Steins;Gate

 PC
User Score
8.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 392 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 345 out of 392
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 392
  3. Negative: 37 out of 392
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  1. TolHydra
    May 6, 2014
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. From the once not so successful studio 5pb. Comes a time travel story that has an average plot hole of '1'. That's right every aspect is so beautifully crafted and linked together working so coherently well, It's no wonder the anime adaptation rightfully earned its place on top of the main Animenewsnetwork top leaderboard, unique characters, amazing voice acting, immersive story and only a single thorn I mentioned, which surprisingly doesn't come from the physics and all the explained science, but rather a, quite stupid mistake on writers part on the gender change of Rukako by a message to the pager, AFTER she was conceived.… Expand
  2. CyanSanguine
    May 24, 2014
    10
    Without exaggeration, this is the greatest VN game of all time. On top of that, you would be very hard-pressed to find an anime that compares in all-around quality and greatness as the anime adaptation of this game.
  3. ksenomorf
    Nov 24, 2021
    10
    Complex, smart and emotional story which definetly will be in my memory for ever
  4. Jagger
    Sep 28, 2017
    10
    Story - Some of the best writing and storytelling I have ever experienced in a video game, or any medium for that matter, even rivalling the best sci-fi narratives in movies, books, and television. Unlike most shallow sci-fi stories, Steins Gate is hard science-fiction, which goes into detail on how the science works. However, a lot of hard sci-fi usually suffer from being convoluted orStory - Some of the best writing and storytelling I have ever experienced in a video game, or any medium for that matter, even rivalling the best sci-fi narratives in movies, books, and television. Unlike most shallow sci-fi stories, Steins Gate is hard science-fiction, which goes into detail on how the science works. However, a lot of hard sci-fi usually suffer from being convoluted or lacking characterization. Steins Gate strikes a great balance, dealing with many current scientific theories in an understandable and digestible way without becoming convoluted, yet this never gets in the way of the amazing characterization. The plot twists are also very well-done. Unlike a lot of sci-fi plot twists, the plot twists in Steins Gate don't come from nowhere, but are always foreshadowed and well-explained within the context of the narrative. And because of the strong characterization, making you care for the characters, the story always packs a powerful emotional punch.

    Characterization - This is where Steins Gate truly shines. The cast of characters are very well-written and memorable. The star of the show is Okabe, a self-proclaimed "mad scientist" and one of the most likeable protagonists I've ever come across. At first he comes across as being arrogant and delusional, but as we listen to this thoughts, he comes across as a well-developed, three-dimensional person, with human flaws and anxieties beyond his arrogant and quirky exterior. The lead female character Kurisu is also very well-written. She's a mentally strong character, with an intellect rivalling Okabe, and has a well-developed, three-dimensional personality. This makes the relationship and banter between Okabe and Makise immensely enjoyable. The supporting cast are also well-developed and likeable in their own ways, including the naive childhood friend Mayuri, the Otaku nerd Daru, the fake "moe" character Faris, the landlord Mr. Braun, the part-time "warrior" Suzuha, etc. Steins Gate makes you care for the characters, adding a great deal of emotional weight to the story.

    Gameplay - This is where some of the more traditional gamers might have an issue, but something most visual novel fans should be used to. Like most visual novels, you'll be spending a lot of time reading, with the gameplay mostly limited to making decisions that impact the narrative flow. And like most visual novels, the decisions you make have a big impact on how the story unfolds. Unlike most RPG's where the choices usually have very little impact on how the story unfolds, the choices in visual novels like Steins Gate can have major unforeseen consequences and lead you down different narrative paths. Compared to our average visual novel, however, Steins Gate adds more interactivity with Okabe's cell phone, which becomes is a kind of time-texting device in the story. This is where you make your choices, with the way you use your cell phone affecting how the story unfolds, whether it's deciding whether to answer calls or read text messages, or how you choose to respond to calls and messages. This innovative gameplay mechanic helps give the game more interactivity than what you'd find in your average visual novel.

    Visuals - The visuals in Steins Gate are unique and original. The dark tones, the water-colour art, and the grimy look, all give the game a dark, unique feel. It's also refreshing that, unlike most anime and visual novels, there isn't much pretty-boy "androgyny" to the male characters (except for Luka, in a subversive way), nor is there much "male gaze" sexualization to the female characters (except for Faris, but still toned-down). The most unique aspect of the character design is the eyes, which have a swirly hypnotic look to them, adding to the game's dark mood. Overall, the art-work is very impressive.

    Audio - This is something that visual novels (also called "sound novels") usually excel at, and Steins Gate is better than most. While the voices are only in Japanese, the voice acting is excellent. The voice actors did a great job at portraying the characters, perfectly capturing the personalities, tones, expressions, and emotions. The sound effects are also put to great use, with the right sound effects at the right moments. And the music does a great job of capturing the right mood at the right times.

    Pros - The writing, storytelling, and characterization, are some of the best I've seen in any medium, let alone video games. The visuals and audio are excellent. The gameplay, revolving around a time-texting cell phone, is also unique.

    Cons - The gameplay is somewhat limited compared to your average video game. There's a lot of reading, for those not used to reading.

    Overall - Steins Gate is a masterpiece.    … Expand
  5. MaximumFluff
    Apr 25, 2014
    10
    It has a very deep and intellectual storyline that's not hard to follow and most of all it's got a fully fledged cast of voice actors, Japanese of course, but why would you want this dubbed? It's got the English text, so it's nice to have the original game maintained in terms of the voice. No technical problems and the story is, again, fantastic.

    The menus are very simple and use    It has a very deep and intellectual storyline that's not hard to follow and most of all it's got a fully fledged cast of voice actors, Japanese of course, but why would you want this dubbed? It's got the English text, so it's nice to have the original game maintained in terms of the voice. No technical problems and the story is, again, fantastic.

    The menus are very simple and use friendly, as is the game interface overall. I haven't had any problems or glitches thus far and I doubt anyone may. Not much else to say.

    As far as the story is concerned, it's complicated. It's not to the point where the everyday person would be sitting back and scratching their head, but it's where it will make you feel smart for understanding it. Every twist and turn draws you in and makes you want more. I got around 40 hours out of this, with people getting closer to 50. With the mix of sci-fi elements, drama, and modern pop-culture thrown in too, this storyline is as close to perfect as we can get.

    The visuals themselves are fairly impressive. The artists could not have outdone themselves more. Combined with the story and music, this could possibly move people to tears.

    I would recommend this to anyone looking for a superb visual novel.    … Expand
  6. teh_boy
    Jul 7, 2014
    10
    This game was everything I could hope for in an English translation. The text was very well written, and I'm really glad that they chose to just do subtitles over the original voice acting, which is excellent. The storyline is very original, and absolutely brilliant. You know that you have experienced truly great fiction when finishing the story feels like saying goodbye to people thatThis game was everything I could hope for in an English translation. The text was very well written, and I'm really glad that they chose to just do subtitles over the original voice acting, which is excellent. The storyline is very original, and absolutely brilliant. You know that you have experienced truly great fiction when finishing the story feels like saying goodbye to people that you know and love.… Expand
  7. ElPsyGin-san
    Mar 26, 2015
    10
    Before I start,ignore the negative scores: the people who gave those are either too young to understand a masterpiece or are just too fixated on games that lack depth * cough* COD * cough*.

    Being a huge fan of the anime by the same name,i had to try out the source material. I can safely say I was not disappointed. Story: It starts off a bit slow,but once it gets rolling,it doesn't    Before I start,ignore the negative scores: the people who gave those are either too young to understand a masterpiece or are just too fixated on games that lack depth * cough* COD * cough*.

    Being a huge fan of the anime by the same name,i had to try out the source material.
    I can safely say I was not disappointed.

    Story:
    It starts off a bit slow,but once it gets rolling,it doesn't stop.It has virtually no plot holes,multiple ending and is extremely well written.

    Characters:
    You cannot hate any of them.The entire cast is well fleshed out,excellently written and over all likeable.
    Everything from Okabe's engrish to 'Christina's' tsundere moments are excellent.

    Sound:
    I loved the soundtrack.I could whistle the main theme song.

    Art:
    It has aged a bit,but is still fairly good.A few inconsistencies here and there but nothing major.

    Overall:
    It is a great,long Science fiction time travel Visual novel.With excellent writting,a likeable cast and an awesome soundtrack,I dont know why you are still reading this. Go pick it up now lol.    … Expand
  8. UltimateSwinger
    May 24, 2015
    10
    Любимый сериал, ну а что говорить о визуальной новелле, ведь именно по ней и было нарисовано вышеупомянутое, так же советую посмотреть любому человеку который спокойно относится к драмам, ну и вообще интересное аниме
  9. frhanhanif
    Nov 24, 2020
    10
    I remember the first time i play this game on 2013 i got hooked up for 4 hour straight. The story is masterpiece, and this visual novel still remains my favorite to-date. The quality is extremely impressive, with an amazing voice acting coupled with excellent visuals. Until now, no sci fi time machime / time leap story that can match this masterpiece
  10. Siafni
    Sep 28, 2016
    10
    I played this on PS Vita so I can't vouch for how the port was done, but suffice to say that I consider this and the 2 Dangaranpa games (also available on PC) to be the best games available for that system (together with Persona 4).

    The story starts off pretty slow, though still managing to stay mildly interesting... then it happens, 4/5 hours in... all of a sudden it becomes an    I played this on PS Vita so I can't vouch for how the port was done, but suffice to say that I consider this and the 2 Dangaranpa games (also available on PC) to be the best games available for that system (together with Persona 4).

    The story starts off pretty slow, though still managing to stay mildly interesting... then it happens, 4/5 hours in... all of a sudden it becomes an adrenaline rush through the rest of the game (should be 20/25 hours)

    I would recommend using a guide to nail the true ending right away (they basically just tell you how to reply to messages, as that is what determines where the story goes), I personally explored all the possible routes and saw all the endings, but if you get one of the bad ones and believe that is it, you will be disappointed.

    I would have rated the game 9 due to the slow start, but seeing that a guy gave it a zero for no reason, I am giving it a 10 to make up for it at least a bit.

    Can't wait for Steins;Gate Zero.    … Expand
  11. jzujhu
    Dec 20, 2017
    10
    Overall one of the most fulfilling visual novels I have ever played. The story all had me hooked. This game was a blast although daunting to get into at first.
  12. pokegod11
    Jul 24, 2020
    10
    One of the greatest visual novels of all time If not the greatest but some people have differing opinions
  13. KiraL4389
    Nov 3, 2020
    10
    obra de arte en todo su sentido, el anime si fue buenísimo el juego es 10 veces mejor
  14. anarchyintheeu
    Jul 12, 2018
    10
    Memorable characters, unique art-style, remarkable soundtrack and a very very well written story. If you like sci-fi adventures and the concept of time travel this is definitely a must play!
  15. Vectis99
    Oct 15, 2018
    10
    A gripping masterpiece of a visual novel which remains my favorite to-date. The production quality is extremely impressive, with full professional voice acting and otherwise exquisite sound design coupled with excellent visuals. The atmosphere is very masterfully controlled throughout the story, and there is plenty of opportunity for meaningful reader reflection.
    Stein's;Gate is,    A gripping masterpiece of a visual novel which remains my favorite to-date. The production quality is extremely impressive, with full professional voice acting and otherwise exquisite sound design coupled with excellent visuals. The atmosphere is very masterfully controlled throughout the story, and there is plenty of opportunity for meaningful reader reflection.
    Stein's;Gate is, ironically, very linear, and does not read much like interactive fiction, but is nevertheless a worthwhile commitment. Furthermore, the time cost can be considerable, especially since there are a lot of details covered in somewhat excessive detail.
    It is worth noting that Steins;Gate has a sort of blunt approach queer issues, which is fairly uncomfortable, but not extreme.    … Expand
  16. MillersWeeb
    Nov 16, 2018
    10
    10 Рыжух Курису из 10 Трапов. Геймплей на кончиках пальцев. Блокбастер десятых сделанный вручную.
  17. Weber707
    Jan 28, 2019
    10
    The best novel I've ever read. Uniq style, interesting story, haunting characters. Brilliant.
  18. KazMotor
    Jun 27, 2021
    10
    Лучшая визуальная новелла эевер. Обожаю эту игру и этот сюжет. Сценарий на уровне, да и на самом деле выше чем у любого самого лучшего голливудского сценариста. +уникальная японская атмосфера акихабары, погружение в мир, огромное количество крайне интересной настоящей реальной научной информации, завязанной с сюжетом напрямую. Хорошие персонажи, почти всех люблю, даже плохие персонажи сЛучшая визуальная новелла эевер. Обожаю эту игру и этот сюжет. Сценарий на уровне, да и на самом деле выше чем у любого самого лучшего голливудского сценариста. +уникальная японская атмосфера акихабары, погружение в мир, огромное количество крайне интересной настоящей реальной научной информации, завязанной с сюжетом напрямую. Хорошие персонажи, почти всех люблю, даже плохие персонажи с которыми вы контактируете не выставляются ужасными людьми, очень человечная игра. Боже, после Бесконечного Лета все в СНГ ассоциируют новеллы с Эроге с сценарием школьника.
    С другой стороны сама СГ уникальная игра в своём роде. О чём судить, если у неё на этом же самом метакритике одни из лучших оценок из всех новелл, как и у аниме по игре. (2 место самых лучших аниме за всё время по оценкам пользователей IMDB). Обязательно к прохождению, хоть и первые несколько часов душнилово, потом ты влюбишься в эту игру. Главное втянуться эти главные первые часы. Лучше всего начать знакомство с жанром визуальных новелл с этой игры. Таков Выбор Врат Штейна.

    P.S. Окабе, найди мировую линию Врат Штейна. Она существует. Я верю, мы все верим... Ты справишься.    … Expand
  19. Grampipo
    Feb 10, 2019
    10
    This game for me is one of the best visual novel I play 100% recommended.
    This game start very slow but he have one of the best histories of time travel.
    I like more the game than the anime because he explain more the history and present more the characters
  20. giannis2001
    Feb 27, 2022
    10
    My favorite visual novel of all by far. It's a masterpiece with unforgettable characters, intense thrill and drama and an incredibly intelligent plot that leaves zero holes. The perfect visual novel experience.
  21. GrigoriyMaster
    Jan 26, 2021
    10
    Hard to be a God

    Steins;Gate is one of the most excellent novel I have ever read in my life. It is a story about a normal (though how you look at it) сhunibyo who got by chance a common time machine, But in fact the story is not so much about time travels (you can criticize presented by the novel a time travels model) as about a role of memories in human relationships and about how    Hard to be a God

    Steins;Gate is one of the most excellent novel I have ever read in my life.
    It is a story about a normal (though how you look at it) сhunibyo who got by chance a common time machine,
    But in fact the story is not so much about time travels (you can criticize presented by the novel a time travels model) as about a role of memories in human relationships and about how difficult it is to take responsibility for destiny of loved ones.
    The events take place in the famous Tokio district Akihabara that is a center of Japanese popular culture. The novel among others can be a guide for those who don't know what is "hikikomori", "otaku", etc.
    The graphics is plenty unique and pleasant.
    The plot is interesting and Intense until the end.
    The only downside is that it is not obvious how to reach a true end. I don't know how people do this without a ready schema.    … Expand
  22. abi197852
    Jul 11, 2020
    10
    the plot and story are very well written ,its one of the best sci-fi games that i ever seen,
  23. Dantei
    Aug 2, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. bruh **** **** eoci holy **** itsbamazinf 10/10 highlye redofcjemend playinf… Expand
  24. wiseman_
    Sep 15, 2020
    10
    «Steins;Gate» is an amazing visual novel that tells us a great Sci-Fi story. Interesting characters, enjoyable music, new mechanics (such as mobile phone and dictionary) that i've never seen before playing other visual novels. It also has an incredible plot and a bunch of easter eggs (they've often made me smile)
  25. Tanuk
    Feb 9, 2021
    10
    This game is just amazing. While the starting parts of it are a bit slow, once you are caught up with the story, it may very well be one of the best stories I have ever had the pleasure to read/play/watch. Amazing
  26. Daniel1999
    Apr 20, 2021
    10
    Una obra maestra que todo el mundo debería ver/jugar. Tanto el anime como la novela son simplemente increíbles. Lo único malo que puedo decir es que no se puede jugar de manera legal en español.
  27. RunFish12B8
    Dec 29, 2021
    10
    The game is divine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  28. Antohadance
    Jun 22, 2022
    10
    Одна из лучших визуальных новелл. Всё её аспекты на высоте, разочаровывать лишь отсутствие привычных выборов, из за этого пройти игру на истинную концовку не используя при этом гайды оочень сложно
  29. Daripiki
    Oct 28, 2022
    10
    Una de las mejores historias que he visto en un videojuego de lejos, además de ser la obra que mejor he visto que trata los viajes en el tiempo, con una construcción del mundo que te hace creer de verdad que los viajes en el tiempo son posibles.
    Si le puedo sacar algún detalle es que el comienzo es algo lento y si no te agrada Okabe te cansaras muy rápido del juego por lo que no llegaras    Una de las mejores historias que he visto en un videojuego de lejos, además de ser la obra que mejor he visto que trata los viajes en el tiempo, con una construcción del mundo que te hace creer de verdad que los viajes en el tiempo son posibles.
    Si le puedo sacar algún detalle es que el comienzo es algo lento y si no te agrada Okabe te cansaras muy rápido del juego por lo que no llegaras a disfrutar la maravilla que es la trama.
    Todos los finales son interesantes por si mismos y cada personaje tiene una gran profundidad e historia detrás.
    Por ultimo debo decir que si a alguien no le gusta el genero de las Novelas Visuales que no pierda el tiempo y mejor vea el Anime que también es muy bueno, aunque profundiza menos en los personajes y solo muestra el "Final Verdadero".    … Expand
  30. mogsavvy
    May 18, 2014
    9
    It's a good game that everyone should try it out at least. Time travelling plot line always has its contradictions with the state of reality but the game has managed to explain the circumstances with fun scientific exploration with suspenseful story. Characters are okay; just not the best interaction that I'd have hoped for.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best PC Game of 2014
45
#45 Most Shared PC Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
87

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
  1. GameGrin
    Oct 17, 2016
    85
    Whilst not all characters were incredibly likable with some characters being very cookie cutter archetypes, it’s well written and translated content makes it one of the most recommendable visual novels to play!
    Read full review
  2. We Got This Covered
    Sep 24, 2016
    80
    Steins;Gate features heavy scientific themes combined with a confusing choice system in a slow-paced story. Any problems are easily ignored when you really get into it though, with the relatable characters, voice acting and storytelling promising an unforgettable, emotional experience.
    Read full review
  3. COGconnected
    Sep 20, 2016
    85
    Overall, Steins; Gate could be considered the pinnacle of visual novels with its brilliant storytelling combined with beautiful visuals.
    Read full review
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