Some words like “starscape” match Yuri, the introverted bookworm who prefers imagery in her poems. Players write poems using seemingly random words that appeal to specific characters. Understandably, he takes it as an opportunity to learn about more than just literature. His childhood friend drags him into joining the Literature Club, which just happens to be full of cute girls. You play as the bland male protagonist who could use some excitement in his life.
It’s something familiar to anime trope lovers across the internet.
High school horrorĪs advertised, Doki Doki Literature Club! starts as your typical high school romance. It scares players with the stark contrast between its first two arcs and warns them to watch their step as they click through the dialogue. Creator Dan Salvato told Kotaku that he took inspiration from “things that are scary because they make you uncomfortable, not because they shove scary-looking things in your face.” Doki Doki Literature Club! faithfully follows his description as it establishes a norm that it pulls out from under your feet. However, I didn’t know how it was a horror game until I experienced it for myself. I played Doki Doki Literature Club to celebrate Halloween because I knew it was a horror game.
