It was developed in the Ren'Py Visual Novel Engine.
While sensitive topics (such as depression and child abuse) are touched on at certain points in the story, the game is better known for its surprise (and macabre) mid-game plot twist, completely changing the narrative from an innocent slice-of-life game to metafictional psychological horror. Unlike most visual novels, the game is prefaced with a warning that it is not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed. Along the way, players must choose a series of words to create poems (which, depending on the choices, increase his bond with each of the girls). There, he makes friends with the rest of the group (including timid Yuri, hotheaded Natsuki, and club leader Monika). Players control a high-school student who is brought into his school's Literature Club by his good friend, the youthful Sayori. Doki Doki Literature Club! is a freeware indie slice-of-life visual novel developed and released by Team Salvato for the PC, Mac and Linux on September 22, 2017.
