I'm gonna be honest. The only reason I bought this 8 year old game in 2022 is because of all the memes that sprung up earlier this year. So I spent 19.99 Euros to understand the origins of these memes. What I got instead, was a timeless masterpiece of a game that got me addicted just after beating the tutorial, which has one of the best, if not the best bossfight ever. But truth be told, the soundtrack is hard-carrying this game. Sure, the gameplay has its moments and the graphics are not half-bad for being 8 years old, but the soundtrack is just a chef's kiss. I still have not found another game that has a soundtrack on par with this gem. And then you have the characters. I don't know how, but they are all just so likeable, even with the small exposition each character gets in the campaign. If there is one issue this game has, it is the camera system. It does not feel good using it a lot of times, and might even get you killed. Trying for an 100% on this game can also be a bit tedious but if you are just playing it for the enjoyment, then this game delivers. All in all, I have no major complaints with my purchase and I have zero regrets buying this masterpiece. I thank the memes for introducing me to this game. After all, memes are "the DNA of the soul". ;)

Wow. Just wow. Where to start? The game sells itself as a wholesome, high-school teen story, revolving four different indistinguishable characters with their own personality and trait that you can easily fall in love with. You start building up your relationship to these characters by writing poems devoted towards each character, where your choice of words will decide which character becomes more friendly and which ones more hostile (Yuri best girl btw). But if that was all of it, you might wonder why this game has so many dark tags attached to it, in connection with all the wholesome stuff? In order for me to avoid spoilers so you can experience this masterpiece yourself first-hand, I am limited to only saying that the story has a dark side to it and everything is not as rainbows and butterflies as the game might fool you to believe. As if that was not enough, this game shares a banger of a soundtrack like almost every other visual novel does. I don't know who they are hiring for these soundtracks, but damn. This game will leave you "hanging" wanting more after playing it and one quick look at the community will just tell you how much this game have affected them and longing for more Doki Doki content that will probably never see the light of day. From personal experience, this game moved me and made me teary-eyed. Really emotional game that awoke buried feelings I had deep inside me I did not know existed. I don't know what it was; the well-written characters, the soundtrack, the story itself or all of these combined together to create a masterpiece? Probably the latter. Hands down, one of the best games I have ever played, and if there is something entertainment is supposed to do, is to make you feel for it or give it a second thought, which most modern movies and games forgot to do and just focuses on feeding you mindless content. So all in all, this is a literal gem when it comes to video games. One of those "must-plays" in my opinion. If anything, this game will always be a fond memory for the rest of my life, which I cannot say about most games I have played. Edit: Adding on the review now after playing the side-stories, I can without a doubt say that this game is an 11/10. I was a bit reluctant at first because of how emotional this game made me after playing through the main story, but then I played through the side-stories, and oh boy. It was 100% worth it. Playing the side-stories fleshed out the characters in addition to the main game and just makes you wish that was how the game actually ended (the ending we never got). I really don't know any other way to put it cause the side-stories kept throwing stuff at you that you always wanted to see but never did. Call if fan-service if you want, but I see it as the complete picture. The main story is just one frame, meanwhile the side-stories are the rest of the painting you don't see. And oh boy, did they outdo themselves with the soundtrack again. They need to stop making these bangers for visual novels man. It should be illegal at this point. All in all, this game made me go from happy, to an emotional wreck and back to being more happy than I was before. My satisfaction is unmeasurable, and words are not enough to describe it. Thank you, Team Salvato, for making such an amazing game with heart and soul put into it!!!