I’ve not had a chance to finish reading STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT yet, and considering how busy my current work schedule is, I think I’m going to put it down for now and concede defeat. (I do intend to get back to it at some point.)
However, I still wanted to get something up on the site about this visual novel, which is a second re-release of the 2009 time traveller tale, developed by MAGES.
Fans will be familiar with the background behind this game, but just in case you’re not: STEINS;GATE RE:BOOT repurposes the condensed plot from STEINS;GATE ELITE, which was based on the anime adaptation of the original release.
It features fresh artwork and story threads, some of which connect it to STEINS;GATE 0. (Although if you’re playing this for the first time, you probably won’t notice where the new stuff has been added.)
I personally really like the revamped artwork overall, and I appreciate the faster pacing of the storytelling. (Although I must admit I’m not massively familiar with the original, so your mileage may vary there.)
I think this is the type of game that the PS Portal was made for, as there are no quick reflexes required here; you are quite literally just reading and looking at the artwork.
I did notice an issue with some of the English text being a bit squashed, but this is a minor irritation overall. I’ve seen a few other critics mention that.
Anyway, here’s what the reviews are saying:
Did Steins;Gate Re:Boot need to exist? Probably not — and, yet, I’m glad it does. As a remake, it doesn’t take many big swings and its adjusted pacing and visuals are largely a matter of taste. However, it crucially preserves all the core elements of what made the original Steins;Gate so special and presents them in its own richly enjoyable, refined style with a few exclusive perks in tow.
