Steins;Gate is a visual novel released on October 15, 2009. Steins;Gate was made through a partnership between the companies "5pb and Nitroplus".
In Steins Gate the player watches a series of animations, and can even participate and interfere in the story. The action is only limited to making a few choices at certain times.
This was not the first game made in partnership, and the two companies have a project called "Science Adventure".
The Science Adventure project currently consists of 5 main games: Chaos;Head, Steins;Gate, Steins;Gate 0, Chaos;Child, and Robotics;Notes.
One of the notable features of the game is in the name itself, by using the semicolon.
All Science Adventure games take place in the same universe, featuring a sci-fi theme. The games Chaos;Head and Chaos;Child focus on people with powers to alter reality. The other two Steins;Gate focus on time travel.
Robotics;Notes has a special focus on science and science fiction, not having that touch of the supernatural. Being comprised of things related to robotics and things of the Mecha genre.
It is quite remarkable that all 5 games have points where they coincide, such as the beginning of the story by some murder, or with supposed theories that are presented in some of these, if you are a very attentive player you can notice things of this nature.
But today, our focus will be on Steins;Gate.
Índice de Conteúdo
And here is a brief synopsis:
The events of Steins;Gate take place in Akihabara, happening in the year 2010, with its drama revolving around the character Okabe Rintarou, or as he prefers to be called, Hououin Kyoma, who is a self-proclaimed insanely mad scientist, who for some reason is the most wanted by a "Secret Organization, which initially only exists in his head.
He is the creator of the Gadget of the Future group aim to create a utopia against all the structures that dominate the world, creating inventions that bring chaos.
The group has two other members: Shiina Mayuri, a girl a little bit weird and avoids and being a lone member of the lab, whose hobby is making cosplay clothes, according to Kyouma's words. and the super hacker Hashida Itaru, or Daru, the protagonist's best friend, who has a great knowledge of technology and the most notable in him is the ultra ability to hack.
The story begins with Kyouma and Mayuri going to a possible theory conference for a working time machine created by Professor Nakabachi. After some events, he hears a scream, he decides to go see what happened and then he finds the stabbed body of Makise Kurisu, a girl he had talked to shortly before she was killed.
On the way back to the group's lab, he decides to send a text message to Daru, informing him of what he had just seen and upon confirming the sending, something totally unexpected happens, perhaps the only invention of the group that worked: o D-Mail or Microwave Telephone.
Jhon Titor
Anyone who watched the anime or played the novel learned of the existence of Jhon Titor, a time traveler who supposedly came from the year 2036!
In the mid-2000s, the internet was already popular, but it was not the same today, where everyone has access to it.
The alleged traveler presented himself through an internet forum, which today does not exist anymore, however, all the content related to Jhon Titor was migrated to another forum.
Titor's first sentence was: “Greetings. I am a time traveler in the year 2036 ”.
Several things from Visual Novel were inspired by Jhon Titor, such as the “IBM 5100” idea.
He made several predictions for the future, explained the functioning of the time machine and many other things.
He first said that he went back to the year 2001 to fetch an IBM 5100 to take to the future, as this unit had a feature that provided data and other things from the company, being necessary for use in the future. Since in Titor's timeline, the world would be in its respective third world war, technology wasn't a big deal, with a greater preference for old machines.
At first, many joked and didn't believe Titor, but throughout the conversation some users had complex and long-lasting conversations with the traveler.
But of course, Titor left mistakes from his past, causing some to doubt him in the future, but if we believe in the Steins;Gate Theories, Titor could have made changes in the timelines, altering the successive route of events, thus avoiding some of the predicted catastrophes.
Personal Evaluation
Only those who have played the Visual Novel know how fantastic it is. One of the most surprising things in Steins;Gate is the fact that the game attracts you more and more, using devices such as real people, events and theories, like John Titor, and some other theories based on the foundations of time travel.
In a way, Steins;Gate is not a Visual Novel for everyone, as it requires extensive knowledge of theories, since at every moment a topic of medium/high complexity arises, but of course, it depends on personal taste. It is somewhat rejected by people who do not like or do not accept the alterations made in time, as well as some scenes that are contradictory, but that are revealed throughout the entire story.
The dynamics between the characters are almost perfect, another point that does not disappoint is the development of the characters, where all of them were well utilized. The secondary characters also had a significant role in the drama. The novel is not divided by arcs, but rather a continuous narrative among all the characters, this is one of the strengths of Steins;Gate.
The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:
Evaluation
Strong points:
- Art and brilliant concepts;
- It has an intriguing history, which does not disappoint;
- Friendly and charismatic characters, unconventional characters;
What is lacking:
- Audio only in Japanese;
- Some parts are confusing, however, the game is self-explanatory.
Script – 10/10.
The Steins;Gate storyline is simply phenomenal, being considered one of the best Visual Novels in the genre.
The most impactful thing about Steins;Gate is the fact that it never leaves a subject without explanations, always maintaining its foundation. The greatest promises of Steins;Gate are the well-structured approach to the theme of time travel, the references to real theories, real groups, and real people.
The fundamentals of time travel are fictional, but Steins;Gate provides rules and foundations that make sense, so that the theme is not vague.
The plot was very well structured. One thing that can bother some people is the pace, which has a slow start. I don't believe that the slow pace at first spoils the writing as a whole. Since the time is decisive for the development of the characters, for the game to become pleasant, and like all Visual Novel your choices will have consequences, so if you don't take the nature of the characters your choice cannot be the best, and all experience that the game brings may be lost.
The whole game is an intellectual roller coaster, and it's fun.
Playability - 8.5/10
The gameplay is quite simple, but of course, it can be lost with some changes. Like any other Visual Novel, you make choices and the reading is immense. However, Steins;Gate is very linear and the choices you make will not have a great impact on the storyline. In addition, the way you make decisions is also slightly different in Steins; Gate. In Steins;Gate, they have a phone trigger system, where whenever you receive a message or a call, you have to make a choice and depending on your choices, things will change. The phone trigger system is very subtle, and it is a very pleasant and unique way to interact with the game. The mobile-based gameplay style makes the Novel different from others that always have the same pattern.
Visuals - 9.5/10
Applause for the 16:9 screen! Steins;Gate has a fascinating visual, which also differs a little from the standards. And it is very pleasing aesthetically. Everything is pleasant in Steins;Gate, like random items in the game such as the Oopa, the character designs, and the backgrounds. The characters have a Seinen-style designer, a combination that ended up working well with the comedic style that almost all characters have.
Sound - 8.5/10
Total - 9.75 / 10.
Steins; Gate is one of those games that no one can miss out on experiencing. Steins;Gate is amazing, to the point that it covers several issues about time travel. Something that other games are always very afraid to cover.
I hope you like the recommendation, if you like I can make others, so leave your comments! El Psy Congroo.
