When playing DDLC for the first time, I could not help but contrast it to the Stanley Parable. While DDLC is a metagame that aims to call attention to the superficiality of relationships exhibited in dating sims, and the Stanley Parable intends to highlight the illusion of freedom in “traditional” games, one can find many similarities between the narrator and Monika and the two games as a whole.
A recurring theme in DDLC and The Stanley Parable is the sheer powerlessness that is forced onto the gamer. In essence, your choices mean nothing and whether it be Monika or the narrator, there is always some outside agent that is pulling the strings. Regardless of whatever binary choice the gamer picked, Sayori still commits suicide due to Monika’s desire to be considered as a romantic option. Furthermore, in the 2nd walkthrough of the game, when Yuri proclaims that she is in love with you, she still commits suicide and Monika corrupts the game by deleting everything but you and her. In the case of The Stanley Parable, even if Stanley decides to disobey the narrators’ instructions, the narrator may initially alter the events to align with Stanley’s actions, but eventually the narrator pushes Stanley towards a pre-constructed path. Regardless of whether the gamer, and thus Stanley, chooses to do, the game comes full circle and you start at the beginning. Thus, both games emphasize the inconsequentiality of decisions that gamers in order to drive a take-home message.
This lack of gamer control in both games acts as a technique that is used to reinforce a common message: to call attention to the way games are inaccurate or limited. In the case of The Stanley Parable, the high level of power assumed by the narrator is to draw attention to illusion of control in linear video games. The role of Monika in DDLC aims to criticize the superficiality of many dating sims. Specifically, in many dating sims, there consists of a conflict or issue in a relationship that is ultimately resolved. In contrast, when Sayori opens up about her depression, there isn’t an option for the gamer to help Sayori, but rather you are powerless to the wishes of Monica, who eventually inflicts pain and suffering on all the other women.
Ultimately, these two games play with the tropes of structure and narration in order to bring attention to the flaws and restrictions in similar genres of video games.
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