Steins;Gate needs no introduction, being one of if not arguably the most popular VN of all time. Originally releasing in 2009, Steins;Gate has since spawned adaptations, including an anime series and the fully animated 2019 remake, Steins;Gate Elite. With the announcement of another remake in the form of Steins;Gate RE:BOOT, we thought to give Elite another look. How does Elite compare to the original visual novel? While it introduces some new elements with its focus on animation, many fans felt it was a mixed bag.
Forced Purchase of Linear Bounded Phenogram
One of the most mind-boggling issues with Steins;Gate Elite is its packaging strategy. To access Linear Bounded Phenogram, a new canon entry in the franchise, you need to buy Steins;Gate Elite – at least on Steam. This has understandably upset fans, especially those only wanting to play the additional content. Locking Phenogram behind this paywall is odd as it’s not DLC but a standalone product.
Lack of Phone Customization
One of the unique and immersive elements the original Steins;Gate VN had was the ability to use and customize your in-game phone, allowing the player to change the wallpaper and ringtone for calls and texts. Steins;Gate Elite strips away this feature, removing the engaging sense of personalization and control. Instead when the phone does appear, it awkwardly takes up the entire screen, which feels more intrusive than anything.
Reused Music and Voice Acting
While Steins;Gate Elite aims to deliver a more cinematic experience by incorporating parts from the anime, it also recycles much of the original’s music and voice acting. It doesn’t feel like a natural mix of the anime and VN, rather it ends up creating an odd dissonance. The audio doesn’t always sync well with the new animations, leading to awkward transitions. Furthermore, the reuse of these assets evokes a feeling that Elite is more of a patchwork rather than a fully realized, new competent version of S;G.
Animated Alternate Endings
The most significant novelty and best part of S;G Elite are the new animated alternate endings. The original anime adaptation strictly followed the “True end,” and Elite has original animations for the alternate scenes. These new animations are awesome and the difference in quality between the original anime footage and the new scenes is modest, so they’re a welcome addition.
UI and Design Issues
One of the most prominent complaints about Steins;Gate Elite is its UI. The game reuses the font from Chaos;Child, another visual novel by the creators MAGES, which feels mismatched. The textbox is minimalist but in an ugly way. The visual novel genre is known for its minimalist but polished interfaces, and the original Steins;Gate delivered this well. Elite, however, doesn’t replicate that. It’s not downright awful, but it is a downgrade from the original.
Pacing, script and Recycled Animation
Steins;Gate Elite does not improve on the storytelling. In fact, the game’s pacing arguably suffers because it uses the writing from the original VN, even though the anime’s writing is said to be improved and wittier. This means the game is forced to recycle animation, making it feel repetitive and visually stale. Additionally, Elite is plagued by fade transitions that slow down the flow and break the momentum. The original, and subsequently just about every other VN in the industry, doesn’t have this issue due to all characters being on screen at once so the insane number of cuts isn’t needed.
@Channel Messages and Enhanced Sections
One positive aspect is that the @channel message sections are SUPER fleshed out compared to both the original VN and the anime. These sections expand on the world-building and plot elements surrounding John Titor and the story world.
Is Steins;Gate Elite Worth It?
For newcomers to the Steins;Gate universe, Elite may serve as an accessible entry point, especially for those who prefer animated sequences over static visuals. For fans of the original VN, however, Elite often feels like a step backward. The game’s clunky UI, reused assets, and lack of the original’s immersive features make it hard to recommend over the 2009 version. The novelty of animated alternate endings isn’t enough to make up for the shortcomings.
As touched upon earlier, Elite lacks both the unique script of the anime and the immersive qualities of the original visual novel. The anime adaptation took liberties with the story, condensing and restructuring it in a way that made it more fast-paced and cinematic, while the original VN allowed players to fully immerse themselves in its world through a slower, more deliberate pace thanks to Okarin’s narration. Elite tries to marry the two but ends up failing to capture the best of either. The result is a product that feels like a messy compromise.
Ultimately, Steins;Gate Elite is at least an interesting experiment that tries to bring something new to the table. If you’re a longtime fan of the series, the original visual novel likely remains the definitive way to experience Steins;Gate, but Elite could at least be a fun way to revisit the timeless classic.
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