DDLC, Doki Doki Literature Club,is arguably the most popular visual novel out there, and yet the genre is part of, Denpa visual novels, is wildly unknown.
Besides the fact that its original release on PC (Steam) was free,DDLCmanaged to rise to stardom thanks to its psychological horror and gruesome twists. Mundane and cute everyday life stories that slowly tread into bizarre territory is the bread and butter of Denpa novels. Hidden scenarios and routes, changing title screens, unreliable narrators… You could as well call it the mind screw genre.
Originally, denpa means “electromagnetic waves” in Japanese, referring the theories that some people could receive these waves and be influenced by them. It’s also regularly used in anime, games and novels such asDenpa Onna to Seishun Otoko(Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl) orDenpa Teki na Kanojo.
You playedDoki Doki Literature Cluband you’re looking for more - Here are 5 of the scariest games you could try out in the Denpa genre. Keep in mind that due to the nature of this list,various story spoilers are included, though we’ve kept them to the bare minimum.
Chaos;Childis the story of Takuru, a young student who sees delusions, either gruesome scenes or paradise-like thoughts. Slowly, his life turns to the worse as he gets tangled in a gory murder mystery.
With several endings and a trigger system where the player decides to see either a glimpse of hell or paradise,Chaos;Childis one of the classic Denpa, disturbing and scary visual novels out there.
It’s also important to noteChaos;Childis the indirect sequel toChaos:Head, which is the first game part of theScience Adventure Seriesby Chiyomaru Shikura, the author ofSteins;Gate.
Ideally, if you speak Japanese or are currently learning, you should definitely playChaos;Headfirst, with its director’s cut version,Chaos;Head Noah. The game was only released in Japanese but fans have been fan-translating it too.
Meanwhile,Chaos;Childison Steam. It’s also part of the Steam Halloween sale ending on June 05, 2025.Chaos:Headalso had an anime back in 2008 you could try out.
Hatoful Boyfriend - The DDLC meme rival
Hatoful Boyfriendis similarly toDDLCknown as a meme game. On paper it’s a dating sim where you need to win the hearts not of human boyfriends, but pigeons. The game’s title being a Japanese pun on heartful and hato, “pigeon” in Japanese, which are pronounced similarly.
As you go through the game’s routes and wonder what lies behind this wacky premise, you’ll end up unlocking the true nature of the game. And it’s definitely not as pretty as it seems.
Hatoful Boyfriendis available in English on Steam.
Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koi (YOU and ME and HER: A Love Story) - DDLC’s Denpa rival
Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koiis on paper the most basic school romance Japanese plot ever. To roughly sum it up, it features a male protagonist, who ends up having both the most popular girl at school and the mysterious lonely girl fall in love with him. Creating a love triangle that might end up in explosive ways depending on your choices.
Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koiis probably the closest game toDDLCon this list, as it’s yet another typical cute-looking story where things can take a turn for the worse. it can get very close toSchool Daysand its Nice Boat ending if you’re familiar with that.
Kimi to Kanojo to Kanojo no Koiwas written by Vio Shimokura, one of the assistant scenarists on theSteins;Gateseries. The game is available onSteam in English under the titleYOU and ME and HER: A Love Story. It’s on sale until July 29, 2025.
When They Cry series, Higurashi and Umineko
Perhaps the most popular games on this list. Long story short,Higurashiis the story of a bunch of kids in a remote Japanese village, where a curse is supposedly happening every year. Right after the village’s traditional festival, one person always ends up dead, and another always disappears.
Higurashiis one of the most popular visual novels out there afterSteins;Gate,and already received several anime adaptations. Including new sequelsHigurashi GouandSotsureleased in 2021.
Uminekoon the other hand is the second entry in theWhen They Cryfranchise by 07th Expansion and Ryukishi07. Initially, it’s about the wealthy Ushiromiya family stuck on its private island during a typhoon, with mysterious and gruesome murders happening.
The protagonist, Battler Ushiromiya, meets a witch named Beatrice, who claims she’s the culprit and killed everyone using magic. Battler doesn’t believe in magic, so Beatrice puts him in a timeloop, where the murders keep happening differently, with Battler trying to explain them with rational tricks in heated debate battles.
It’s pretty hard to sum up eitherHigurashi or Uminekoas they both end up dealing with story elements and themes much broader their their initial story pitches.Uminekomost notably could be described as a mix between Agatha Christie novels,Harry Potter, Ace AttorneyandDanganronpa.
How to play Higurashi and Umineko
BothHigurashiandUminekoare part of theWhen They Cryseries, and are staples of Japanese psychological horror, with experiences very close to whatDDLCcould offer.Uminekois technically the sequel toHigurashi, but you could start with the one that appeals to you the most.
TheWhen They Cryseries is not only scary but also deals with several deep themes. Its author, Ryukishi07, used to work as a civil servant in Japan, and was fully exposed to dysfunctional families and the country’s social problems, which are direct inspirations for his stories.
BothHigurashiandUminekoare available in English on Steam. However, if you speak Japanese or looking for a high-level material for training, you should grab the Japan exclusives:
These are respectively the ultimate versions ofHigurashiandUmineko. With all of the side-stories and spinoffs, in a single, fully-voiced game.The lackof voice acting is thebiggest flawof the English Steam versions.
Subarashiki Hibi (Wonderful Everyday)
Subarashiki Hibi ~Furenzoku Sonzai~known asWonderful Everyday Down the Rabbit-Holein English, was first released by KeroQ in 2010. It’s nicknamedSubaHibi, and has been recognized as a masterpiece and a classic by visual novel fans both in and outside Japan.
Subarashiki Hibiis often considered as the apex of the Denpa genre and one of the best games of all time.SubaHibiis pretty much the one game you need to play should you only pick one among this list.It’s available on Steam in English since 2017.
Spoiling it would be a crime, but just like many other Denpa novels,SubaHibiis separated into two distinct parts. The first chaper of the game is a typical innocent looking school story, and things get real after that.
SubaHibi - The Denpa visual novel masterpiece - And its link with DDLC
The most important point to note is that while Denpa novels are psycological horror at their core,SubaHibiis also regularly cited as a great example of games who deal with mental health hardships.
This is one of the main reasons why the game is so popular.SubaHibiis hard to reccomend as those who haven’t been into anime or visual novels for years will surely find it too hard to stomach. But many managed to find themselves or litteraly change their lives for the better after playingSubaHibi. This is one of the common points betweenDDLC, Higurashi, Umineko,andSubaHibi.
As a bonus, if you speak Japanese, or looking for learning material, you should also try outTsui no Soraand its remake released in 2020 in Japan. First released in 1999, 11 years beforeSubahibi,Tsui no Sorais basically a prototype with a very similar story.
Got any questions, wanna chat about visual novels? you may always reach me on Twitter@A_iyane07. Happy Halloween 2021, and let’s hope that in the future, many more visual novels become as big asDDLC, if not bigger.
