Secret Level? What’s That?

Yes!  This “Secret Level” article will be the start of a series of articles that were written back when Gamer Things was called Pixelfame, and were never uploaded.  I have dozens of these still in my Google Drive, just waiting to be published, and what better way to give them life as secret levels!  These will also be revised and edited for today’s audience.

This first secret level is very special to me, as depending on what is considered a video game, the game being discussed could be considered my favorite game of all time!

Doki Doki Literature Club: Original Review (little/no spoilers)

I remember almost every experience that I have had with this game, down to the day I downloaded and played it.  The only thing that I really can’t remember, was the person who recommended it to me.  In short, Doki Doki Literature Club changed my life.  Whether it was for the better or worse, I’m not sure, but I love this game.  It is a literary masterpiece. 

One day, when schools teach video games as part of literature courses, this game will be praised as a masterpiece along with most of the Final Fantasy series and spin-offs, the Chrono series, and the Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (and probably others that I haven’t played yet).

The game is a typical visual novel in which the main character, a generic Japanese high school otaku, is convinced to visit the literature club at his school by his childhood friend, Sayori.  The main character then meets the other members of the literature club, Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika.  Upon realizing that the club is full of girls, he decides to join the club.

The story progresses through there, but in between club meetings, the player is asked to write poetry.  This is done through a minigame in which the player selects words from a list to try to impress certain characters by using different writing styles.  It is easy to figure out how to skew the game in the direction you want it to go in.

First Time Player Advice

I can’t say nearly anything else besides telling you to play this game right now.  Simply googling the game can give you spoilers.  This game is extremely story heavy and every detail that this game gives to the player impacts the story in some way.  It’s also free! The direct link to the game’s website will be at the end of this article.  Unless you fear the warnings given by the website, I highly recommend anyone who reads this article to play this game. 

Anyone who can read and appreciate a good piece of literature can get something out of this game, whether you are a gamer, an anime fan, literary enthusiast, or none of the above.  It is only 3-5 hours long, depending on how fast you read.  If you decide to play this game, know the following:

• This game is slow to start, but keep pushing through
• This game is a reading/story game; don’t skip through
• This game gets suggestive, but doesn’t go to the levels it might appear to go to
• If you are sensitive to dark subjects, have someone to talk to who has played this game, (the DDLC Reddit page is great and friendly!)
• DON’T STOP PLAYING UNTIL THE CREDITS ROLL!

If any of this hasn’t piqued your interest, click on the link or links below.  I will end off with this: if this game had more “game” to it, I would consider it my favorite game of all time.  However, I do consider this my favorite piece of literature of all time.

Game: https://ddlc.moe

Post Scriptum:

When I first wrote this article, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus hadn’t been announced yet.  The fact that the game is being advertised meant that this game’s original surprise would be spoiled.  Though this review doesn’t mention it, this is a horror game in disguise.

The game’s creator, Dan Salvato, said that the reason he originally made the game free was to make sure gamers didn’t feel ripped off when they realized that this was a horror game rather than a dating sim.  However, to preserve the conservation of literature, the main review will continue to not mention horror. (Also, I didn’t choose the featured image, I just wrote the review.)