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far better coding learning platforms have that gamified programming in a lot better way, from looking at the low effort use of ai art and shitty UI, it seems like they have cut alot of corners, bet your ass they did the same with the actual course side and just chat gpt for most of the exercises, such a shame you are advertising such low effort scam
Just wanted to let you know that a deep dive into the development of Indika might make for a great video. Likely would be fascinating research/interviews and the visual and game elements in the game would probably be so fun to bounce off of for the "look" of your video. The subject matter of the game is a bit dark though but I found the game super impressive and immediately impressionable upon finishing.
@@aokyoutsuki7744 some of the greatest pieces of meta fiction are written by people that, if you see how they're playing with themes and archetypes, clearly hate either the genre or the fans that they're writing for, maybe even both. DDLCis a prime example of this, as are Danganronpa, Attack on Titan and Pathologic. those are the ones that i know of. i'm sure there are plenty more.
I didnt know that people thought it was a cynical parody of visual novels or something. I when I heard about it it came across to me like a neat visual novel with a cool horror twist
i wonder if part of why people falsely claimed it as one was because they themselves hated visual novels and wanted to stand out, be the cool kids who like the Cool Mean Satire and not that "mushy bullcrap with no substance". most people who arent familiar with the visual novel genre often see it as a "lesser" kind of video game compared to FPSes or RPGs, especially considering most VNs (that westerners hear about, at least) are seemingly cutesy love stories, and liking something "lesser" is seen as Loser Activity(tm). the veil of satire, even if not applicable at all here, protects them from having earnestly engaged with something they think will make them look lame. some also call DDLC a subversion of the genre, and while i agree it does do some very unique things (like the gamefiles being a thing you HAVE to mess with to complete the story), there are tons of visual novels that tackle dark and depressing subjects, even moreso than DDLC, but they just aren't translated to other languages too often or are very small indie projects that don't hit it as big. the youtube channel Amelie Doree discusses many games like this, so if anyone reading this comment had their interest piqued by the concept of MORE VNs about messed up things, please give her videos a try!
I think most people can easily perceive that the game was meant to be satire of common romance slice of life VN tropes in order lower your guard to hit you hard with the deep psychological horror, but some people mistakenly attribute the satire aspect to a disdain for VNs. That's likely where the issue lies.
Monika is just the normal way of spelling the Name here in Germany, so I am surprised to learn it has an element of parody/satire in it for native English speakers :D
I'm SO glad that people are starting to recognize that DDLC ISN'T a completely spiteful satire of visual novels and Dan Salvato made the game out of a love for what the genre can accomplish. I'm especially happy that you mentioned Tsukihime by name, since fighting games (namely Melty Blood) led him to Tsukihime and VNs in general. He's even read through Fate/Stay Night (which is more than I can say for some Fate fans tbh) and Witch on the Holy Night. Too often, I see people say that Dan was just an FGC player who hated VNs and made Doki Doki Literature Club out of hate for the medium rather than him wanting to use the genre for genuine storytelling like he experienced with Tsukihime. He also thinks Akiha is best girl, which...I can respect.
The sentiment that satire always comes from a place of hate and lack of understanding is wrong in and of itself. To properly deconstruct, pull apart, criticise, analyse and push a work in new ways requires someone with a firm understanding on its tropes, strengths and weaknesses. That can't come from a place without some passion and love. It takes a big fan to be able to understand something so well as to make a good satire of it.
@@iamLI3 Given that the message of the game from what I remember was "people are allowed to like things no matter the genre" I am more so confused as to how these people even got to that conclusion to begin with.
IDK, the writing of DDLC felt kinda condescending - like "making fun" of these underage waifus and their effusive infatuation with the main character while playing all the anime tropes completely straight. It came across to me as lazy parody and overall mean spirited (especially considering the psychological horror plotline undermines a lot of character motivations and mental health issues explored in the first act, which makes the shock factor of those moments feel exploitative). This was the first time I'd heard of Salvato's deeper love for the genre, and it honestly surprises me to hear him be so genuine. The game read to me at the time like a confession from a self-hating weeb.
I'm actually part of this game's modding community. While a lot of people still use this sprite system, a lot of us have been slowly using layeredimage a lot more. Basically the same thing, except instead of using pre-made expressions, we just have a blank facebase with individual eyes, mouths, and eyebrows to mix and match.
I love how the title has slowly gotten more and more true over time. “How DDLC was made and why it made the creator miserable” “How DDLC was made and why its release made the creator miserable” “How DDLC was made and why its release caused misery”
Hi! I wrote the interview with Dan from PC Invasion that was used as a reference! I loved DDLC after I played it so much when I emailed Dan for the interview I didn’t think he’d respond. But he was super easy to talk to and a genuinely nice guy. I’m glad to see people are still talking about and loving this amazing game!
Awesome, that was a great interview! Lots of valuable details from that one that ended up in the video. Dan really seems like a good guy so I'm glad to hear you had a great experience with him!
What I love about doki doki literature club is the ending you get after finishing the game and you get a small note from dan salvato, its so heartwarming and you can tell that he loved the game and wanted people to enjoy it and be comfortable with playing games.
The idea well there's alot but one of the big one's he was aiming for was to share your relationships with fictional characters, Part of Monika's character is representing the people that says (It's just fictional characters who cares?) while the player represents the people that have a special connections to the characters and relate to them as if they were real people! Like the Sayori lovers or Yuri lovers that cried during they're death scene's
i played this game for the first time earlier this year! thought it was fascinating as hell lol. love all the little details that were worked in, like how monika is the only character who doesn’t break eye contact with the player throughout the game
10:43 one moment i like that shows this and monika breaking the 4th wall is when natsuki makes a pun with fish (at least i think (forgive me it’s been so long since i’ve played this game)) and monika’s name which would only make sense in japanese, and monika points that out
It was with a squid. "ika" means "squid" in Japanese, so she was calling Monika "Mon-squid". That's why Monika points out that the pun makes no sense in translation, because the characters are in-universe speaking Japanese, but meta-wise are speaking English.
This is so interesting! I always love to explore the different concept arts, scrapped ideas, development challenges of various medias. And while i knew most about DDLC, i had no idea Dan turned down the idea of adapting the story into, what could've been a very successful manga, just to stay truthful to his beliefs Wishing him all the best to his new projects moving forward! And subbing to you in the meantime ^-^
Kind of surprised about this. I adore the game, and I still carry around the Literature Club card (that you get for preordering) on my wallet. Hope to see more of his work in the future.
I’m making a Japanese learning game on my channel, and as a guy married in Japan with 3 kids (for more than 10 years), I’ve never played a visual novel game. I’m just not into anime girls, and the sounds they make. Death Note, Code Guess and Baki are my favorites, but with games, probably survival RPGs. Thanks for the amazing videos Glen. Light
Time really flies by... I remember how popular this game was back in 2018 with the amount of people telling their own stories about how this game impacted their psyche. It is one of the most unique psychological horror games out there! 😇
Especially when people would include the music into their fan animations...Gees, I didn't realize how successful it was until I watched a longplay of it. But seeing the characters near the point where it knew the PC User's files reminded me a lot of how TatsHorrorVids mentioned how "Eternal Darkness" did a similar thing by reading the player's memory cards and such. Which, seeing video game characters being sentient in their own digital world compared to our world made it feel fascinating to say the least.
The first time I played DDLC my PC died of a power supply failure a week after beating the game. I like to think of that failure as having been caused by Monika messing around with system files.
I am so happy you made a video about the development process of Doki Doki Literature Club! since it doesn't seem like a lot of people acknowledge Team Salvato's amazing efforts and dedication (or should I say passion?) into making an innocent looking horror game that makes you feel like you're really a part of the experience/the in-game universe. Especially in a visual novel style which (successful) horror games never use/used. Every action feels like you're contributing to another character's demise with every option seeming like the wrong one. This video made me want to re-play DDLC again and I'm glad I did! I finished it in one session and I am currently writing this after I did. Thanks for uploading this great video and thanks for reminding me of this game's existence.
It's rare anyone goes through the effort to make something good just to say "look at how crappy it is." Even if Dan didn't love VNs as much as he seems to, it would clearly be coming from a place of appreciation and criticism. Again, no one is going to put that much effort into something they genuinely don't like. There's clearly some kind of passion.
I love your videos! As a creator, learning about the development of these projects is very inspiring. I always watch your videos, even if I haven't heard of the game before. You've actually introduced me to some of my favorites! Keep it up!
loved this breakdown! ddlc is one of my favorite games, i replay it at least once a year. i remember the absolute chills i got at the major turning point. thank you for the reminder, i should replay it again :D
Can never get enough of your vids. They really inspire me and I listen often when trying to make ideas for my own indie projects. Especially listening to Ddlc as a visual novel maker myself and trying to learn Renpy.
You miss the fact that the plotwist of doki doki of Monika is the same of the visual novel "YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story" (Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi) what comes in japan in 2013.
At some point, a genre exists for long enough that all subversions, deconstructions and satires already exist. That doesn't mean any new one can't be great.
I'm so glad they are still working on more games, all this time I hoped they did not abandon Project Libitina, and seeing how it was also in DDLC and DDLC+, it could look like it might be in their vision still. Great documentary.
Something like THAT… can only be made in time. I think it’s more likely that we may receive another ARG before that, and the game will finally release once it’s solved.
@@JacksonVoet Considering how long Doki was in the making, maybe it's not unnatural to see it's still not done, but I guess I just lost hope that they are working on anything related.
Great video, thanks again. Love the mix of content you create and keeps it reaaly fresh ☺️ The creator really came across as such a grounded, thoughtful guy and the fact he chose to not sell out big makes me respect him more. Cheers Glen..
Amazing! You take such care to match all your video elements to the game you're covering and it adds so much to each video and also makes your content very iconic!
My pleasure, thank you for all the kind words! I’m glad people appreciate that aspect of my videos, it takes a lot of work each time but it keeps things interesting for myself and I love making each and every one of them!
There were so many Easter Eggs hidden in the games code that hinted at that there was another story going on. As much as I loved DDLC I can't help but feel a bit frustrated that I won't get to learn what this second story was going to be about.
Definitely never got the impression he hated the genre. The parodied tropes always felt like they were written out of a love for the quirks of the genre.
@@ThatGuyGlen that would be dope. also been playing cyber shadow recently and its somewhat similar, but try to do different things but have the same inspiration being nija gaiden. maybe doing both could be an idea?
"I don't understand why people would think that 'parody' means a spiteful rendition of the medium" Why am I seeing this sentiment in the comments so much? It should be obvious why, especially at the time, a "parody" of a genre, was going to be seen as a spiteful, hate driven, project. 2018, we had several "parody" VNs that ranged from things that either completely misunderstood the genre, to mocking the people who enjoyed the genre. This is far more apparent when you see western cartoons jazzing on anime using tropes for cheap laughs. Or just completely misunderstanding why people like anime in the first place (hint: it's not just an art style difference). DDLC, without knowing the background or the creator and seeing it strictly blind outside of marketing materials, just reeks of "westerner doesn't understand genre, makes parody horror". I don't blame him for this, and I don't blame the people who look at it with that lens. I do blame the devs of said "parody" VNs that decided to defecate in the pool though.
When I first read your comment my reaction was to disagree but after re reading I think I agree actually. DDLC doesn't do much to show the creator is passionate about the genre, it feels like satire meant to poke fun.
It also doesnt help that a lot of DDLC fans gassed it up as this godly masterful never-before-seen deconstruction of VNs and Dating Sims, which only makes sense to think if you dont actually have much familiarity with them. "The characters seem like common tropes at first, but actually have DEPTH" is praise i have seen WAY too much coming from the kind of DDLC fans that have never read another VN before. Hell, when Totono finally got localized, there were people who accused it of being a DDLC clone.. Even though it came first. And did a lot of the things they laud DDLC for much better by actually being willing to engage with the aspects of the genre that western audiences find unpalatable and look down on. I dont hate DDLC, but the way western players treat it like a golden cow hasnt done it any favors. In my best faith reading of the game, its a meta narrative that uses the AESTHETICS of Dating Sim and VN deconstruction as a framing device, without actually saying much about VNs and Dating Sims specifically that isnt kind of surface level. Its a good meta narrative, but its not the deconstructive masterpiece its treated as. Its immense success is mostly due to giving the illusion of grand deconstruction to an audience that only has limited experience with the medium due to both preconceived notions and language barrier, and being clean and palatable enough to not drive away the kinda people who look down on VNs for being "degenerate". This is very much an issue with western audiences that wouldve occured either way and cant be blamed solely on Salvato (though i do think DDLC very much feels like a game based on a very western view of VNs, even if its one that appreciates them.), but it very much gives me complicated feelings about it.
Did not expect him to be a fan and of akiha of all girls. That's because ddlc is kinda shallow and there's a much better vn with the same concepts, You and me and her a love story (totono). His idea of vns always being chained to certain tropes reads like someone who only read the popular ones and stopped there because the genre is absolutely insane and full of unique ground breaking shit with trope breaking. It's just frequently not for the faint of heart in its subjects.
This game fucked me up for a few weeks after playing. I was in high school at the time and I was depressed. I played this since it seemed cute and while I did see the tags of horror on the steam page, I do know people can often meme the tags into unrelated categories. There was also the content warning at the start but I didnt expect what it was going to be. I was thinking maybe a murderer or something, zombies maybe if it goes more campy. I did not expect the whole Sayori plotline and it hit me in the gut so hard since I felt like I chose the wrong options (when no. It was always going to end like that) and it messed me up emotionally for a bit
I share these videos with all my boys, they’re so good and high quality. Seriously think this channel could snowball its way to 1 million subs with enough time. Definitely deserves it
Honestly I think ddlc is like a 4/10 that isn't nearly as groundbreaking as certain people who aren't that deep in the visual novel genre make it out to be but it certainly is a well crafted game and I think it was an interesting attempt at trying to make something that could of been much better than it is and im glad so many people got something out of it.
DDLC felt like both a love letter to Visual Novels and the showcasing of future possibilities of what this format of storytelling can achieve. Huge respect to Dan Salvato
Has this video changed it's thumbnail like 4 times or is my memory actually bad enough that I forget what the thumbnail to this video looks like every time i see it?
Doki Doki Literature Club was the first game I ever played. Video games were banned in my house when I was kid and Anime frowned upon, so I suppose it was a little rebellion of mine. I have played many games since but none will ever compare to DDLC as it's so special to me.
This is the only visual novel i ever played and probably will (if VA-11 Hall-A does not count) and i loved it. If Salvato makes another visual novel i will seriously consider playing it.
I really like DDLC but I think that it couldve been scarier if the CGs for the hororr scenes didnt exist and instead you only had text explain the scene. When you see the CG it always felt like the scene was always supposed ti exist while having an explainaiton of the scene while sething else is being shown makesnit feel like somebody is manipulating the game for their own goal. It would look like the game is supposed to be normal but somebody else is editing it for an unknown reason. To me its like Monika was editing the story to have the girls kill themselves but she somewhat loses her pacience and causes a few problems during the suicide of Sayori andnjust stops putting effort in her work. Which leads to the next scenes lacking polish (like the room where we talk with Monika in the end is a pre-existing background with the second layer changed with another image.
hi! i just wanted to say i really enjoy your videos; i absolutely love hearing about the history, influences, and development process behind specific video games. i really appreciate how well researched and concise these videos are; i haven't been interested in longer form content recently but your videos always manage to keep me interested. keep it going!!!
My favorite part of doki doki is pressing down b, jumping out of it frame 4, pressing down and to the side and R at the same time, pressing down b, jumping out of it frame 4, pressing down and to the side and R at the same time, and smashing up on the c stick
It just me or after playing the original ddlc it left me an desire to see more of the 4 characters in other histories. I would love to see them in a actual official animation beboot or something like that.
I'm still convinced that Dan just ripped off "Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi", and just hoped nobody would notice since it didn't have an English release yet.
First, Totono DOES have a english release and people "noticied" before it got one Second, Totono's twist is hardly anything original either so you cant really say he stole it
I got this game day one by happenstance not realizing what kind of game it actually was. Ill say I was completely caught off guard half-way through... but I loved it!!!!
I hope his team isn't too discouraged, with great success always comes great haters of course, and the english speaking visual novel community can be harsh, especially towards original English language visual novels produced by individuals or very small teams on tight budgets. A lot of japanese visual novels get the benefit of having established studios and industry professionals who've sold games for years, so it's common to hear a lot of scrutiny towards smaller teams that it's "cheap" or not as good. I think it would be funny if Dan Salvato read the english translation of YOU and ME and HER/Totono sometime, I think he might enjoy it lol since it gets compared to DDLC so often. But I hope the harsh criticisms of the visual novel community don't deter him--I mean I've been in it myself, folks can be downright mean about petty things in any large enough community.
Great video. I do feel like the title was a bit clickbait though since there's nothing in the video stating that Dan doesn't want to make games anymore.
Thank you so much for making a video on this game!! Banger as always hahahahah, freaking love learning more about the behind the scenes of these really cool pieces of media, some of which are my favourites of all time, and yet something that I haven't given much thought to them for each one :P so it's always surprising somehow Edit: some feedback about the title, I kinda think the one where it said "and why it will never be adapted" was the most interesting and captivating, but you probably have the back-end insights about whether that's true for wider audiences or not hahahahah
DDLC is honestly a love letter to visual novels, not a satire of it (well, atleast not completely?) Tbh I think that’s why it’s stayed so relevant, because if it were just a satire it wouldnt have been as good.
Pose thing is kinda genius, is it common with novel making? Since I've seen only 5 faces and 1-2 poses(usually just clothes variations) in files of a couple Ren'Py games, it seems like Dan's method was quite impressive.
The question in the title is unanswered though, except for an indication that Dan and his team is still overwhelmed by DDLC success and they are afraid to make a newer game due to high expectations. It is understandable, though, that his concept of the game itself is not really about the story, but about how tinkering with the technology and the trend of otaku at the time. A visual novel that seems like a malware with its own "AI" is ahead of its time. However, the tech behind visual novel making, which drives so many indie VN maker to make VNs, is no longer a hype. Nowadays, 3D games (e.g. Genshin) and many others (including 2D strategy mobage e.g. Arknights and Path To Nowhere) had incorporated VN elements but successful due to the gameplay other than the VN style. However, the horror element of a living AI inside the game is not so much replicated by many games, as far as I know.
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far better coding learning platforms have that gamified programming in a lot better way, from looking at the low effort use of ai art and shitty UI, it seems like they have cut alot of corners, bet your ass they did the same with the actual course side and just chat gpt for most of the exercises, such a shame you are advertising such low effort scam
Can you do a deep dive on the epic battle fantasy series?
Woah
silence brand
Just wanted to let you know that a deep dive into the development of Indika might make for a great video. Likely would be fascinating research/interviews and the visual and game elements in the game would probably be so fun to bounce off of for the "look" of your video. The subject matter of the game is a bit dark though but I found the game super impressive and immediately impressionable upon finishing.
I played through 'Doki Doki' several times and I've never once felt like the creator hated VN's. In fact I felt like he loved them.
same
I would say there was some love/hate relationship going on.
You know, some people cant bother digging deeper than surface level, and especially those who arent even in the niche, you see this alot
@@aokyoutsuki7744 some of the greatest pieces of meta fiction are written by people that, if you see how they're playing with themes and archetypes, clearly hate either the genre or the fans that they're writing for, maybe even both. DDLCis a prime example of this, as are Danganronpa, Attack on Titan and Pathologic. those are the ones that i know of. i'm sure there are plenty more.
@@aokyoutsuki7744 I saw a remix of the tsukihime theme on his main channel in fact its still there. Its called Tohno Lyfe
I didnt know that people thought it was a cynical parody of visual novels or something. I when I heard about it it came across to me like a neat visual novel with a cool horror twist
i wonder if part of why people falsely claimed it as one was because they themselves hated visual novels and wanted to stand out, be the cool kids who like the Cool Mean Satire and not that "mushy bullcrap with no substance".
most people who arent familiar with the visual novel genre often see it as a "lesser" kind of video game compared to FPSes or RPGs, especially considering most VNs (that westerners hear about, at least) are seemingly cutesy love stories, and liking something "lesser" is seen as Loser Activity(tm). the veil of satire, even if not applicable at all here, protects them from having earnestly engaged with something they think will make them look lame.
some also call DDLC a subversion of the genre, and while i agree it does do some very unique things (like the gamefiles being a thing you HAVE to mess with to complete the story), there are tons of visual novels that tackle dark and depressing subjects, even moreso than DDLC, but they just aren't translated to other languages too often or are very small indie projects that don't hit it as big. the youtube channel Amelie Doree discusses many games like this, so if anyone reading this comment had their interest piqued by the concept of MORE VNs about messed up things, please give her videos a try!
There's been so many kinds of adventure / visual novels through history and DDLC is far from the first meta horror one.
@Weremole i agree. It's just that DDLC ended up going mainstream. Fun fact: Dan Salvato became aware of totono halfway through ddlc's development
Those same people when on to hate the side stories for not being scary
I think most people can easily perceive that the game was meant to be satire of common romance slice of life VN tropes in order lower your guard to hit you hard with the deep psychological horror, but some people mistakenly attribute the satire aspect to a disdain for VNs. That's likely where the issue lies.
Monika is just the normal way of spelling the Name here in Germany, so I am surprised to learn it has an element of parody/satire in it for native English speakers :D
Same in Poland
Same in Indonesia
I always thought it was the normal spelling because of ddlc
Wait I’m native English and from England I thought Monika was correct😭
I am your regular American but I only know Monikas, not Monicas. Maybe it’s just me.
I'm SO glad that people are starting to recognize that DDLC ISN'T a completely spiteful satire of visual novels and Dan Salvato made the game out of a love for what the genre can accomplish. I'm especially happy that you mentioned Tsukihime by name, since fighting games (namely Melty Blood) led him to Tsukihime and VNs in general. He's even read through Fate/Stay Night (which is more than I can say for some Fate fans tbh) and Witch on the Holy Night. Too often, I see people say that Dan was just an FGC player who hated VNs and made Doki Doki Literature Club out of hate for the medium rather than him wanting to use the genre for genuine storytelling like he experienced with Tsukihime. He also thinks Akiha is best girl, which...I can respect.
I tried to do my due diligence! Dan seems like a really cool and kindhearted person.
The sentiment that satire always comes from a place of hate and lack of understanding is wrong in and of itself.
To properly deconstruct, pull apart, criticise, analyse and push a work in new ways requires someone with a firm understanding on its tropes, strengths and weaknesses. That can't come from a place without some passion and love. It takes a big fan to be able to understand something so well as to make a good satire of it.
that's how i've always seen it from the start , i didn't even know there were ppl who though ddlc is spiteful....
@@iamLI3 Given that the message of the game from what I remember was "people are allowed to like things no matter the genre" I am more so confused as to how these people even got to that conclusion to begin with.
IDK, the writing of DDLC felt kinda condescending - like "making fun" of these underage waifus and their effusive infatuation with the main character while playing all the anime tropes completely straight. It came across to me as lazy parody and overall mean spirited (especially considering the psychological horror plotline undermines a lot of character motivations and mental health issues explored in the first act, which makes the shock factor of those moments feel exploitative).
This was the first time I'd heard of Salvato's deeper love for the genre, and it honestly surprises me to hear him be so genuine. The game read to me at the time like a confession from a self-hating weeb.
The sprite system is INSANE like that’s truly next level and I’m gonna need to use it for my own game
It was a lifesaver for Dan so implementing it for your own project seems like the right move!
isn't that how most games do sprites?
whats ur game about?
most vns have modular sprites, its just the most efficient way to go about making 100+ similar sprites
I'm actually part of this game's modding community. While a lot of people still use this sprite system, a lot of us have been slowly using layeredimage a lot more. Basically the same thing, except instead of using pre-made expressions, we just have a blank facebase with individual eyes, mouths, and eyebrows to mix and match.
I love how the title has slowly gotten more and more true over time.
“How DDLC was made and why it made the creator miserable”
“How DDLC was made and why its release made the creator miserable”
“How DDLC was made and why its release caused misery”
"How Doki Doki Literature Club! Was Made and Why it Will Never be Adapted" atm lol
@@pontus_011that's the best one imo
DDLC never caused misery it might be adapted just gottta wait till how ddlc was made and why it made the world insane
Why does it change so much lol
Now it's "Inside the Mind of Dan Salvato: How Doki Doki Literature Club! Was Made"
@SofieArts now its something new entirely lmao i have no idea why
Hi! I wrote the interview with Dan from PC Invasion that was used as a reference! I loved DDLC after I played it so much when I emailed Dan for the interview I didn’t think he’d respond. But he was super easy to talk to and a genuinely nice guy. I’m glad to see people are still talking about and loving this amazing game!
Awesome, that was a great interview! Lots of valuable details from that one that ended up in the video. Dan really seems like a good guy so I'm glad to hear you had a great experience with him!
What I love about doki doki literature club is the ending you get after finishing the game and you get a small note from dan salvato, its so heartwarming and you can tell that he loved the game and wanted people to enjoy it and be comfortable with playing games.
The idea well there's alot but one of the big one's he was aiming for was to share your relationships with fictional characters, Part of Monika's character is representing the people that says (It's just fictional characters who cares?) while the player represents the people that have a special connections to the characters and relate to them as if they were real people!
Like the Sayori lovers or Yuri lovers that cried during they're death scene's
12:31 I love the little dialogue boxes here they just add so much flair to the video!
It was really fun to work with DDLC’s style and look!
i played this game for the first time earlier this year! thought it was fascinating as hell lol. love all the little details that were worked in, like how monika is the only character who doesn’t break eye contact with the player throughout the game
10:43 one moment i like that shows this and monika breaking the 4th wall is when natsuki makes a pun with fish (at least i think (forgive me it’s been so long since i’ve played this game)) and monika’s name which would only make sense in japanese, and monika points that out
It was with a squid. "ika" means "squid" in Japanese, so she was calling Monika "Mon-squid". That's why Monika points out that the pun makes no sense in translation, because the characters are in-universe speaking Japanese, but meta-wise are speaking English.
There are two types of comments
>Detailed analysis of the video/facts
>Smash
>Just Monika
Smash
@@Nameless-ny8nk*Celeste
D-Sides ptsd*
I'm not seeing any "Smash" comments. Maybe ThatGuyGlen is deleting them or something. unless you're refering to Project M.
smash
This is so interesting! I always love to explore the different concept arts, scrapped ideas, development challenges of various medias.
And while i knew most about DDLC, i had no idea Dan turned down the idea of adapting the story into, what could've been a very successful manga, just to stay truthful to his beliefs
Wishing him all the best to his new projects moving forward!
And subbing to you in the meantime ^-^
Always awesome to see a fellow creator in the comments :D Glad I was able to showcase something new about its development!
I never thought this game was made by a Competitive pro smash player That's kind of funny to me
It’s crazy that this game is almost 7 years ago, I still remember those days
I had no idea people thought he didnt like visual novels. Thats akin to saying everyone who worked on Madoka Magica hates magical girls.
Not everyone but I wouldn't be suprised if Urobuchi in particular did lol
Went to go subscribe after watching. Was already subbed.. thought to myself "I got good taste"
Same lmao
Kind of surprised about this.
I adore the game, and I still carry around the Literature Club card (that you get for preordering) on my wallet.
Hope to see more of his work in the future.
Oh my gosh I didnt know you get a card from pre ordering?! So jelly!
Doki Doki Literature Club became one of my favorite games because of how it was different. It’s something made with love and had an impact on me.
I’m making a Japanese learning game on my channel, and as a guy married in Japan with 3 kids (for more than 10 years), I’ve never played a visual novel game.
I’m just not into anime girls, and the sounds they make. Death Note, Code Guess and Baki are my favorites, but with games, probably survival RPGs.
Thanks for the amazing videos Glen. Light
My pleasure, glad to hear you enjoy them!
Ah, looks like you fell for this old bait and switch
@@RockinRocketScience you know the game is about annoying anime girls right 🤣🤣
@@skld-xm Oh no, I was talking about his marriage. Not the anime stuff.
Just Monika...Just Monika...Just Monika...Just Monika...Just Monika...Just Monika
I'm so glad you're joining the literature club
Dont let sayori cosplay herself
Mindbroken
Hej hej Monika, hej på dig Monika
Just Monika.
Time really flies by... I remember how popular this game was back in 2018 with the amount of people telling their own stories about how this game impacted their psyche. It is one of the most unique psychological horror games out there! 😇
Especially when people would include the music into their fan animations...Gees, I didn't realize how successful it was until I watched a longplay of it. But seeing the characters near the point where it knew the PC User's files reminded me a lot of how TatsHorrorVids mentioned how "Eternal Darkness" did a similar thing by reading the player's memory cards and such. Which, seeing video game characters being sentient in their own digital world compared to our world made it feel fascinating to say the least.
The first time I played DDLC my PC died of a power supply failure a week after beating the game.
I like to think of that failure as having been caused by Monika messing around with system files.
DDLC is one of my favorite games, and likely my favorite horror game (though I love FNAF too). I’m so glad you made a video on it!
It's been on my list for a while so I'm glad I finally got around to it!
I am so happy you made a video about the development process of Doki Doki Literature Club! since it doesn't seem like a lot of people acknowledge Team Salvato's amazing efforts and dedication (or should I say passion?) into making an innocent looking horror game that makes you feel like you're really a part of the experience/the in-game universe. Especially in a visual novel style which (successful) horror games never use/used. Every action feels like you're contributing to another character's demise with every option seeming like the wrong one. This video made me want to re-play DDLC again and I'm glad I did! I finished it in one session and I am currently writing this after I did. Thanks for uploading this great video and thanks for reminding me of this game's existence.
My pleasure, glad to hear you enjoyed the video!
It's rare anyone goes through the effort to make something good just to say "look at how crappy it is." Even if Dan didn't love VNs as much as he seems to, it would clearly be coming from a place of appreciation and criticism. Again, no one is going to put that much effort into something they genuinely don't like. There's clearly some kind of passion.
I love your videos! As a creator, learning about the development of these projects is very inspiring. I always watch your videos, even if I haven't heard of the game before. You've actually introduced me to some of my favorites! Keep it up!
Awesome to hear that! I’m glad to hear you’re discovering more games, there’s so many more I want to cover!
Babe wake up, glen just posted another banger
I'm still obsessed with this game
loved this breakdown! ddlc is one of my favorite games, i replay it at least once a year. i remember the absolute chills i got at the major turning point. thank you for the reminder, i should replay it again :D
Glad to hear you enjoyed it!
As someone making a game I can confirm Every video game is made in a doki doki panic
Underrated comment
(at the time of me typing this)
Didn’t know Dan salvato was chill like that 2:25
Glen out here making one of the best internet culture documentation out here, amazing work
Much appreciated!
the program used to create the original designs for the dokis is called IIcharacter Alpha
Can never get enough of your vids. They really inspire me and I listen often when trying to make ideas for my own indie projects. Especially listening to Ddlc as a visual novel maker myself and trying to learn Renpy.
Glad to hear they serve as inspiration for you! And good luck with your indie projects!
You miss the fact that the plotwist of doki doki of Monika is the same of the visual novel "YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story" (Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi) what comes in japan in 2013.
"I'm talking to YOU."
Okay? it's not that unique of an idea.
At some point, a genre exists for long enough that all subversions, deconstructions and satires already exist. That doesn't mean any new one can't be great.
Doki Doki Literature Club: porn Edition
Thanks for sharing
A bit of nitpicking:
- Yume Nikki, "me" is pronounced similar to "may".
- 6:13 Inscryption was launched after Dokidoki.
damn this editing style is really good nice job dude
Much appreciated!
I'm so glad they are still working on more games, all this time I hoped they did not abandon Project Libitina, and seeing how it was also in DDLC and DDLC+, it could look like it might be in their vision still.
Great documentary.
Thanks, glad you liked it!
Something like THAT… can only be made in time. I think it’s more likely that we may receive another ARG before that, and the game will finally release once it’s solved.
@@JacksonVoet Whatchu mean like "THAT"? That grandiose of a project, or deep, well thought hidden encoded secrets, or something else specific?
@@srgmatrix6970 Super complicated and lore rich, as well as well hidden.
@@JacksonVoet Considering how long Doki was in the making, maybe it's not unnatural to see it's still not done, but I guess I just lost hope that they are working on anything related.
A timeline of DDLC character designs from “2000s online visual novel sprite maker” to “Final product” would be a really nice visual to look at.
i dont get the "Why The Creator Couldn't Make Games Anymore" part of the title because thats objectively untrue
Yeah, same here. Even this video covers that Dan Salvato/Team Salvato is working on future stuff. Title seems misleading
i believe that ddlc could be adapted into a animated tv show like seiren with the same story over and over but with a different heroin
heroin lmao
Great video, thanks again. Love the mix of content you create and keeps it reaaly fresh ☺️ The creator really came across as such a grounded, thoughtful guy and the fact he chose to not sell out big makes me respect him more. Cheers Glen..
My pleasure, thank you for the kind words! And yup, Dan seems like a very level headed and kind person, can’t wait to see what he does next!
I love the extra editing in this one!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I love the game’s rich branding, so many bright colors and other elements to play with. I had a lot of fun making it :D
Always love your content so much, thank you for continuing to work so hard on these
My pleasure, I love making them!
I actually love the writing for sayori, she’s not one of those stereotypical depressed and I actually relate to her a lot
I love the production quality in this game and this video!
Such incredible production quality! As always! Great job!
Much appreciated, glad to hear you enjoyed the video!
Amazing! You take such care to match all your video elements to the game you're covering and it adds so much to each video and also makes your content very iconic!
My pleasure, thank you for all the kind words! I’m glad people appreciate that aspect of my videos, it takes a lot of work each time but it keeps things interesting for myself and I love making each and every one of them!
What fantastic editing!! Thank you so much for the video and putting all this information here, wrapped in a neat bow! Shoutouts to you.
Definitely did not expect to see "Executive Producers: LSplash" in the credits
There were so many Easter Eggs hidden in the games code that hinted at that there was another story going on. As much as I loved DDLC I can't help but feel a bit frustrated that I won't get to learn what this second story was going to be about.
Definitely never got the impression he hated the genre. The parodied tropes always felt like they were written out of a love for the quirks of the genre.
Can you do "How was The Messenger created" in the future? Would love to see that.
That game’s been on my list for a while so I’ll probably get to it one day ;)
@@ThatGuyGlen that would be dope. also been playing cyber shadow recently and its somewhat similar, but try to do different things but have the same inspiration being nija gaiden. maybe doing both could be an idea?
"I don't understand why people would think that 'parody' means a spiteful rendition of the medium" Why am I seeing this sentiment in the comments so much? It should be obvious why, especially at the time, a "parody" of a genre, was going to be seen as a spiteful, hate driven, project. 2018, we had several "parody" VNs that ranged from things that either completely misunderstood the genre, to mocking the people who enjoyed the genre. This is far more apparent when you see western cartoons jazzing on anime using tropes for cheap laughs. Or just completely misunderstanding why people like anime in the first place (hint: it's not just an art style difference). DDLC, without knowing the background or the creator and seeing it strictly blind outside of marketing materials, just reeks of "westerner doesn't understand genre, makes parody horror". I don't blame him for this, and I don't blame the people who look at it with that lens. I do blame the devs of said "parody" VNs that decided to defecate in the pool though.
When I first read your comment my reaction was to disagree but after re reading I think I agree actually. DDLC doesn't do much to show the creator is passionate about the genre, it feels like satire meant to poke fun.
It also doesnt help that a lot of DDLC fans gassed it up as this godly masterful never-before-seen deconstruction of VNs and Dating Sims, which only makes sense to think if you dont actually have much familiarity with them. "The characters seem like common tropes at first, but actually have DEPTH" is praise i have seen WAY too much coming from the kind of DDLC fans that have never read another VN before.
Hell, when Totono finally got localized, there were people who accused it of being a DDLC clone.. Even though it came first. And did a lot of the things they laud DDLC for much better by actually being willing to engage with the aspects of the genre that western audiences find unpalatable and look down on.
I dont hate DDLC, but the way western players treat it like a golden cow hasnt done it any favors. In my best faith reading of the game, its a meta narrative that uses the AESTHETICS of Dating Sim and VN deconstruction as a framing device, without actually saying much about VNs and Dating Sims specifically that isnt kind of surface level. Its a good meta narrative, but its not the deconstructive masterpiece its treated as. Its immense success is mostly due to giving the illusion of grand deconstruction to an audience that only has limited experience with the medium due to both preconceived notions and language barrier, and being clean and palatable enough to not drive away the kinda people who look down on VNs for being "degenerate".
This is very much an issue with western audiences that wouldve occured either way and cant be blamed solely on Salvato (though i do think DDLC very much feels like a game based on a very western view of VNs, even if its one that appreciates them.), but it very much gives me complicated feelings about it.
@@AN6_Miro Spot. On.
Did not expect him to be a fan and of akiha of all girls. That's because ddlc is kinda shallow and there's a much better vn with the same concepts, You and me and her a love story (totono). His idea of vns always being chained to certain tropes reads like someone who only read the popular ones and stopped there because the genre is absolutely insane and full of unique ground breaking shit with trope breaking. It's just frequently not for the faint of heart in its subjects.
Fingers cross, let's hope this video will hit the algorithm!
I'm pretty sure at least one of those visual novels in the end is Project Libitina
i love how much attention this game gets. it’s so satisfying and my favorite out there.
This game fucked me up for a few weeks after playing. I was in high school at the time and I was depressed. I played this since it seemed cute and while I did see the tags of horror on the steam page, I do know people can often meme the tags into unrelated categories. There was also the content warning at the start but I didnt expect what it was going to be. I was thinking maybe a murderer or something, zombies maybe if it goes more campy. I did not expect the whole Sayori plotline and it hit me in the gut so hard since I felt like I chose the wrong options (when no. It was always going to end like that) and it messed me up emotionally for a bit
I share these videos with all my boys, they’re so good and high quality. Seriously think this channel could snowball its way to 1 million subs with enough time. Definitely deserves it
Much appreciated for sharing the video around, you have no idea how much that helps the channel! And thank you for the kind words!
22:27 Of course Omocat was in on this. I shouldn't even be surprised.
Honestly I think ddlc is like a 4/10 that isn't nearly as groundbreaking as certain people who aren't that deep in the visual novel genre make it out to be but it certainly is a well crafted game and I think it was an interesting attempt at trying to make something that could of been much better than it is and im glad so many people got something out of it.
I remember when I thought THIS was the darkest thing I’ve ever seen.
DDLC felt like both a love letter to Visual Novels and the showcasing of future possibilities of what this format of storytelling can achieve. Huge respect to Dan Salvato
Oh, Dan needn't worry about adding content. The modding community has that covered.
W game can't wait to see what teem solvato are cooking up
Are they making something new?
Has this video changed it's thumbnail like 4 times or is my memory actually bad enough that I forget what the thumbnail to this video looks like every time i see it?
Ur not alone
Nah it changed again
The title has changed so many times too.
Mandela Effect?
The character creator usage is such a mood that takes me back, so based for that tbh
Doki Doki Literature Club was the first game I ever played. Video games were banned in my house when I was kid and Anime frowned upon, so I suppose it was a little rebellion of mine. I have played many games since but none will ever compare to DDLC as it's so special to me.
15:26 holy shit that’s so simple yet innovative. Also this video was so informative and well edited. Subbed
Glad to hear you liked it and thank you for subscribing!
This is the only visual novel i ever played and probably will (if VA-11 Hall-A does not count) and i loved it. If Salvato makes another visual novel i will seriously consider playing it.
I really wonder if he's making a second game like he tease before. Its been along time so it must be huge. I hope it's good, if it is being made.
YUME NIKKI MENTIONED
I really like DDLC but I think that it couldve been scarier if the CGs for the hororr scenes didnt exist and instead you only had text explain the scene. When you see the CG it always felt like the scene was always supposed ti exist while having an explainaiton of the scene while sething else is being shown makesnit feel like somebody is manipulating the game for their own goal.
It would look like the game is supposed to be normal but somebody else is editing it for an unknown reason. To me its like Monika was editing the story to have the girls kill themselves but she somewhat loses her pacience and causes a few problems during the suicide of Sayori andnjust stops putting effort in her work. Which leads to the next scenes lacking polish (like the room where we talk with Monika in the end is a pre-existing background with the second layer changed with another image.
hi! i just wanted to say i really enjoy your videos; i absolutely love hearing about the history, influences, and development process behind specific video games. i really appreciate how well researched and concise these videos are; i haven't been interested in longer form content recently but your videos always manage to keep me interested. keep it going!!!
Thank you very much for the kind words, comments like yours keep me motivated!
Love your content, hope you keep it up
Glad to hear you enjoy it!
nice to see the stanley parable and inscryption mentioned as some other good 4th wall breaking games :)
One of my personal favorites!
My favorite part of doki doki is pressing down b, jumping out of it frame 4, pressing down and to the side and R at the same time, pressing down b, jumping out of it frame 4, pressing down and to the side and R at the same time, and smashing up on the c stick
It just me or after playing the original ddlc it left me an desire to see more of the 4 characters in other histories.
I would love to see them in a actual official animation beboot or something like that.
This game changed me now theres no going back to who I was
i have only discovered some people disdain for DDLC few months ago and their arguments were vague and wasn't backed up with anything.
that was an interesting and informative video thank you for making it and sharing it with me
My pleasure, glad you liked it!
Banger vid as always Glen! (I haven't watched it yet)
Hope you enjoy it! ;)
Like i want DDLC to be an actual visual novel romance because i like the characters.
Also that Monika in the thumbnail is something
I'm still convinced that Dan just ripped off "Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi", and just hoped nobody would notice since it didn't have an English release yet.
First, Totono DOES have a english release and people "noticied" before it got one
Second, Totono's twist is hardly anything original either so you cant really say he stole it
I got this game day one by happenstance not realizing what kind of game it actually was. Ill say I was completely caught off guard half-way through... but I loved it!!!!
11:25
As a Polish person, that is a REALLY common name here and it IS written like that dksgalda
Same here in Germany, there’s a theory that everybody at one point had an aunt named Monika
Was about to write that
How is it Dan "Couldn't Make Games Anymore" when he has three projects in development?
Ikr
I hope his team isn't too discouraged, with great success always comes great haters of course, and the english speaking visual novel community can be harsh, especially towards original English language visual novels produced by individuals or very small teams on tight budgets. A lot of japanese visual novels get the benefit of having established studios and industry professionals who've sold games for years, so it's common to hear a lot of scrutiny towards smaller teams that it's "cheap" or not as good.
I think it would be funny if Dan Salvato read the english translation of YOU and ME and HER/Totono sometime, I think he might enjoy it lol since it gets compared to DDLC so often. But I hope the harsh criticisms of the visual novel community don't deter him--I mean I've been in it myself, folks can be downright mean about petty things in any large enough community.
5:24 YUME NIKKI MENTIONED
8:05 That would be optimistic nihilism. Where once you accept nothing matters, you can make your own reason for living.
To me his description sounded more like Stoicism. Only worry about the things you can actually affect in your life.
Realism?
Great video. I do feel like the title was a bit clickbait though since there's nothing in the video stating that Dan doesn't want to make games anymore.
Thank you so much for making a video on this game!! Banger as always hahahahah, freaking love learning more about the behind the scenes of these really cool pieces of media, some of which are my favourites of all time, and yet something that I haven't given much thought to them for each one :P so it's always surprising somehow
Edit: some feedback about the title, I kinda think the one where it said "and why it will never be adapted" was the most interesting and captivating, but you probably have the back-end insights about whether that's true for wider audiences or not hahahahah
My pleasure, I'm just happy to hear you enjoy the content! :D
DDLC is honestly a love letter to visual novels, not a satire of it (well, atleast not completely?) Tbh I think that’s why it’s stayed so relevant, because if it were just a satire it wouldnt have been as good.
Oh boy, I remember using that same "anime character generator" years ago. Cool to know it was used like this.
@borikore9218 iicharacter Alpha, which is an anime sprite maker based on RenPy!
Pose thing is kinda genius, is it common with novel making? Since I've seen only 5 faces and 1-2 poses(usually just clothes variations) in files of a couple Ren'Py games, it seems like Dan's method was quite impressive.
Why do I feel like the video ended abruptly? I was expecting something else to happen before the end, I almost got jumpscared by the end cards.
The question in the title is unanswered though, except for an indication that Dan and his team is still overwhelmed by DDLC success and they are afraid to make a newer game due to high expectations. It is understandable, though, that his concept of the game itself is not really about the story, but about how tinkering with the technology and the trend of otaku at the time. A visual novel that seems like a malware with its own "AI" is ahead of its time. However, the tech behind visual novel making, which drives so many indie VN maker to make VNs, is no longer a hype. Nowadays, 3D games (e.g. Genshin) and many others (including 2D strategy mobage e.g. Arknights and Path To Nowhere) had incorporated VN elements but successful due to the gameplay other than the VN style. However, the horror element of a living AI inside the game is not so much replicated by many games, as far as I know.