I'm also surprised at how huge this game is right now. I played it out of interest for the said horror elements and I'm not a fan of visual novels at all - in fact, the excessive amount of text bored me during the initial playthrough.
However, it definitely crept in my mind and stayed there for some time, due to the clever design. I'm hoping for a sequel or spin-off, but a more developed one with more choices and surprises.
Here is my review on it:
https://steemit.com/gaming/@gamingstation/doki-doki-literature-club-a-free-visual-novel-of-horror-and-fourth-wall-shattering
Same here, I got so bored in Act 1 and almost stopped playing. But somehow this game kept me going and oh I'm glad I didn't stop. The horror turns out to be messed up as it is cleverly designed, which is unexpectedly better than I anticipated.