Free indie visual novel
John Doe + is a free indie visual novel developed by Fox. You’ll experience immersive storytelling and intriguing plot lines as you play your way through this creepy dating sim. Following on the success of the game's first iteration, John Doe + returns with more story elements, endings and plenty of nightmare fuel.
These types of games involve the player more heavily in decision making. If this is a game genre you enjoy, try Yandere Simulator for a visual novel experience that won't creep you out. If you prefer the creepier side of gaming, try the nightmare puzzle game Partum Artifex.
Storyline
John Doe + is a story-driven visual novel dressed up as a dating simulator. Like most other dating simulator games, you'll meet a character in a shared space, in this case, an office building. Your character and the aptly named John Doe will then have to play out a story depending on the choices you make during interactions.
Advertisement
Be on the lookout since John Doe seems to be a stalker. Throughout the game, you and John Doe will interact, and based on your responses to the various questions, you'll unlock one of the seven endings. These range from dating or not dating John Doe to far more unsettling, bloody and disturbing conclusions.
Graphics and performance
John Doe + is reminiscent of the first title, John Doe, but with significant performance and visual improvements. The game runs much smoother than its predecessor does and runs on a much larger selection of devices.
The game also looks much better than the previous title, with more crisp graphics and better atmospheric details. The storyline also feels much more immersive than the original. One aspect that might be difficult for some players is the rapid bursts of imagery.
Short gameplay
Unfortunately, like many indie visual novels, John Doe + is a short game. While it's understandable that titles like this are concise and not drawn out, a longer game would have been preferred.
A well-made visual novel experience
Apart from the issue that you don't really see John Doe in any of your interactions, John Doe + is a well-made experience if you enjoy the visual novel format. The game is engaging enough to keep you entertained, with a creepy undertone that will satisfy horror fans.
