You might have heard ofNeedy Girl Overdose, also known outside Japan asNeedy Streamer Overload- The game is making big waves in Japan and has gained attention in the West as well, with several streamers picking it up, including Hololive’s VTubers, and this makes me worried.
This story contains minor spoilers forNeedy Streamer Overload.You’ll be safe if you played the game at least once or saw a stream of it.
Needy Girl Overdosegame concept explained
If you haven’t heard ofNeedy Girl Overdose,it’s a made-in-Japan game on Steamfeaturing Amechan, a girl with a desperate need for approval, who decides to become a cute streamer as she believes everyone fawns over them. The game deals with our relationship with social media and many dark themes, all portrayed accurately enough to possibly revive an IRL trauma in its players, despite the game’s overtly unrealistic developments.
InNeedy Girl Overdose, the player needs to manage Amechan’s schedule and her stats, most notably her stress and depression levels. So she can reach 1 million followers without mentally breaking down. However,Needy Girl Overdoseis not a happy game and things with Amechan will definitely go wrong as you helplessly watch her take self-destructive decisions.
Needy Girl Overdose’s warning to players at startup
This game is set in a world sort of like modern-day Japan but also not. Any resemblance to real places, entities, and persons living or dead is purely coincidental, so don’t take it too seriously. Make sure you DO NOT try any of the more extreme or depressing actions at home. Or anywhere, for that matter! And remember, what you see in video games and on the internet may not necessarily be a reflection of real life. Feel free to switch off your modem at any time and go outside to experience the real world if that’s what you want. Also, there may be intense flashing during some parts of the game. You read this warning properly, right? Promise?
Needy Girl OverdoseandDDLC
Another way to bluntly introduceNeedy Girl Overdoseis to say it’s the newDoki Doki Literature Club (DDLC),as both are part of the Denpa genre.Games that include highly disturbing content and psychological horror, made to screw with the player’s brain. And just likeDDLC, Needy Girl Overdosestarts with a content warning that definitely shouldn’t be taken lightly.
WhileDDLCis a visual novel, as in you’ll likely only go through all of it once,Needy Girl Overdoseis a raising simulator ADV in the same vein as the legendaryTokimeki Memorialseries by Konami, or Cygames' latest blockbusterUma Musume. Players will need to go through several runs of 2 to 4 hours each, to try out different stats builds, and reach over 20 different endings.
Ironically, trying to playNeedy Girl Overdosein a relatively safe way, in a first playthrough, without going for the fringiest actions Amechan can take, can be a good way to end up with the Internet Overdose ending. Which is one of the most disturbing endings in the game. This makes me worried about the streamers discovering the game live, including Hololive’s talent.
Hololive’s Kureiji Ollie and Hakos Baelz are streamingNeedy Girl Overdose
I personally believeNeedy Girl Overdosecan have a positive impact on its players who manage to grind through it all (or read about all the endings on the internet). However, streaming the game and discovering it live might be a bad idea, as it could bring back some past traumas.
Needy Girl Overdoseisn’t a 100% dark game. It has its fair share of (dark) humor, and content creators who manage to not “take the game too seriously” like the game’s warning suggests should be able to have a good time with their audience. But in my opinion,Needy Girl Overdoseis best enjoyed in intimacy, as it could ultimately heal you. But if you stream it, it might break you.
Hololive Indonesia’sKureiji Ollie started the game, and Hololive EN’s Hakos Baelz started streamingNeedy Girl Overdosetoo this February 6. I am personally worried as I believe the game can easily impact streamers, especially those with a huge audience like Hololive’s tubers. I hope all content creators streamingNeedy Girl Overdosewill be fine and having a great time with their audiences, and manage to see how remarkable the game is.
There is so much more to say and praise aboutNeedy Girl Overdose, such as how it deals with Japanese subcultures like Menhera, or the game’s graphics and music. But let’s keep all this for another day. And just like my Japanese peers at 4Gamer put it wheninterviewingNeedy Girl Overdose’s writer Nyalra: there might be no happy ending, but perhaps it will help you find your own form of happiness.
