Reality is…fickle, if you were to ever ask a physicist. While having zero background in the hard sciences, from an educational standpoint, I have definitely gone down the rabbit hole of these existential thoughts. Do our actions matter in the here and now, or do they carry heavier implications for the future? Does another version of me exist in another timeline where I didn’t play tee-ball as a kid? You know – late night thoughts (just me?). Well, if these kinds of questions are your jam, then might I recommend Steins;Gate RE:BOOT.

Steins;Gate RE:BOOT is a reimagining/remastering of the original 2009 Steins;Gate from 5pb (now know as Mages Inc.) and Nitroplus. This modernized retelling of this fan classic visual novel, however, is now being published by juggernaut Spike Chunsoft (Danganronpa, AI: The Somnium Files).

With this newest iteration of Steins;Gate, there were extensive updates and reimagings. To name a few:

• All of the artwork, including character designs, backgrounds, and pivotal sequences were completely redone from scratch.
• Animations of characters were redone with the E-mote Animation System, which allows for more fluid and clean expressions.
• Takeshi Abo, the original composer, returned to remake the game’s soundtrack.
• All of the original VA cast from the title returned to re-record their dialogue.

It truly is, for all intents and purposes, a new game (outside of the core story). And even that has had some tweaking, with the inclusion of a new storyline that was not present in the original Steins;Gate.

Gamer Social Club was graciously granted early access to this upcoming title. And being a dabbler in the visual novel world (shoutout to Clannad for heart-wrenching story-telling), I volunteered as tribute. Now, I will be up front with this – I did not play the original Steins;Gate, so this review will be from the eyes of a newbie to the Steins;Gate universe. Which is deep, convoluted, and…confusing at times.

The World & The Story

The World

Steins;Gate RE:BOOT takes place in Tokyo in the year 2010, specifically in the area of Akihabara. The world itself is very much like our own world…with a few minor deviations to separate it from reality. For example, in the Steins;Gate RE:BOOT universe, the Société Européenne de Recherche Nucléaire, or SERN, runs a particle physics laboratory on the French-Swiss border. And yes, it is based on the more commonly known CERN, or the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire.

The world of Steins;Gate RE:BOOT is also a world in which time travel is not only possible, but it has actually occurred. And depending on your game route (which we’ll get into), it happens…MANY times.

The Story

Steins;Gate RE:BOOT focuses around a young man named Okabe Rintaro (who frequently refers to himself as Kyouma Hououin). A self-proclaimed mad scientist, Okabe runs a small science lab in downtown Tokyo while he attends school at Tokyo Denki University. But this is not a one-man laboratory, no no! Okabe has several other lab “mems” who assist in his work, including:

• Mayuri Shiina – A lifelong friend of Okabe. She loves cosplay, but isn’t…the brightest bulb in the shed.
• Itaru Hashida – A computer hacker and lover of otaku culture.
• Kurisu Makise – A neuroscience researcher and prodigy of science. Also, tired of Okabe’s nonsense.
• Moeka Kiryu – A tech journalist who prefers speaking via email than actually speaking aloud.
• Luka Urushibara – Close friends with Mayuri and due to his upbringing, presents with very feminine traits.
• Faris NyanNyan – A maid cafe employee that Okabe frequents who is more than just what meets the eye.
• Suzuha Amane – A part-time employee at the CRT TV shop below Okabe’s laboratory.

Through pure…coincidence, Okabe and his colleagues manage to develop an invention that allows messages to be sent into the past. By doing so, their actions send the universe into alternate timelines. Their actions, also, garner the attention of more sinister forces at work in their own timeline.

Here’s the unique aspect of Steins;Gate RE:BOOT. Your actions (or lack of) will ultimately determine the timeline in which story moves to. Consequently, it’s difficult to project out the story fully due to this. Additionally, I am very much of the mindset, especially when it comes to the visual novel genre, that the story is the game. Taking that into account, I would rather you (the reader) experience it for yourself.

The Gameplay

Visual Novel Storytelling

If you have never touched a visual novel before, it’s essentially what it sounds like. It’s a “novel” that has been made “visual”. The gameplay in Steins;Gate RE:BOOT is focused around the interactions amongst the various characters. Scattered throughout the story will be various points where your actions, or inactions, will determine where the story goes from there. However, Steins;Gate RE:BOOT does this in a very unique way by via “phone triggers”. Answering a phone call, ignoring it, responding to a text message or not, as well as how you respond to said message – these all impact where the story goes. You just…may not know where it’s going to end up, is all.

The story itself very much plays on the themes of time and time travel, along with the theories that inform what is known as the “butterfly effect”. In the simplest terms, the smallest of actions can have the most profound effect on the world around us. One of the more classic examples of this is “a butterfly flapping its wings in Japan ultimately leads to a tsunami on the West Coast of the United States”. It also speaks to not knowing how small actions can affect future outcomes of our reality.

Tips List

Steins;Gate RE:BOOT does provide a handy little “reference guide” to further explain some of the things mentioned within the game. These can range from something as simple as an explanation of what “for the win” means to explaining what a Kerr Black Hole is. Sometimes, the tips are not really needed, in my opinion. Other times, I truly did have to check what the term meant, as the game itself is still couched in late 2000’s internet terminology. Some of which were only used in Japanese forums and websites.

Observer Log

The game also offers an “Observer Log” which allows the player to see when everything that has occurred in the game has actually happened. And in a game that focuses around the concepts of time and time travel, it becomes invaluable.

We’ve covered what the gameplay has to offer when it comes to Steins;Gate RE:BOOT. Now, let’s dig into what I liked and didn’t like with this title.

The Good

Deep and Complex Storytelling

Steins;Gate RE:BOOT tells a truly interesting and complex story that keeps you moving forward to see what is going to happen next. The further along Okabe and his crew start to unravel their discovery, the more the plot thickens with intrigue

I can understand why this series not only spawned a manga adaptation and an anime adaptation, but also several spin-off games. When you start to play with concepts of alternate timelines and history manipulation, there is truly no end to what you can do.

Multiple Endings Driving at Multiple Playthroughs

As I noted earlier, Steins;Gate RE:BOOT has many pivot points throughout the story that ultimately will bring the story onto alternate timelines. However, the unique aspect is that you may not necessarily be aware of which choices which bring you onto which timeline.

SPOILERS AHEAD ON THE ENDING FROM MY PLAYTHROUGH – YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

In my playthrough, I reached what is known as (from my research) the Amane Suzuha ending. In this specific ending, Okabe opts to not send that D-Mail message that would prevent him from pursuing Suzuha. As Okabe continues to relive the final two days before Mayuri’s death at the hands of SERN, he is approached by Suzuha, who notices Okabe has been out of sorts. She confides in Okabe that he is slowly killing himself and that the world’s timeline divergence will continue. She indicates that the only way that they can correct what has happened is to travel back to the past and stop SERN’s dystopian future from occurring. However, she and Okabe both now there is a chance that both of them will lose their memories of their mission upon arriving in the past. So yeah. Not the happiest ending.

END OF SPOILERS – FEEL FREE TO CONTINUE FROM HERE!

After hitting this ending, my first thought was “OK, how do we get to another timeline that’s more…positive, in terms of an ending?”

Intriguing Art Design

I won’t spend too much time, but I loved the artistic style of this game. It’s just close enough to reasonable reality (in terms of aesthetics) but just far enough away from what our world looks like.

The story sequence shots/visuals are also just a nice touch to break up the visual novel stylings of the game.

The Bad

Non-Existent Steam Deck Support

I know that this is a more…petty gripe that I have, but I do need to raise it. I initially started my playthrough of Steins;Gate RE:BOOT on my Steam Deck. And while Steam did not have a definitive “yay” or “nay” as to whether, I rolled the dice. And I do regret that decision.

Here are a few things about attempting this title on the Steam Deck:

• For some strange reason, there is zero voice-acting present when playing on the Steam Deck. It is easily one of the strangest hiccups I have seen when comparing PC to Steam Deck gameplay.
• The functionality of accessing your phone and the menu is more limited, as there are no provided controls as to what buttons/touch pads will do what.
• My biggest nit to pick. I loaded up my game one morning. The save file – completely gone. Poof. No trace of it ever existing. Which then required me to speedrun the story back to where I had left off.

Given that at the end of the day, a visual novel is not the most complex of genres (in terms of mechanics). There should then, in theory, be no reason why it is not functional on the Steam Deck.

Launching Headfirst into Quantum Physics

While I did truly enjoy the story of Steins;Gate RE:BOOT, I would be lying if I didn’t say it was incredibly dense and convoluted at times. If this is your first foray into the visual novel genre, then this might not be the title for you, solely due to the waterfall of information that you’ll need to process to understand the story.

If You Think You’re Saving Enough, You’re Not…

I think the biggest difficulty, from what I can tell with this title, is the re-playability aspects of it. While the game definitively has multiple routes to cover, it is not very clear (at least to me) when a decision you make is gonna to tip you over into the point of no return with one timeline versus another.

You see where I’m going with this. The only feasible solution that I can see on my end is having several save slot iterations running in the game, such that you won’t have to restart the whole game from scratch each time you want to explore a new timeline/possible ending.

I’ll totally admit, some folks will love this. Some, however, will finish their ending and not revisit the world again. Which is a shame, but I understand the why of not returning.

A STEEP Price to Play

I rarely, if ever, discuss game price. But in this case, I need to. I checked the Steam page for Steins;Gate RE:BOOT as I was writing this review and checked what the projected price was going to be.

$59.99. For a visual novel. This, my friends, is a hard asking price. I can understand spending $60 on, say, Ghost of Tsushima or an entry into Assassin’s Creed. Games where there are dozens and dozens of hours of active gameplay. But $60 for a visual novel, which at the end of the day (despite me liking them) are truly what they are – novels made visual? It gives me reason to take pause…and it might for others as well.

The Overall

Steins;Gate RE:BOOT is one of the more intriguing visual novels that I have gotten to experience. It makes you think, makes you question choice, and makes you ponder how your own actions can reverberate outwards. This complex and rich story, coupled with some unique styling designs, will be a major sell to those looking to revisit this series. But if you are new to the visual novel universe, this one might be too convoluted (or too pricey) to gamble on.

Steins;Gate RE:BOOT will be launching to PC (Steam) on August 19th, with a launch to PlayStation, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 on October 29th.

Gamer Social Club was provided an early-access code for the purposes of this review. This review was played on PC (Steam).