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| The worst-case scenario. |
Steins;Gate 0 is the follow-up to the visual novel masterpiece that is Steins;Gate. I might sound like I'm exaggerating but Steins;Gate has to be the best visual novel game I've played, and I still stand feel that way after beating it just a few weeks ago. After I've beaten the aforementioned classic, I still wanted more sci-fi goodness and a quick search showed that a sequel/midquel was released years ago. I quickly whipped out the cash and got my hands on the game as soon as possible, and needless to say I wasn't disappointed. Steins;Gate 0 is a continuation of the first game, however, it tells a story where the main cast does not reach the true ending of that game, thus leading them for a dark future ahead. There's a lot to discuss about the game and with the introductions out of the way, let's see what Steins;Gate 0 has ins tore for us.
Steins;Gate 0 serves as an alternate ending to the original game where Okabe has failed to reach "Steins;Gate"-- the true ending-- by failing to save the person he loves. The game picks up six months after that, now with a tormented Okabe who volunteers as a tester for an advanced A.I. program, Amadeus. Strangely enough, it bears a striking resemblance to a person he once knew. This time around, the story follows the perspectives of multiple characters aside from Okabe, featuring characters both new and old. Out of the new characters, I'd have to say that Maho Hiyajo was the most interesting. Her feisty personality and relationship to Kurisu made her an interesting lead and I enjoyed seeing her every time she showed up. I honestly wish that much of the new characters were just as memorable her though.
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Dark story? Check. New characters? Check.
A.I. chicks? Check!
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Just like its predecessor, the story has a tendency of losing you on certain occasions when things get too technical. Still, the writing and characters were strong enough that I just couldn't stop reading. In fact, what I loved most about the writing were the dark and overly grizzly depictions of death and murder that will occasionally make you feel uncomfortable. It definitely sells you on the crappy future that's to come if you don't reach the true ending. Still, that's not to say that the game's devoid of any humor, the characters always find themselves in weird and awkward situations that'll surely make you giggle along the way. One aspect that annoyed me was that the story had a tendency of padding out certain scenes for too long that it often bored me to death and just felt like unnecessary filler.
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I liked the multiple character perspectives as
you get to view the story from all sides.
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There's little in the way of gameplay in Steins;Gate 0. You'll be mainly reading through the story as its told from Okabe and other characters perspectives. There are moments where Okabe can text his friends via a messaging app called "RINE" and make calls using his phone. A new highlight is the Amadeus app, where Okabe uses it to chat with an old friend. It sucks that the game doesn't do anything interesting with the app other than use it during certain story moments where choosing whether or not to answer its calls yields in a different ending. Worth noting is that you can still customize your phone albeit very slightly by setting up different ringtones and wallpapers. The built-in dictionary also makes a return, which helps explain some of the game's more complicated terminologies as well as general pop culture references.
Steins;Gate 0 boasts a brand new look compared to the original game. The art-style has a more "modern-looking" feel to it and closely resembles that of an anime. I liked the new character designs and backgrounds as they perfectly fit the dark vibe the story's going for. However, I felt that it was inconsistent at times since the game often switches between the new and old art-style from Steins;Gate, something that caught me off-guard. I still feel that the first game had a more unique style and I honestly prefer Mayrui's original, more cuter design than the new one. Still, I have to say that I liked Okabe's jaded design. The voicework remains in Japanese only and I didn't mind as the performances were great and easy on the ears. Takeshi Abo once again composes the soundtrack and it features new and old tracks. While not as memorable, some of my favorite tracks are the menu theme "Re-Awake", "Her community", "In a relief time", and the ending theme "Gate of Steiner".
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I enjoyed the new art-style, despite being a fan of
the original designs.
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Steins;Gate 0 is a fantastic follow-up to its famed predecessor. I loved the dark and grounded approach to the story and atmosphere, as it made the threats and choices the characters were facing real and packed with consequences. It's not as memorable as the first game for me, but I can easily say that the adventure was a damn good time thanks to the awesome characters. The game is slightly shorter than expected, taking me over 25 hours to beat. Fans should check out 0 since it offers a cool "what if?" scenario to the original game and there's plenty of moments to keep you hooked. For newcomers, I'd advise playing Steins;Gate first (and you should!) to better appreciate some of the characters as well as story moments.
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