Monika: One and Many

Doki Doki Literature Club was released in 2017. It didn’t seem like anything more than a standard visual novel where you’re able to choose which of three eligible girls to date. There was a warning about disturbing content but that didn’t adequately prepare players for exactly what they were getting into.

Instead of a simple dating simulation, players were treated to a story about how the character Monika gained sentience and hacked the game so she could date the player. Yep, not the protagonist but you. Of course that’s only the very tip of the iceberg of the complex lore behind the game.