buff into a full-on yandere.

Let's hope we can all make it through the weekend, at least....

 

[MEDdMI]

Update

Spoiler

Re: Sayori- I had zero hope that she was ok. She ded.
Romanced Yuri in Act 2.
I had to see how messed up it would get. Being trapped with her slowly decaying corpse sure was fun. Naturally I ended up alone with Monica. Decided to just let her talk. When she started talking about depression, the game "crashed", lol. I deleted her. Wasn't expecting Sayori to take on Monica's role. XD

Currently on play 2. Gonna try for all the bad endings I can before I try for the friend one.