Steins;Gate 0

Steins;Gate 0, available on PC, PS3, etc., is a visual novel adventure game. The game was developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus. Both developers are well known to fans of Japanese pop culture for their numerous console and PC titles, but only a small part of them was released in the west. Steins;Gate 0 is a direct sequel to the original Steins;Gate from 2009. At the same time, it is also the next installment of a series of science fiction adventures featuring the characteristic semicolon in the title. All games in this series (Chaos;Head, Robotics;NotesChaos;Child, Occultic;Nine) are loosely interlinked and take place in Japan. Their plot discusses themes related to technological progress and scientific experiments, using ideas derived from urban legends and conspiracy theories.

Plot

Steins;Gate 0 continues the story and threads presented in Steins;Gate, taking inspirations from side materials accompanying the game, such as books and radio plays. The authors use one of the many alternative endings of the original, presenting the protagonists a few months after the finale of Steins;Gate. The protagonist of the game is again Okabe Rinatro, a first-year student of the Tokyo University of Technology. The hero is depressed by the fact that despite his efforts, he was unable to prevent the tragic death of the Kurisu Makise. He follows his friends' advice to visit the mental health clinic. Okabe's life changes when he meets Kurisu's former professor and his research team, who is working on the technology of artificial intelligence, built on the basis of human memories stored in the database. When asked to take part in the experiment, Okabe gets a chance to make contact with AI, which is a simulation of his deceased friend.

Mechanics

Steins;Gate 0 is a typical visual novel. This means that for most of the time we read and listen to the dialogues, mostly with little influence on them. From time to time, however, we make decisions shaping the further development of the plot. We can also exchange messages with characters, as well as use the application that allows you to talk to AI Kurisu. The title also contains a comprehensive dictionary with descriptions of all terms, characters' names and proper names appearing in the game. Steins;Gate 0 has been divided into fourteen chapters and has six different endings.

Technical aspects

Like many other visual novels, the graphics of Steins;Gate 0 are primarily two-dimensional backgrounds with drawings of the characters - and they are of exceptional quality. Their author is a well-known graphic designer, known by his alias, Huke. His characteristic style distinguishes the title from other games on the market.

Last updated on 21 June 2016