Steins;Gate (PC) Second Opinion Review

Visual novels, as a genre, have passed this reviewer by, for the most part. Assured by others that Steins;Gate - developed by MAGES/5pb - would be like Phoenix Wright or Hotel Dusk, the game was installed and loaded promptly. Now, without wanting to go into whether visual novels are games or not (they aren't!), this genre is what would at best be described as niche, especially outside of Japan.

Steins;Gate tells the tale of an 18-year-old narcissistic, self-congratulatory, self-confessed mad scientist who travels through time using a microwave developed by him and his friends. Because of this invention, they are forever being hunted by the ominous "Organisation."

Visually, the game looks nice. The graphics are sharp and the music is pretty up-tempo, and if anime is your bag, then you're going to be swell. For those who maybe haven't stepped into the world of over-sexualised pre-teens and a script that reads like it was written via a 4chan groupthink, this might not be the easiest gateway introduction. All of the typical anime tropes are here in full swing; clever but emotionally cold teenage girl, young and ditzy but "cute" pre-pubescent girl, and male characters that either have inferiority complexes due to being overweight or otaku, or who think that everyone else is beneath them.

The writing tries far too hard to be funny and lands on the shockingly perverse and creepy. Young girls speaking in innuendo to grown men might be funny to some, but, along with the unlikeable characters, comes off as unsophisticated and crude. Steins;Gate also has the obligatory ultra-awkward dating/groping simulation added in for good measure, just in case innuendo isn't enough for you.

Like a deliberately damning indictment on modern life, the only interaction found in this game is through the character's mobile phone. You can read and reply to text messages, make phone calls, or ignore everything completely, all of which quite nicely can change the future direction of the story. There are a couple of amusing fourth wall-breaking moments, although having to endlessly click through the philosophical ramblings from the protagonist, the likes of which GCSE philosophy students will cringe at, doesn't feel worth the trade.