Recent reviews by Ryuu

TL;DR: I don't know how people can actually recommend this waste of time. There is nothing original nor actually complex about it. The only reason for it's popularity I can think of is that it makes you think you're playing a complex and thought-provoking VN, while actually being extremely simple and thus very accessible.

In-Depth:
First I'll start off by saying that pretty much everyone who is into otaku culture knows about this VN and that it contains dark, surprising "twists". I often hear the argument, that you can't get the maximum enjoyment out of it anymore, because you're supposed to think of it as a light-hearted VN. However, that argument is utter nonsense, since you get warned 4 times (5 if you include the Steam Store description) about it's disturbing content before you even get to the title screen. How am I supposed to believe that this is going to be a light-hearted, fluffy romcom?

The story is pretty simple and starts off as generic as it could possibly be:
You start by getting glomped by Sayori, the [Energetic overly affectionate childhood friend] archetype on the way to school, where she talks you into visiting the "Literature Club", since you haven't joined any other club yet. There you meet the next three generic love interests Natsuki [Tsunloli], Yuri [Gentle dark-haired Senpai] and Monika [Friendly popular classmate]. You'll soon notice that Monika isn't a love interest though. Then, romcom hijinks ensue for a few days, until suddenly something dark happens and you get sent back to the title screen.
On your second playthrough you'll get to see the disturbing content, which is probably supposed to make people anxious and uncomfortable, to me it just felt forced and I wanted to get it over with. The funniest thing is, that none of your choices actually matter.

Judging by the script it seems that it wants to convey an overall complex story, however it's so direct about it, that it just returns to being simple. If you've ever read something that is actually deep and complex, DDLC is just pathetic.

The writing, while not offensively bad, looks like something written by middle school students, without any distinct style.
The characters are painfully generic. I know that this is supposedly intended, but one could write character with actual depth and still get the point, that the game is trying to make, across.

The soundtrack is meh, the visuals are nothing spectacular, but still attractive.

I went in with a mix of anticipation and doubt, but in the end, it just felt like a waste of time. Self-aware characters, game file messing, and character warping in subsequent playthroughs are all plot devices, that have been done before.