Best Adventure & Visual Novel Games of 2021
Second Runner-Up: Doki Doki Literature Club Plus
Editor-in-Chief Ed McGlone: There was no way that Doki Doki Literature Club was going to fly under our radar for a second time. While we may have caught on too late when it first stealth released on PC late in 2017, the Plus version of the classic horror game definitely drew our attention, but for a different reason than the original game.
While the original game (packaged in of course into this edition) was known for its shocking psychological horror, the new Plus content showed off Dan Salvato and his team’s writing chops instead. There is no horror to be found in the side stories featured in Doki Doki Literature Club Plus.
Instead, all you get is wholesome and emotional interactions between each of the Dokis. Not only are the character’s backstories (which are set to take place before the events of the main story) far more fleshed out, but they will also make you feel some deep emotions, as they touch on very common problems that many of us have to face in our lives, and handles these tough issues with grace and care.
Combined with the neat new PC desktop presentation that allows console users to get in on the fun of playing with files in the original game, Doki Doki Literature Club Plus is an excellent console port, and certainly one of the best visual novel experiences for 2021.
