STEINS;GATE

this shit put real tears in my eyes man this is one of the best sci fi stories ive ever experienced

Such a great novel! I didn't realize you can make choices so I got a bad ending at first that almost made me think there was not more to the story. If you can, it's definitely worth trying for the true ending if you don't get it on your first go. It's super satisfying and wraps up the story nicely.

Good for readers.

The visual part of it could be better because its like the same expressions even during tense moments but thats to be expected from a 2010 vn.

my first ending was the suzuha route and that was so fucked up. Got all endings except the Kurisu one which is essentially same as the true ending

Phenomenal story and atmosphere. I already knew the story because I watched the anime years ago but it still had me feeling insanely sentimental. The story just works better when you're experiencing it in VN form, as you're actually reading Okabe's thoughts. One day I'll write a more detailed review but just know that this story is worth your time.

"I didn't think I'd be this thankful to not know what's next."

Usually I'd just write a meme joke recommendation review for a game I have enjoyed such as "See you in a week" or "bye social contact" but this series has touched me too much to not write an honest self indulgent review of it.

Steins;Gate is truly a work of art, a master craft story and world setting. I would just be straight up wrong in denying it. I had watched the anime adaptation of it about a month prior to playing it and I thought it was very good all things told. But not the masterpiece that I had recently just played, or experienced I guess would be a better term.

On the outside Steins;Gate appears to be a story about time travel, but for me its core its a human drama about overcoming a sense of being trapped in a loop, sacrificing your own pride to save your sanity, living with the monstrous decisions you've made and uncomfortable thought's you will have as a result of your actions. For some people i'm sure they'll have an entirely different interpretation, but that's what it means to me.

Okabe Rintaoru is initially not very likeable, from his arrogant demeanour, perverted behaviour and general sense that the world revolves around him. This is briefly made up for by the strange but unusually insightful Otaku-esque characters that surround him and eventually join him on his plans to goof off with him in his lab, or at least that's what he would've wanted to keep doing. Slowly but surely however Okabe's character undergoes unimaginable character development and in many situations is unrecognisable from himself just 3 short weeks ago. Even his behaviour in the past is justified by half way through the plot and a down right nostalgia train look into the past by the end.

The rest of the characters are equally excellent, from Cosplay Demon Mayushii , Hardcore 4channer Daru, pot noodle addict Kurisu, 240wpm Moeka, "BUT HE'S A GUY!" Rukako, Cat Maid Chess Grand Master Faris & lovable freak of nature Suzuha. Not a single one of them feel as though they're a cookie cutter character, they're all exceptionally weird, intriguing and likeable in their own ways. They have meaningful conversations to add towards the plot as well and I rarely if ever felt like they were being pretentious or overly convenient for the sake of the plot or the games message.

For most people I think they would come to the same conclusion as me that the world building of Steins;Gate is insane when you've gotten through it all. From the first run through, most messages, words or actions don't seem to have much impact in the long run. But by the turning point half way through it starts to become apparent how much effort had been made to ensure that every single thing "fit" or made sense. The amount of work that must've been done to cover up plot holes and inconsistencies across its massive story while it was in development must have been exhausting for the writers to say the very least. Yet it also makes it all the more enjoyable to reread and rewatch it all unfold.

Steins;Gate's world, or I guess Akihabara also appears to be near like for like with the real world Akihabara and details in full its surrounding areas. The world never feels as thought it's actually that far away from reality either, this in my opinion only elevates the world building further, like its real, somewhere I could actually visit and experience. The conversations in the game also frequently references and even revels Otaku media and terms as well, almost parodying them in some instances for fun.

Some could argue that the first half of the original series has far too much slice of life comedy in the first half to be enjoyable, but even though I had a hard time watching it the first time round I disagree with it now. The first half is supposed to actually develop the characters, give you a reason to care what happens to them, to make the turning point in the story ever more impactful and a reason to look back on the times before. Besides, if you remove all essence of happy moments in a story as Steins;Gates tries to prove, you just become numb to the feeling, same if you remove all the sad parts and only leaves the happy parts in.

The visual novel exceeds the capabilities that the anime had by a long shot as well, the adaptation was 24 episodes long but in hindsight should have been much longer in my opinion. Where as the episodes rush past the slice of life parts to get towards the plot development. The visual novel takes its time to really let emotions process for each incoming sentence, which is aided by its gorgeously intimate ambient music in the background. Or if your the world building type the hyper realistically detailed posts that's in the 2channel conversations and the interactable text message conversations with the fellow lab members.

The VN also allows for more than one ending, some of which I actually prefer over the true ending which is what is used in the anime. Take for example Suzuha's ending which not only shone light on some of my very bitter memories but also deepened how far the series was aware of human instinct and how vile it really is. I am thankful that all the endings in Steins;Gate are bittersweet in some regard, because that's how life is too. It's inevitable that we'll end up hurting someone to get what we need whether that be a job, money, a relationship, letting go of something etc. If a story says that someone has a "Good Ending" we generally perceive them living in some kind of miracle land afterwards where little bad happens to them afterwards. I have tended to hate those endings more with time, especially going through difficult periods of my life, it just doesn't seem fair or relatable that a character truly gets everything they want.

Overall, Steins Gate has become one of those pieces of media for me where it's exceeded the point where I just see it as a game or a series. It's given me some genuinely valuable perspectives on people, given me time to think about what I could have done differently and made myself happier in the long term, but also where I was more than likely in the right and needed confirmation that what I had done was the right thing to do for myself and not backtrack on those choices.

"I don't want to deny who I've been. Because even my failures are a part of who I am today"

Thank You, Steins;Gate.

El Psy Kongroo.

Personally for me this visual novel will be the greatest one I've ever played in my life, no doubt. Not I'm only was fascinated by the plot and how everything was well thought about, I'm started to ask myself phylosophical questions about my life and my decisions and that was the moment I understood that this piece of people's work got me so much that it influenced even out of the work itself and it's really great

Summary:

Art: Medium. I've seen games with a better art.
Music: Medium. It is not horrible. But could be better.
Gameplay: It is a VN. But you have a minimal interaction that can steer the course of history. This is done by sending mails and making phone calls (or accepting phone calls) in key moments of the history.
Plot: Superb

--------
I feel I really need to comment on the plot. It is the strong point of this game. It is one of those rare histories that are deeply emotional and lingers on your mind for a couple of days. Weeks even. For games, there are two that were like this (astonishilgly both trilogies: Mass Effect and Deponia). And now, Steins;Gate joins the list.

The plot premise is (without making spoilers): imagine a teenager that lives dreaming someday it will be a big shot. Living a rebelious life fighting some kind of global conspiracy. Now, just for a fluke of luck, that happens. The "conspiracy theory" is real. He becomes a high-profile target from an organization trying to take-over the political power of the world.

The way they deal with time-travel is really good. The developers researched what actual physics have to tell about time-travel in the real world. They explain these to the player and why time-travel should not really be possible. And then they use all this info to build their own take on how time works and justify time-travel. Although there are still logical holes in their explanation (because time-travel is impossible for logical reasons :P), at least it is not the vanilla "parallel world" that we often see. I really appreciate the effort put on trying to come with a more ellaborate explanation. And this make the plot much richier and satisfying.

Be advised: the first 5 chapters are really boring. But i guess this is what makes the plot so good. It first construct the external shell of the protagonist. A guy really irritating that speaks non-sense all the time. He is so delusional that even you as the player starts to get fed up of his non-sense. And then, things get serious. Really serious. Life-and-death serious. The shell of the protagonist falls. And it becomes clears why he acts the way he acts. What he is trying to achieve. And the utter despair of his situation.

Last piece of advice: use a guide to hit the True Ending Flags. It will be hard to hit them going blindly because they are not obvious. Also, keep a save just before the decision of going to an alternative end or proceeding towards the true ending (usually at the end of chapters). This will reduce the time needed to complete the game.

Absolute peak, and while the anime does do it justice, this is still the best way to experience the story. 1000% worth, even at full price

When you first hear the menu theme its unnerving and yet by the end it's a soothing melody. STEINS;GATE is truly sublime masterpiece. It encapsulates the visual novel medium at its finest. this review It was must the choice of the STEINS;GATE. El Psy Kongroo.

playing this game is truly the choice of steins gate
El. Psy. Kongroo.

Watched this absolute masterpiece 12 years ago.. alas never bothered to play the VN coz i didnt like to play VN tbh and the anime adaptation already adapt the True Ending route..

But when it was on ATH sale (80% as this review out), instantly buy it coz Y not? its cheap af.. if i didnt like it i can just refund it lol

Then again after playin it, got hooked immediately cos of the nostlagia? lmao

Overall 10/10, still a masterpiece, because.. that is the choice of Steins Gate? xD

El.. Psy.. Kongroo.. :)

超討厭愛情元素
以為是科幻作品才買的...
結果不僅戀愛主軸還超好看
難道這也是命運石之門的選擇嗎?

My first VN that is not a hentai game. Amazing experience, must play if you loved the anime!

Have watched the anime many years ago, it's in my top 3

Love this so far. The game offers much more detailed content than what you see in the anime. Yesterday the reboot was announced. I wonder how different it will be.

Half of the time I'm spending googling physics phenomena explained in the game. When I used to watch TV as a kid I absolutely loved the space, physics and time travel documentaries.

Even if you have already watched the anime this game is a must play.

Playing this game is the choice of Steins;Gate

Genuinely one of my favorite animes of all time and now also one of my favorite Visual Novels of all time

If you would ever want a Sci Fi, Mystery and Drama type VN this is the best choice, its kinda hard at first due to how boring the first few chaps are but once you finish it, the story becomes really interesting, gameplay wise the phone being your only source of options to pick is kinda iffy but in the end its not that bad, hard start but amazing story telling in the end, worth it to buy if you ever want to start reading Visual Novels or just a fan of the series.

AN ABSOLUTE PEAK. Man, what a rollercoaster of emotions. The way Steins Gate always keeps you on your toes was disturbing, yet exciting. I cheered and jeered along the playthrough with the characters. Best VN experience so far.
Don't rush with series. Have some time for the informations to really sink in. Although, binge playing isn't bad too I guess.

AWESOME game, absolutely incredible. Nothing about it is flashy or jumps out at you but it has so much depth to the characters and the story. The way it's all tied together in the endings is just perfect. It's simply.. incredible.

5.99 to experience on of the most compelling narratives ever put into media? Come on man, quit reading reviews and buy the game.

I highly recommend, it's a beautiful story! Tu~tu~ru~

The definition of Peak Fiction. I held back from playing the VN for many years, but I managed to buy it cheap from the 80% discount bundle. Could this be the choice of Steins Gate?


This was my first ever Visual Novel and the experience was very enjoyable. I am really grateful for the creation of Steins;Gate. If you are thinking of playing Steins;Gate, now is the best time to buy the bundle!


Anyways, I hope that someday I forget everything and come back maybe 5 or 10 years later and once more, enjoy this masterpiece.

Kurisu Makise could get it and i could get it from her, equal rights.

I watched the STEINS;GATE anime adaptation around 12 years ago.
I remembered it being great, understanding the praise it recieved.

Back to the present I found myself buying it on a whim, it was time to give a chance to the original.
And what a great idea that was.

I found myself sucked in this VN, the characters are great, the music is outstanding, and the whole presentation blew me away. It really lives up to the hype.

Even with me remembering vague details of the story, it still took me for a ride.
Anyone who watched the anime, or into VNs, this is a must-have in your collection.

My only gripe is that for the average person it starts a bit slowly, and it contains so many otaku themed points, that it can be a turnoff for those unfamiliar.

(Ignore playtime, I played the game through another medium and the total is about 43h)

I normally do not go towards anime content, as its not one of the kind of content i search for. One day I stumbled upon an artist called Gravemind, i liked their music a lot, one song in specific caught my attention, called Reading;Steiner. It really left an impression on me as the song structure was unique, and was intrigued by its sounds that it became one of my favorite songs ever. I happened to look at what the song is about and it referenced this game, and I was like alright cool enough, moved on from it.

The ultimate catalyst that enabled me into looking further into this game was Outer Wilds, as that game had a recent easter egg update which referenced this game, and what i saw convinced me enough to give the game a shot.

The way I saw the game was that its presentation at first was off-putting for someone who has not seen anime, and reasoned with myself by stating that its references in such spectrum, as well as some stereotypes are just a medium of what the game is and what eventually might carry during the story itself. Further more, the concept of sci-fi is something i really like in general, and that helped me more getting convinced in starting this game.

The main plot is very great, with many points in the game where you are engaged with the story and could see what happens through the eyes of the protagonist. The character progressions and the initial part of the story are slow paced, as they set the mood for the rest of the story, and oh joy at times later on it can hit you. There were characters however which i did not enjoy as much whenever they were at their normal habits but in times when they change and become a different personality during a specific time in the story i found them more bearable.

There is also an anime adaptation on this game, and everywhere i looked for comparisons, the majority considered the VN to be superior. And I can see why. VNs work on their own pace, by having the viewer read the texts and hear the characters talk, and see how they look like. In a way, you're not playing a game here, but you are reading one, with inputs from the player whenever needed. Different mediums tend to compress those in a product without the part of reading what the (main character in this case) sees through, as well as omitting some parts of the plot for the sake of keeping the runtime and resources satisfying. In a way, such mediums remove those elements and if you happen to have watched different mediums of the same content you can see what do I mean.

As a result, my experience with this game with this medium felt complete, full and rich of perspectives and stories everyone has to carry and/or say (Pss, this game has alternate endings unlike the anime!). I would recommend this game to anyone who likes the theme, but I do completely understand if the medium used for the game is what makes someone not convinced, hell it took me 2 strong reasons, with the Outer Wilds one being "Hey, if Alex Beachum referenced this game in one of the other games I liked the most, surely he took inspiration from this game too, meaning he liked the game", and thus i was not wrong.

The alternate endings are very interesting (one of which was very messed up), when I reached an ending I thought it was the final iteration, but after watching a spoilerless walkthrough i was so wrong. And boy the real end broke me.

There is a community patch for this game which fixes some issues with the game as well as improving its text with better localization. I do recommend it.

And finally, this game is part of a bigger story called SciAdv, meaning there are some references from other parts of the entries, but due to how isolated this game is, you will not really miss on anything much. You don't need to play the other entries at all, but their stories can be good enough to make you interested in looking towards those games as well.

Pros
👍 Very well done story, very rich and lengthy that will make you not leave remorse of missing on anything.
👍 Does convey some themes of science in interesting ways, along with how a specific group of people interact with those.
👍 Its characters are distinct enough...


Cons
👎 ...but some specific ones might be off-putting due to their personalities and their backgrounds.
👎 The medium/style and its related tropes/stereotypes are not for everyone as those may look annoying and cringe at times.
👎 Slow paced at first, it catches on midway through the game.

9.2/10

instead of studying for my midterms, I read and finished this in the course of 4 days. I don't regret it because its so peak. 10/10, buy it while its on sale.

cool soundtracks. feels great to watch this anime all over again after january of 2021.

This doesn't appear to be a game at all. I'm just hitting the space bar advancing text. Maybe that's great if you're an anime fan, and want anime on your pc, but I was under the impression there would be some choices involved based on the tags. I'm more than 30 minutes into the game, and I've yet to interact meaningfully beyond banging on a single key. I dunno, maybe it's like that one metal gear that was more of a bad series of cut scenes than a game. I'll never find out though, because I'm requesting a refund for my measly $6.

Gives me the chilling playing this after watching the movie. Mainly play this to have a taste of visual novel game and to learn some Japanese. Masterpiece, as it is

At first I didn't really get the hype. The main character was annoying. I Dropped the game for a while.
I finally when back to it on a whim and do not regret it.
Got all the endings. Really enjoyed my time, cried quite a bit.

The game sale up to 80% must be the choice of Stein;Gate. Why wouldn't you buy this masterpiece ?

It's amazing. I can't really add anything that other people have not already.

I do want to say that my only problem with the game is that the back half of the story is not as good in my opinion as the first.

Amazing story and mechanics highly recommend!!! :) Get it before it goes off sale.

I'm leaving a bad review for now, despite the fact that I still haven't finished the game (I watched the entire anime, so I know the gist, although I don't know how many endings and other plot twists there will be) due to the most technical part of the game. For example, I can't open the game in full screen mode, as soon as it starts, an error appears, and I found that such a problem is not the only one with me, and in theory there is a solution, it is to buy Borderless Gaming in Steam, which forces the game in the window to be made in full screen . And also, for some reason, they did not make native control of the gamepad, I mean that you can connect it through the steam input, but all the buttons will be shown as for the keyboard. When I survive playing in 720p in a small window, then maybe I will change it to a positive review. But do not refuse to buy through me, especially since it is often on sale and can be bought for a fairly good price.

Steins Gate is my favorite VN. I have played it 3 times on my iPad and watched the anime twice. My memory goes back to 2013 when I watched this anime with my brother. It was the moment that I loved anime and waifus. After playing numerous VNs. Steins Gate is still in the Top of Visual Novels. I know that a lot of people complain about the pace in the beginning, but trust me, the most boring part would be the thing that u cherish. No further elaboration is needed, just play it!

Definitely one of the greatest visual novels ever created. It's an immensely vital experience in my life that still resonates with me deeply, perhaps even more than the first times I had with the anime and VN on the PS Vita. You owe it to yourself to immerse yourself into this wild, scientifically emotional journey. No hesitation- take the leap!

El Psy Kongroo <3

el psy kongroo

I’ve always wanted to fully complete this game because I’m a big fan of the anime. I know there’s a newer version that incorporates scenes from the anime, but after watching it many years ago, I was eager to experience the original visual novel. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to play it since it wasn’t available on Steam back then, and I had difficulty playing visual novels on my PC. When the Steam Deck was released, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to finally enjoy the game comfortably on my couch. I was immediately drawn into the story, and discovering that it had even more content than the anime was really fascinating.

PROS:
- Incredible story and characters
- Engaging multiple endings
- Dialogue fast forward button available after the first playthrough for the other endings

CONS:
- Very little interactivity

9/10 , one of the best VN games in the market

this lowkey vibes asf I love

I didn't want to write a review, but I got 3 emails telling me I needed to. Whatever.

Love the story
Love the drawings and the characters covered with chalk for no apparent reason
Love how everything is so ironic somehow
Love the insane mad scientist Hououin Kyouma
Actually, I don't really know the reason, but I had an immense pleasure reading this vn

This VN is magnificent! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys well-written characters. And the pseudo science feels realistic enough to make the plot very interesting.

If you are torn between this game and Stein's;Gate ELITE, I would recommend this version.

Amazing game

El. Psy. Kongroo.

Better than sex

Highly recommend, it's the choice of Steins Gate.
El Psy Kongroo.

El Psy kongroo

You WILL cry.

Steins Gate is a show I adore. When I watched it back in 2011 it got me much more into science fiction as a genre. And I still feel that way after rewatching it last year. The atmosphere and dialogue are great and it's tightly paced, the slowest section is the first quarter but I still really like that section because more than anything I love these characters. I love their banter, their relationships, and seeing them overcome challenges. I also think the soundtrack to both the VN and anime are amazing. The visual novel is something I haven't read/played since the release of the Steins Gate 0 anime in 2018. This is my third time playing it and I'm a little more critical towards some of the decisions they made. I dislike pretty much every ending except for the Faris, Kurisu, and true ending, mostly due to Okabe acting out of character in the rest. I was surprised that I enjoyed the Faris ending mainly because Faris is my least favourite character in Steins Gate. I genuinely find her annoying and don't find her arc all too interesting either. But the consequences of the Faris ending are well written so I enjoyed that.

Other than that, I think the visual novel suffers most from pacing issues. There are many unnecessary moments that the anime cut and I understand why. These extra moments aren't things I dislike but they damage the tension and overall tone of the writing. Chaos Head is much more consistent when it comes to this, keeping the tension high for most of the game. And while I know this is a completely different story with different kinds of characters, the anime proved that they could make it a more convincing thriller. There are however things in the VN that I really like. The frequent emails that Okabe sends other characters and the dialogue trees for them are amazing. It feels very natural and adds a lot to character relationships. Some of the shocking stuff regarding Nae is cool despite it falling flat on its face if given some thought. Even with the issues I have with the VN, I still really love Steins Gate and am very interested in replaying Steins Gate 0. I'd say the anime is the better option out of the two if you're solely interested in Steins Gate. It's an amazing thriller and even a great romance story. The visual novel is the better science fiction story as it expands on concepts and discusses theories and ideas better.

8/10

El. Psy. Kongroo.

Please keep the good work. No matter what 世界線(sekai-sen), let me the one to protect it.