Steins; Gate is back with a new way to enjoy the classic visual novel. On this occasion, the anime series is mixed with the game to give rise to a very interesting fusion in which we have the best of both media: interactivity and the possibility of choosing our destination, as well as the animation of the video scenes. In the Steins; Gate Elite analysis we tell you all the details.
Ihave not had the luck to play many visual novels that were animated. Almost all the ones I own are like what you can expect from them: static backgrounds and characters that, at most, change their expression depending on the context of the story. And deep down, for those of us who enjoy this genre, it seemed enough. Mainly because the drawing that accompanies each work is of great quality and the music is not lagging behind. Come on, when you play a Root Letter , a Danganronpa or Steins; Gate itself, you did not miss the animation, or the lack of it, as long as the game managed to catch you with its story.
Steins; Gate also did it with a very striking time travel story, as well as some characters that you took a liking to and, of course, the possibility of choosing the routes of events, which led us to different endings. We will not focus much on the story itself, because it is well known, and you have the analysis of the original Steins: Gate in 3D Games, but suffice it to say that it is one of the visual novels best considered for its great mix of genres and these different routes.
So Steins; Gate Elite is a very interesting experiment, because it is not just another animated visual novel, but we can directly compare it with the original game and with the animation series that White Fox created in 2011. I would not know if call it a remaster, remake or any other nomenclature, because what the original studio MAGES has done with this new interpretation is to take the playable base of the original Steins; Gate created by 5pb. and Nitroplus and add sequences of the animation series directly on the screen, to each of the scenes.
It’s here! Steins; Gate Elite Launch Trailer
It is one of the best-regarded visual novels for its great mix of genres and these different routesThe experience of reproducing the three works at the same time and starting to compare them with each other has been very curious to me. I’ve been playing this Elite while in turn playing my PSVita version of the original game and series in the background. The result is three very similar ways of telling the same story, but with subtle differences. All of them perfectly valid, that win and lose certain aspects if they are compared. It is clear in what the anime gained, but it lost not only a certain depth in the conversations and internal thoughts of Rintaro Okabe, but along the way it forgot all those scientific theories that were well explained in the game and the possibilities of choice of route that would take us to the different endings. This time,Steins; Gate Elite wants to collect the best of both worlds: the animation of the television series and the depth (along with the infographics and scientific theories) and variety of the original.
Back to the pastIt is impossible to achieve the goal perfectly, of course, because by substituting all art for the White Fox drawing, those beautiful static portraits that accompanied the original visual novel are lost. Also, in the comparison I have made, I have noticed that some lines of text are cut off. That is to say, it skips some small reflections that were made in the original, and the truth is I don’t really know why. Although they may seem like details, thoughts that helped to better understand the personality of each of the characters are lost.
Seeing this mix of animated series and visual novel is a very interesting experiment.
It is therefore difficult for me to recommend one version over the other, although it is certainly striking to see all the animated scenes in a visual novel format. To replace the parts that did not appear in the anime, new animation scenes have been created exclusively by the White Fox studio itself especially for those holes and that help to give life beyond the series to the routes of Suzuha, Faris, Luka, Mayuri and Kurisu among other parties.
If thanks to its implementation of animated scenes more people are drawn to Steins; Gate, I think the game has already achieved the goal. As I said before, anime is interesting, but it loses the depth that a work gives it in which you can choose different routes. Here, as in the original, we can change the course of events in those moments in which we are given a choice through the messages on our mobile phone.
Steins; Gate Elite collects the best of both worlds. The animation of the series, and the choices of the original game.
Now, there is another choice to make, and that is the version of the game that you are going to play. Steins; Gate Elite will be making an appearance on PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch. While the first two will arrive with exclusive content from Steins; Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram, Nintendo’s will do so with 8-bit Adv Steins; Gate. Linear Bounded Phenogramis a spin-off that delves into the stories of each member of the group, some of them made by screenwriters like Kotaro Uchikoshi from Zero Escape. 8-bit Adv Steins; Gate, on the other hand, leads us to drive Rintaro Okabe in retro 8-bit style as we tour the Akihabara neighborhood, just like in the classic NES games. Or well, rather from Famicom, because here we did not see many of this type, let it be said. It should be said that these contents can be purchased separately and are not linked, so if you prefer to have the version of the game on a specific platform, you can play them without problems.
The game maintains the essence of the visual novel, with its routes, endings, and scientific explanations.
The work that MAGES has done when reviewing all the dialogue lines and scenes from the anime to create this Steins; Gate Eliteit is really laborious. To the point that they have had to re-record all the original voices with their actors so that everything fits properly. The end result lives up to a name as important as this. As I say, if you have already played the original game and watched the anime, you may not find as many incentives to approach this version, and even some visual novel fans may prefer the original version, but there is no doubt that this version is very striking, respectful and with all the incentives that dazzled 10 years ago. If you’ve never been close to this universe yet, here’s one more reason to play Steins; Gate and delve into its alluring world of time travel.
“Excellent”
Steins; Gate Elite
The best way to see Steins; Gate Elite is as a mix of the anime series with the original visual novel. You have all the routes and depth of the game, mixed with the White Fox animation scenes to which new ones created exclusively for the occasion are added. Obviously you lose the original drawing and some line detail along the way, but it’s a great way to enjoy one of the best visual novels you can find.
- The mix between series and visual novel is very striking
- One of the best visual novels, with great story and characters
- The different routes and endings are still its great incentive
- The addition of new scenes animated by White Fox
- On the way the drawings of the original visual novel are lost
- Some lines with dialogue and thoughts are missing from the original visual novel. Small details, but enriching
