Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!

***Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!*** (Abbreviated as *DDLC Plus* or *DDLC+*) is a paid expansion of *Doki Doki Literature Club!* co-developed by Team Salvato and Serenity Forge, the latter also served as the game's publisher.

This version includes the original *DDLC* game with new side stories for the characters set outside the timeline of the base game, new music tracks, and a gallery for unlocking various pictures and concept art.

The game was announced on June 11, 2021, on Twitter by Dan Salvato along with the release of the *DDLC Plus* Website.The digital edition costs 15 USD, and the physical edition costs 30 USD.

## Release Info

The game was released digitally on June 30, 2021, for Windows via Steam and Epic Games and for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series. A Macintosh version released on August 12, 2021. Other PC platforms are to be determined, including if *DDLC Plus* will support Linux like *DDLC* does. The physical edition of the game released on September 21, 2021, for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. However, there are no plans for a physical copy on Xbox One or Xbox Series.

The physical copies are included in the *DDLC Plus Premium Physical Edition*'s box, which itself includes various merchandise along with the physical copy for the platform of the buyers choosing. All physical copies will contain a disc or cartridge, but only the Nintendo Switch release has the poem notebook inner coversheet. A physical copy without the collectibles is not planned, but the premium physical edition is not sold for a limited time either.

## Game Features

* **6 New Side Stories**: Taking place outside the main timeline of the game, the side stories are of the girls and how they became friends through their struggles and adversity. There are six stories with different pairings of each character, allowing every combination of character to be given the spotlight for their individual tales. The stories may each last for two parts. The total length of all the side stories is said to be 50% the length of the original game script, including all branches and alternate scenes.
* **13 Additional Music Tracks**: Featuring Nikki Kaelar as the composer for the side story soundtrack, new tracks have been added to the game, including guest tracks from Jason Hayes and Azuria Sky, totaling the soundtrack to 26. A built-in music player is also included for these new and old tracks.
* **100+ Unlockable Pictures**: Progressing through the game and doing certain actions, usually with instructions, will unlock various types of images, including normal background art to concept drawings to imaginings of memorable scenes. These images can be set as the main menu background when unlocked.
* **Upgraded Visuals**: Rather than a resolution of 1280x720, the game's visual resolution and fidelity will be a native 1920x1080.
* **Optional Content Warnings**: When starting the game, players will be given an opportunity to read more in-depth about the content that will be present in the game before playing, though it would contain spoilers. Players will also have an optional toggle that allows warnings to be presented before certain scenes. This toggle is turned off by default even when deciding to read the expanded warnings.
* **Built-in OS:** *DDLC Plus* features a built-in operating system, which can be reached by exiting *DDLC* via the menu or reopening the game after closing it. In it, the player can find the *DDLC* application, the Side Stories menu, a file browser, which replaces the game directory functionality of the original game, a mail list, a gallery for pictures that can either be collected throughout the game or unlocked by doing certain actions, and a music player. The player can also change their settings and view how much data they have collected in the Settings menu.

## Background

On the Team Salvato blog announcement, Dan Salvato felt that that the characters of *DDLC* deserved more time with a wholesome story on their interpersonal relationships, and it is feeling that led to the creation of side stories. He hopes that the struggles the characters experience and resolve through their budding friendships will be relatable for the players experiencing these stories.

Nikki Kaelar is said to have collaborated with Dan in the past regarding music theory in video games, but it wasn't until *DDLC Plus* where they both worked closely to bring forth the new tracks. Dan notes that while there exist entirely new tracks, leitmotifs and familiar melodies will also be present in new compositions, which would fit into how music enhances scenes especially for strong character moments.

Dan has also noted that with special editions of the game, he decided to integrate the new content in a way that keeps the authentic experience of the base game of *DDLC*. This new content does not include voice-acting, as that would change the experience of *DDLC* too significantly. It is unknown how the new content is integrated to meet this authenticity if not simply untouched, but Dan does promise that the new content will not affect the integrity of the base game that fans love.

On the content warning blogpost, Joseph, a developer and community manager at Team Salvato, talked about the importance of game accessibility and its current rise in the video game industry. Taking direct inspiration from *Ikenfell*, Team Salvato has decided to include in-line content warnings where specific scenes will have specific warnings display beforehand if explicitly requested by the player in the settings. It is hoped that this implementation of content warnings will leave players relatively unspoiled but sufficiently reminded for their safety. This feature is expected to be updated over time from player feedback.