It scares players with the stark contrast between its first two arcs and warns them to watch their step as they click through the dialogue. Creator Dan Salvato told Kotaku that he took inspiration from “things that are scary because they make you uncomfortable, not because they shove scary-looking things in your face.” Doki Doki Literature Club! faithfully follows his description as it establishes a norm that it pulls out from under your feet. However, I didn’t know how it was a horror game until I experienced it for myself. I played Doki Doki Literature Club to celebrate Halloween because I knew it was a horror game.