Could this be the king of visual novels?
Steins; Gate 0 is the sequel to the best-selling Visual Novel. Set around a group of students who accidentally change time and history with a science experiment, endangering humankind. Steins;Gate 0 tells the story of what happens when they fail to fix their mistake…
I never played the first Steins; Gate or watched the anime so I was at a loss before I even began playing. But from playing Steins; Gate 0 I could see what made it so popular, it has an engaging and intriguing story, whether you like anime or not…it does make you ponder your own ethics, something that very few games do.
Despite this, there’s a lack of real interaction through the course of the game. You are limited to reading text from the characters or how they are feeling, while decision making is done in real-time with the RINE app used through the in-game smartphone, you can also send stickers…but that’s about it.
It’s an experience that is different to most games and it clearly won’t be to everyone’s tastes. The game does offer multiple endings based on your decisions, but replaying it to see them all doesn’t feel as enticing as it perhaps should. Despite that, the story is impressive and the art style is classic anime.
The Verdict
Steins; Gate 0 may not be for everyone, but it’s a story worth pursuing…especially if you are an anime fan, or just really like the whole time-travel thing. It would have been nice to have more of an impact on the game, but this tale is worth going through anyway.