Welcome to Doki Doki Nine-Thirty, a visual novel where you don’t have time to actually talk to (all of) the characters!

 In most visual novels, players spend time getting to know the non-playable characters, choosing the right responses to build their preferred relationships, often at the expense of other NPCs. But in this game, the protagonist Maya simply doesn’t have that luxury. Having overslept, she bolts out of her room with just five minutes to spare before an important exam at 9:30. On her frantic dash to school, she must navigate a world full of people extremely eager to chat—whether she wants to or not. 

While traditional visual novels focus on careful interactions and character appeasement, Doki Doki Nine-Thirty seeks to flip the script, with the player’s goal being to avoid distractions and make it to the exam on time. Where other games invite players to deepen connections with NPCs, here a tight time limit forces a different set of priorities. With Doki Doki Nine-Thirty, we challenge players to rethink their relationship with the visual novel genre. Instead of making every NPC (or whoever that the player prefers) happy with the "perfect" choice through careful planning, players are encouraged to interact with characters spontaneously and on their own terms—or not at all. Furthermore, this game seeks to offer a fresh perspective and reflective space on the nature of small talk, friendship, and the dynamic between players, their avatars, and NPCs in a story-driven game. We hope Doki Doki Nine-Thirty provides a fun, reflective, and thought-provoking experience.

Note: Once the player reaches the classroom, press the space bar to start the exam. Should you encounter a loop in Gretchen's dialogue, please restart the game (the answer associated with her is the Windows XP field). There is also a bug that the game does not restart after the timer ends, please note that the game is supposed to even if it doesn't.

Outside resources employed:

Assets

Modern Interiors - RPG Tileset by limezu

Classroom Scramble by Gameclaw Studio

Sounds

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/walking-96582/ (Walking sound)

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/jump-scare-sound-2-82831/a (Jumpscare sound)

https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/ticking-clock-1-27477/ (Ticking clock sound)