Visual novels are a unique type of game that fully immerses the player in a story. Doki Doki Literature Club has multiple endings and allows the player’s choices throughout the game to influence the outcome. There are a total of five main characters, counting the MC, who are all members of… You guessed it, a Literature Club.
The original story is beautifully deceptive in nature, shifting from a generic-seeming slice of life dating sim into an enthralling horror game in the blink of an eye. It’s an experience that quite a few fans didn’t want to end, but playing the same thing over and over again can get pretty boring. Thanks to mods, however, now it’s possible to enjoy Doki Doki Literature Club a million times without getting bored, with each time being unique from the last.
20 SayoriDate
This short side story focuses on a date between Sayori and the main protagonist. This is a great way to engage with Sayori’s character, especially since she meets such an abrupt and sad ending in the main story.
There are some story spoilers for the base game in this article! Browse at your own risk!
The creator of the mod has done a brilliant job of replicating Sayori’s character. It might be a really short story, but fans who love Sayori’s character and want to spend more time with her will have a great time with this mod.
19 Sayori Says No To Suicide
Doki Doki Literature Club veers into the realm of the unhinged after Sayori ends up committing suicide after seeing the MC hanging out with other girls in the literature club. It’s a jarring moment that truly shocks and horrifies you to your core.
Suicide is a pretty big deal, and this modder has added a short story that lasts around half an hour where Sayori and a few of her friends talk about the futility of ending one’s life. It’s a small change, but people who want to increase awareness and conversations around mental health will have a great time engaging with this mod and letting others into the mix as well.
18 Sayori After Story
The third act of the game, where players interact with a self-aware Monika, is one of the most memorable parts of Doki Doki Literature Club. It’s at this moment that all of the game’s cards are put on the table and the player needs to perform one meta action in order to complete the game.
This mod replaces Monika with a self-aware version of Sayori instead. It’s a great change that makes for a fresh and unique change of pace, so it’s a shame that the developer stopped working on the mod after losing its files.
17 Doki Doki Easter Hunter
Not all mods of Doki Doki Literature Club need to carry forward its dark and sinister tone that comes up in the game’s latter half. Sometimes, players just want to hang out with the game’s characters in scenarios that are perfectly normal and have no murders or death whatsoever.
Doki Doki Easter Hunter sees the gang band together to hunt down some easter eggs… and that’s about it. It’s a short and lighthearted mod that will let you spend more time with the wonderful characters in the literature club.
16 The Normal Visual Novel
There are a lot of people who wonder how the story of Doki Doki Literature Club would’ve played out if all the messed-up stuff didn’t happen in the game. Well, modders are here to make this pipe dream a reality.
The Normal Visual Novel is a mod for Doki Doki Literature Club that does precisely what is stated — it turns Monika into a normal person who doesn’t become self-aware while adding normal routes for her and every other character. It’s a simple model that lets all the characters in the story have a happy ending, which is a godsend in itself.
15 True Reality
At the end of the day, every DDLC fan wants to save the girls from this awful digital world they’re trapped in. This mod by u/GanstaKingofSA takes place in 2022 and has you helping Monika to pull the girls into the real world.
Of course, an evil entity stands in your way and is determined to keep the girls trapped. If the player remembers and knows the girls well enough, they should be able to create a happy ending for all.
14 Window To Your Heart
Players of the game will know that as the game goes on, the friendship between all the girls will start to crumble as Monika’s influence starts to take hold. This mod though by u/GlazedInfants tasks you with a special duty: reunite the Dokis.
Playing as a transfer student to their school, the mod takes place in an alternate timeline where Sayori is alive after act one. You have little time to reunite the girls before graduation but it must be done.
13 Doki Doki Fallen Angel
Yuri may have been given a lot of time in the game to develop her storyline, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still some questions about her character. This mod from u/Noa-AT explores an alternate universe where Monika is not self-aware, and the player helps Yuri work through her mental health issues.
The mod is noted in the community for its emotional highs and lows and is one of the longer mods to check out. It is amazing, but not for those looking for a cheap thrill.
12 Dokis Don’t Wear Ties
Perhaps the most obscure reference imaginable for a mod, u/Vaunt_Fremont_Tocsin got inspired by a joke on Reddit and decided to create a DDLC version of the obscure Panasonic 3DO game Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties.
Mostly commonly known as one of the worst games ever reviewed by the Angry Video Game Nerd, the original 3DO game is infamous for its non-sensical story, awful production values, and terrible acting. But if you really want to experience it, go for it.
11 Doki Doki Dimensions
True hardcore fans of DDLC know that in this game, there exists a hidden image in Monika’s character file that decrypted looks very out of place and sci-fi-esque. This may have inspired the creation of this mod by u/Chiffmonkey.
In this mod, the player is part of a team who travels across different dimensions. Of course, shenanigans ensue with alternate dimensions versions of Sayori, Monika, Yuri, and Natsuki. This one doesn’t rely too much on horror but if you want to see new versions of old favorites, this is the place to go.
10 Doki Doki Rainclouds
Doki Doki Rainclouds, created by CykaDev, retells the story of act one with a twist: it’s from Sayori’s point of view. It toys with the idea that Sayori’s fate may have been inevitable, that Monika may not have had very much influence over her after all… Perhaps the rainclouds can be pushed away if the player makes the right choices.
This mod delves into the depths of Sayori’s depression. It does it in a way that toes the line between tasteful and poignant.
9 Dokis & Dragons
What if Monika, Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri’s club had been dedicated to pen & paper RPGs instead of literature? The concept, created by Papo_Swing, is pretty simplistic, but it has a huge impact on the overall game! It adds a choose your own adventure twist and features actual die rolls that can cause genuinely random things to take place, even if you make the same choices as before.
In lieu of poems, the MC will play through a full round with the girls, resulting in one of several different endings. It’s a miniature mod in comparison to some others, offering somewhere between 15 and 40 minutes of gameplay. However, it’s a good time for anyone who’s a fan of both Doki Doki Literature Club and Dungeons & Dragons - which blend together surprisingly well!
8 MC’s Revenge
MC’s Revenge, by firelightning13, picks up at the beginning of Act 2. It grants the MC the same sentience as Monika and begins to break through the fourth wall from his perspective. He doesn’t understand what’s going on around him and he still doesn’t remember Act 1, but throughout the game, there are several opportunities for that to change.
With MC’s Revenge, the MC has the opportunity to save Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri, and decide what to do about Monika. There are a total of 5 possible endings, ranging from Perfect to Evil - and the outcome is, of course, determined by the player’s choices.
7 Doki Doki Salvation
Doki Doki Salvation steps in to save Sayori’s life the night before the festival by having the MC decide to stop by and check on her. By finding her, he saves her life. Meanwhile, Monika is no longer able to manipulate the game and prevent the player from getting closer to the other girls.
The mod, created by Team Salvation, follows the linear storyline, generally speaking, and while it does have a bias towards Sayori, it treats all of the girls fairly. Whether or not the ending is good depends entirely upon the player’s choices - it is, however, guaranteed to be different from the original one, no matter what!
6 Purist
Have you ever wished that Doki Doki Literature Club was a more traditional dating sim? No matter what your answer is, Purist will turn it into one!
With this mod, by The_Ninjadillo, players will be treated to over 11 hours of additional gameplay in which they will be able to date any member of the Literature Club, including Monika.
Beginning at the end of Act 1, each girl has her own individual route that can result in multiple endings. The characters’ backstories are deepened and fleshed out more with this mod, and the player is even given the opportunity to help them with their problems.
5 The Yuri Parable
The Yuri Parable, by Animystix, shifts the focus of the game to Yuri, another member of the Literature Club, allowing her to step into the role of the protagonist.
While the mod is, as its name implies, inspired by another game, The Stanley Parable, it brings something completely unique to the table for Doki Doki Literature Club, including a stunning OST. There are multiple endings that depend on choices made by the player throughout the game, with a handful of easter eggs to discover along the way.
4 Monika Before Story
Monika Before Story, created by CampinKate, approaches the game with the premise that MC is the president of the Literature Club and Monika is his childhood friend in place of Sayori, who is now just a classmate. It opens a lot more doors for the player, such as solving arguments easier and having a chance to spend the weekend with Sayori and Monika without being guilt-tripped out of it by Natsuki and Yuri. Depending on what constitutes as an ending for you, there are approximately 10 different endings available.
In spite of its name, Monika Before Story has date routes and new poems for all four members of the club, all while holding true to the nature of Doki Doki Literature Club by using deleting files as a game mechanic.
3 Monika After Story
Monika After Story, by MonikaModDev, is exactly what it sounds like: an expansion of Monika and the MC’s story now that she’s taken care of all those other distractions. It picks up right where Doki Doki Literature Club ended, and MC has found himself in a blissful relationship with his girlfriend, Monika.
It boasts a new dialogue system that has hours’ worth of conversation about everything under the sun, from existentialism to gaming. There are even games and activities for the two of them to do, like listening to music and playing games like chess!
2 Longer Roads
Longer Roads, by Tr00perTayl0r90, expands on the game exponentially by providing a multi-route experience with ten different endings for players to unlock. Each girl gets a route of her own and a story that focuses entirely on her, giving the MC an opportunity to step up and change the course of her life.
In the nature of the game, the mod does include darker themes, and not every ending is a happy one… But the beautifully layered gameplay experience is worth the risk.
1 The Good Ending
The Good Ending, created by a team led by Sam Capener, is a completely linear mod that manages to stay faithful to the original game, while still adding an entirely new level of emotional power. Its plot follows the Dokis as they experience the harrowing events of Act 1 and Act 2 time and time again, having their memories wiped each time it ends… This time, however, MC manages to avoid having their memory wiped, and they know not only that they’re in a game, but exactly what’s going to happen.
At the time of writing, this mod is seemingly unavailable for the time being. In case this changes, and as the mod itself is still significant, it is deserving of this spot on the list.
They attempt to use Monika’s game-tampering abilities to make things turn out good for everyone, but will it work? Only the player and the choices they make can decide.
NEXT: The Best Stardew Valley Mods
