Doki Doki Literature Club set itself apart in the world of dating sims for approaching things differently. Still, you do get the chance to flirt with four charming college girls: Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, and Monika.
If you want to know how to date each girl (and avoid potentially fatal consequences), I recommend reading this guide. Appearances can be confusing in this game, so read on to learn how to date the right girl.
And if you want more – with somewhat easier and definitely a lot less spookier (actually, not spooky at all) gameplay, I recommend reading my guide to all endings in Hookah Haze.
Dating in Doki Doki Literature Club: The Basics
In Japan, doki-doki is the sound the heart makes when beating quickly. And yours will surely beat fast, especially when you get to meet the girls.
As the latest member of the literature club, you will get to write poems for the club each week. Depending on the words you use in your poems, you will get the attention of one of the girls.
Carefully select the words you use, continue doing so regularly and you’ll get better at the flirting and dating part of the game. And if you are lucky enough, you may even share some special moments with the misses. But now, let’s see how to get the most out of each one!
How to flirt with Sayori
Sayori is the club’s vice-president in the game. She is also a childhood friend of the player – so you already have a connection of sorts here. She will gladly teach you the ropes of Doki Doki Literature Club (and maybe more!)
While Sayori is a joyful girl, she is also pretty clumsy and can seem a bit depressed at times. At your side, she will be bubbly and cheery, but as I said earlier, appearances can be misleading.
But she is always funny, and her trying to flirt back will always misfire – or at least result in some cheesy and even plain hilarious lines.
Sayori has strong ties with you, so don’t leave her hanging (pun definitely intended – and you will know what I mean if you play the game a little). Just have in mind that, no matter what you do, the inevitable will happen. I can’t say more without spoiling everything.
To flirt with Sayori, select joyful, yet bittersweet words in your poems. She especially likes the words related to family, friends, love, and happiness. Some of the words she likes are:
Cry, Hopeless, Laugh, Vacation, Comfort, Alone, Love, Cheer, Adventure, Pain, Bliss, Passion, Warm, Clumsy, Peaceful, Hope, Childhood, Beauty, Awesome, Broken, and so on.
They’re relatively easy to spot now that you have a few examples of what she likes. And if this seems to be not exactly what you want in terms of visual novel / romance gameplay, try My Klutzy Cupid where you have 7 girls to date.
How to flirt with Yuri
Yuri takes the position of the club’s vice-president following Act 1. She is more mature than the other club members, and her poems can cut deep into your soul. Yuri has a sharp mind, even if she hides it behind a wall of insecurities and shyness.
Yuri is not a very talkative character, preferring to think before talking. However, once you get to know her, she opens up about her passions: literature, horror, and surrealism. And if you flirt with her, you may even join the list of Yuri’s passions.
To date Yuri, pick dark, mysterious words in your poems. Yuri likes poems about melancholy, grief, disasters, and anxiety. Anything related to death and scars will make Yuri happy, as strange as this might sound. Here is a list of some of the words she likes:
Intellectual, Lust, Graveyard, Massacre, Fickle, Wrath, Despise, Incapable, Breathe, Atone, Flee, Starscape, Determination, Anxiety, Captive, Horror, Disown, Judgment, Afterimage, Entropy, Pleasure, Destiny, Unrestrained, Fester, Infallible, Uncanny, Essence, Time, Agonizing.
How to flirt with Natsuki
Natsuki is an up-beat character. She is a cute girl, even if she can seem arrogant at times. One thing is for sure: Natsuki is not a character you can easily forget.
Natsuki likes to tease others, to the despair of Yuri. But deep down, she cares about her friends and just struggles to express her feelings. Don’t hesitate to flirt with her: despite putting up a tough front, she’s just dying to find love. Again, puns intended.
To date Natsuki, make sure to select cute words in your poems. She especially likes poems talking about anime, candy, or anything kawaii. Here are some examples of words that you should use when flirting with her:
Candy, Poof, Blanket, Nibble, Melody, Pink, Cheeks, Cute, Jump, Socks, Skirt, Boop, Twirl, Summer, Sticky, Swimsuit, Whisper, Heartbeat, Games, Doki-Doki, Kawaii, Marshmallow, Bunny, Peace, Lollipop, Milk, Shopping, Kiss, Hair, Clouds, Spinning, Waterfall, Fantasy, Pure, Shiny, Whistle, Anime
How to flirt with Monika
Monika is the club’s leader and takes this position very seriously. She is always there, and nothing goes unnoticed by Monika. She cares deeply for the Literature Club and will do anything to make it work. She is also one of the most popular characters in the game and a fan’s favorite.
As the leader of the group, Monika is an encouraging, caring person. In private, she still shows major signs of attention towards the player and will love you for who you really are. Ahem.
Flirting with Monika through the poems is not possible. But if you still want to date Monika in Doki Doki Literature Club!, you will probably need to get rid of the other girls first. Or…
For a somewhat similar experience (but a LOT of action that you will enjoy), also check out Shards of Her.
Cheat sheet to each girl’s favorite words
Since there are dozens of words (maybe hundreds) that these girls like – and they might change with each new update – I think you will appreciate this shortcut aka cheat sheet to their favorite words.
It’s all in the game too. You can access a full list of these words by selecting the Files tab in-game, and then the Game folder. There, you will find a file named Poemwords.txt – open it and you will see all the words each of the Doki Doki girls like.
Can you really date the girls in Doki Doki Literature Club?
Dating the girls in Doki Doki Literature Club! is more challenging than it seems. While the girls can get interested in you and you can confess your love, things will probably not go as expected.
Doki Doki Literature Club! is a very unique game and is not meant for kids. It will surely break your heart, one way or another. It probably did so already, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t play it.
NOTE: Doki Doki Literature Club! is free-to-play on Steam or itch. An upgraded version of the game (with more content), called Doki Doki Literature Club Plus, is also available.
Any additional comments about dating in Doki Diki Literature Club? Let us all know by commenting below – and don’t hesitate to let us know who’s your favorite girl in the game!
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