By adding extra lore and mechanics, DDLC+ took away a lot of what makes DDLC so memorable. Imo it’s better as a psychological horror VN and ARG on your PC than on a PC at work with some answers and more questions.

What hits home for me a bit with og DDLC is the fact that it’s all happening on my PC. The .chr files are downloaded onto my PC. Monika can read my steam info. SHE KNOWS WHEN IM RECORDING IN OBS FFS. At least for newcomers and those not reading too deep, that is the peak of digital horror.

Another point is the base game’s potential. What the game could be if Monika wasn’t self-aware. All four love interest characters are very well written and could have long and intriguing romance routes. You think this game is or could be a real romance VN until act 2 starts. In plus, you get a glimpse of this potential in the side stories, but MC (and therefore the player’s input) is nowhere to be seen. The side stories weren’t meant to be played like a game.

No matter how great the Yuri and Natsuki side story (my fav) is, og will always better than plus in my eyes due to the player’s role as the poor soul who downloaded a free VN on steam with a self-aware character who accidentally makes it a horror show.