LogFAQs > #895270894

90. Steins;Gate 0 (pyresword)


I just wanted an excuse to post a Kurisu image because she's the best. Anyway, it's pretty difficult to describe the premise of this game without getting into major spoilers from the original, but I'll try my best. Steins;Gate 0 is set in a different world line than the first game's True Ending, while still being intricately connected to it. Most of the original cast returns, along with some new characters. Most of the newbies are pretty good, with Maho being a cut above the rest, despite her utterly absurd hair. It still maintains the "feel" of Steins;Gate, for lack of a better word, although the mood is a bit darker and there's less humor. Part of the reason for that is Okabe, who spends most of the game in a deep depression for reasons that are easily understood, but he was usually the guy who drove the banter forward in the first game. He doesn't do that as much here, although his old self does manifest from time to time.

The gameplay is mostly the same, although the means for changing world lines is slightly different this time around. In the first game, branching into different paths was done via text messages and calls from Okabe's phone. They really scaled back the phone messaging aspect in 0. While Okabe's friends do still message him from time to time, the conversations aren't as elaborate, which is a little disappointing. Anyway, everything in this game revolves around an app called Amadeus. Even attempting to describe what it is would be major spoilers, but suffice it to say that choosing to access it or not at vital points in the plot is what initiates a world line change. I was lucky enough to figure this out fairly early on in my playthrough, so I didn't have to have to replay old sections much to get all the endings and stuff.

Anyway, while Steins;Gate 0 is good and I'd recommend it if you're a fan of the original, it's basically a less good version of it. That's the easiest way to put it. The plot doesn't feel as tight this time around. They don't make as much effort to explain the intricacies and minutia, and it seems like some of the plot threads are left dangling or unexplored. I wouldn't call it an "essential" game either, like it's something you absolutely must play if you played the first game or anything. It doesn't break new ground or wrap up loose ends from Steins;Gate. It's mostly a, "Oh, that's neat, so that's how it happened," type deal concerning a specific plot point from the original. It almost feels like an OVA or bonus episode DLC. I'm not trying to diminish the game, but I'm merely saying that it doesn't really excel the first game in any meaningful way. And that's okay. It's still a really enjoyable game that I had a lot of fun playing.

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite Steins;Gate character?
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