arts // no. 8 Dating has never been so psychologically traumatizing > ‘Doki Doki Literature Club’ game review Caroline Ho Arts Editor wkkekenxy Wine: This is absolutely not your typical, lighthearted dating sim. At first glance, Doki Doki Literature Club, created by Team Salvato, appears to bea standard high school romance visual novel. It features four girls with very different personalities presented as potential love interests, cutesy anime-style art and aesthetic, and simple minigames that influence the story’s direction. However, the game also contains some intensely dark and unsettling material. The game’s website includes a warning that it’s “not suitable for children or those who are easily disturbed,” but even with that cautionary message, prepare to be blown away by the psychological depth. In DDLC, you play as a boy joining your high school’s literature club and meeting four other members: Sayori, your childhood best friend, who always tries to cheer up everyone else; Yuri, the quiet, mysterious book-lover; Natsuki, the youngest, with the cute-but-tough front; and club president Monika, who acts as your guide to the game. Gameplay primarily consists of writing poems by selecting words from a list. Depending on which words you choose, your poems will appeal to the distinct tastes of either Sayori, Yuri, or Natsuki, bringing you closer romantically to one of the three. These elements probably sound like staples of dating sims, precisely because the game gets very meta. I can't exaggerate the extent of this game’s self-awareness, which is rolled out with devastating brilliance over the course of the playthrough. Even if you haven't played many visual novels (I hadn't), if you know anything at all about the genre or its tropes you'll recognize how completely and effectively DDLC subverts genre conventions. Consequently, the characters in this game are all incredibly compelling. Although the girls’ personalities seem stock at first, through your poems the game draws you deeper into their heads and into the serious internal struggles they face. The game offers a brutally believable portrayal of mental health issues and the innocuous guises these issues often take—which is what makes DDLC so powerful, yet so psychologically horrifying. Like most visual novels, the game has multiple endings depending on your choices, so with repeated runs you can immerse yourselves even more deeply into each character’s psyche and struggles. lll admit I’ve yet to play through every ending myself; as completely enthralling as this game is, a single run has so far been emotionally exhausting enough. DDLC also imparts some genuinely profound ideas about the value of literature and expressing yourself through writing. Interspersed with the soul- crushing horror are some surprisingly ‘Anne’ and ‘Kim's Convenience’ lead Candy nominations > Getting ready for the Canadian Screen Awards Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist Camden film and television last year showed that Canada has a place on the international stage of the entertainment world. There were a lot of great films that you might have seen ina movie theatre, film festival, or art house theatre. A lot of shows were so successful that they were shown internationally. All that great Canadian content in 2017 will be recognized in the Canadian Screen Awards this year, unofficially called the “Candys.” The nominations of the Canadian Screen Awards this year were announced on January 16 by Kim’s Convenience star Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Sarain Fox, and Karine Vanasse. The nominations for Best Film are The Ravenous, Never Steady, Never Still, Maudie, The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches, It’s the Heart that Dies Last, The Breadwinner, and Ava. Never Steady, Never Still and Ava have the most nominations, with eight each. BC films have a lot of nominations this year, such as Kathleen Hepburn’s award-winning first film Never Steady, Never Still, which received three awards in the Vancouver International Film Festival last year, including the Sea to Sky Award. The film, which is about awoman named Judy (Shirley Henderson) who struggles with Parkinson’s Disease, also has a nomination for Best Actress thanks to Henderson, who plays the role very well. The other film with the most nominations is Sadaf Foroughi’s first film Ava, which follows a teenager in Tehran and depicts day-to-day life in Iran. Other BC films in the running in different categories are Adventures in Public School (formerly Public Schooled) for Best Original Screenplay for Kyle Rideout and Brian Epstein’s script, and Mina Shum’s most recent film Meditation Park for Best Actor for Tzi Ma, who plays the character Bing. I thought they could have also given a nomination for Cheng Pei-Pei, who is very funny in Meditation Park. Indian Horse is also nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Sladen Peltier. In drama, Anne has the most nominations—and the most nominations of all categories—with 13 nominations, including Best Drama and Best Actress ina Drama for Amybeth McNulty for her portrayal of Anne Shirley Cuthbert. In comedy, Kim’s Convenience has the most nominations with 12, including Best Comedy. Almost every actor in the show was nominated except for Simu Liu, who plays Jung, and who had a few great scenes this season. Also, Nicole Power, who plays Jung’s boss Shannon at the Handy Car and Truck Rental, is nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy. In miniseries, Cardinal has the most nominations with 12, including Best Miniseries, and because of its success it is now a full show. Alias Grace is also up for Best Miniseries with 11 nominations theotherpress.ca Promotional image for ‘Doki Doki Literature Club’ encouraging tidbits about what poetry can mean for different readers and writers. You might walk away from this game feeling inspired to do some creative writing yourself, if you haven't been consumed by utter despair by the end. The music, however, is the aspect that truly makes the game. Composed by Dan Salvato (like almost every other component of DDLC), the bouncy main theme creates a vivacious atmosphere, and it ties the whole game together beautifully. The game can be downloaded for free on its website (http://ddlc.moe), but a contribution of $10 or more also gets you access to the DDLC Fan Pack, with exclusive music and art, if you want more reminders of how deeply this game has permeated your consciousness. Still from ‘Never Steady, Never Still’ and it is also nominated for Best Actress ina Miniseries for Sarah Gadon. In variety, The Baroness von Sketch Show and Rick Mercer Report both received the most nominations with eight each, including Best Sketch Show. You can still watch the nominated films and shows, and now that Netflix is a sponsor of the Canadian Screen Awards, most of them are available through the streaming service. The Canadian Screen Awards ceremony airs March 11 on CBC, though this year’s host has yet to be announced.