Steins;Gate 0
| Steins;Gate 0 | |
|---|---|
 Cover art, featuring (left to right) Mahō, Rintarō (back), Kagari (front), and Kurisu | |
| Developer(s) | 5pb., Nitroplus |
| Publisher(s) | 5pb. |
| Series | Science Adventure |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows |
| Release date(s) |
PS3, PS4, and PS Vita
Microsoft Windows
|
| Genre(s) | Visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Steins;Gate 0 (シュタインズ・ゲート ゼロ Shutainzu Gēto Zero) is a Japanese visual novel developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus and released for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita on December 10, 2015. Marketed as a "true sequel" rather than a "fan disc", Steins;Gate 0 is a midquel to Steins;Gate. An anime adaptation of the visual novel has been greenlit.[1]
Gameplay
As a visual novel game, minimal interaction is required by the player and most of the time spent is on reading the text representing dialogue between characters or the thoughts of the protagonist.
For the decision points, Steins;Gate 0 has a different system from the "phone trigger" (フォーントリガー fōn torigā) system introduced in the original Steins;Gate. In Steins;Gate 0, the RINE trigger (RINEトリガー rain torigā) system is used where the player can exchange messages real-time with the characters of the game via the RINE app installed on the player's in-game smartphone. The player is notified through an indication found on the upper left corner of the screen upon receiving a new message. Depending on the message, the character of the game will react differently. The player also has the option to send stickers.[2]
Plot
Steins;Gate 0 is based on a light novel trilogy called the Epigraph Trilogy consisting of Steins;Gate: Epigraph of the Closed Curve, Steins;Gate: Pandora of Eternal Return, and Steins;Gate: Altair of the Point at Infinity.[3]
The story follows after Rintaro Okabe returns to the Beta timeline where Kurisu Makise is fated to die. He failed in his attempt to save Kurisu, only to accidentally kill her instead. The protagonist later suffers from serious Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and tries to cope with his failure to save Kurisu. He later meets Maho Hiyajo, a neuroscientist working on a program called "Amadeus" which allows the copy and digital recreation of a person's brain into an Artificial Intelligence avatar of said person. He is later surprised that Hiyajo managed to create an AI copy of Kurisu using Amadeus, before the latter's death.[3]
Promotion and release
The game was first was announced in March 2015.[4] It was originally scheduled to be released in Japan on November 19, 2015, but was delayed and released on December 10, 2015 for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.[5] A Microsoft Windows version is planned to be released on June 24, 2016, in Japan.[6]
Reception
The game sold 100,000 copies on its first day of release, bringing total Steins Gate visual novel sales to more than one million copies sold.[7]
References
- ↑ "Steins;Gate 0 Follow-Up Game & Anime Announced". Anime News Network. 28 March 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ↑ Romano, Sal (13 November 2015). "Steins;Gate 0 video introduces RINE Trigger system". Gematsu. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- 1 2 Eisenbeis, Richard (10 April 2015). "New Steins;Gate Game and Anime to Tell an Intriguing Story". Kotaku. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ↑ "Steins;Gate 0 Follow-Up Game & Anime Announced". Anime News Network. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- ↑ Matthews, Antony (13 October 2015). "Steins;Gate 0 Delayed in Japan". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
- ↑ Romano, Sal (31 March 2016). "Steins;Gate 0 coming to PC in Japan on June 2". Gematsu. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- ↑ "Steins;Gate 0 Game Sells Over 100,000 Copies on 1st Day". Anime News Network. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
External links
- Official website (Japanese)