I’ve been meaning to play Steins;Gate for a while, but the problem was I couldn’t decide which version to go for – original or Elite. There are compelling arguments for both, so Steins;Gate Re:Boot seemed to be the perfect entry point for me.
Following the more condensed script of Elite but retaining the charm of the original with re-drawn characters and backgrounds rather than lifting scenes from the anime, it seemed like the best of both worlds for me.
Story
For those unfamiliar with the original, Steins;Gate follows a group of teenagers led by Rintaro Okabe, a self-proclaimed mad scientist who insists, with varying levels of success, that those around him refer to him as Hououin Kyouma. Regardless of which name he’s going by, our protagonist is the leader of the Future Gadget Laboratory – a group dedicated to creating futuristic gadgets so Kyouma can plunge the world into chaos. This is all part of Okabe’s mad scientist persona, of course. He’s not actually a bad guy. Mostly, the lab is just an excuse for him to hang out with his two closest friends and do science.
Through their experimentations, the Lab members inadvertently create a device that allows them to send messages to the past via email. They call these D-Mails in reference to the DeLorean from Back to the Future. This introduces the group to the idea of time travel as something not only real but potentially achievable. It also puts them on the radar of a rather nefarious science-driven organisation with an interest in time travel and no problem getting their hands dirty.
I don’t want to give too much away because I enjoyed going into Steins;Gate without too much knowledge of the story, and I think it’s best experienced that way, but it touches heavily on the concepts of the Butterfly Effect, divergence, and different worldlines. It’s all very clever and jargon-heavy at times, but the TIPS section provides an explanation for most keywords, so it’s not overwhelming. It has a bit of a slow start, but once I got a few chapters in, I was hooked.
Presentation
The nature of visual novels means that they rely heavily on presentation. It doesn’t matter how good a story is without strong visuals to back it up. Steins;Gate Re:Boot looks great. I haven’t played the original, but I did take a look at some of the background art, and in my opinion, it looks a lot sharper and more photo-realistic without sacrificing the essence of the original.
Fans of the original will be pleased that the character design remains mostly the same, with the original artist returning to the role, but like the backgrounds, the characters have been re-worked with E-mote technology that allows for subtle movement and a much wider range of expression than static character sprites.
The voice acting is phenomenal, especially when it comes to the protagonist. His voice actor is able to perfectly capture both his eccentric mad scientist persona and his true personality. The rest of the cast are great too, and the instrumentals and sound effects do an amazing job of tying everything together.
Routes/Endings
Steins;Gate Re:Boot has seven possible endings – six character routes that correlate with the six female characters and one true ending. This is one more than the original game because they’ve added a route for Moeka. As I haven’t played the original, I can’t comment on how much value the Moeka route adds in the grand scheme of things, but I really enjoyed this route. I think it added something pretty different from the other endings.
The choices you make to achieve these endings are actually pretty subtle and can be easy to miss if you’re not paying attention. It’s all done through Okabe’s phone, where you have the choice to either send or not send a D-Mail. Depending on the choice you make, you’ll either progress to the next chapter or play through one of the alternate routes.
There are also less important decisions to make, like how to reply to specific emails. For the most part, these don’t lead to a specific ending (if you follow a guide, you’ll know the important responses to make), but they give you extra interactions with Okabe’s Lab members and some nice achievements.
One thing I really wish Steins;Gate Re:Boot included was a chapter list that allows you to replay previous chapters. Unfortunately, you’re stuck juggling multiple save slots or re-starting each time you reach an alternate ending. There is a skip function, but it’s not the most efficient. It’s more of a fast-forward function than a true skip, speeding along until you get an email, prompt, or unseen text. This is useful but still time-consuming, especially if you’re starting from the beginning.
Which is exactly what I had to do when an update to the game wiped my progress halfway through. Thankfully, it only took an hour or so of fast-forwarding to get back to where I was.
Final Thoughts
With its fresh graphics, stellar voice acting, and a compelling story, Steins;Gate Re:Boot is an amazing visual novel – a must-have experience if you’re a fan of the sci-fi genre. It might well be the best way for new fans to experience this adventure, but is it worth it for existing fans?
I’d say so but possibly not at full price.
The Moeka route was definitely enjoyable, and I can’t imagine experiencing the game without it. The Observer tab was interesting too, allowing you to keep track of all the different worldlines Okabe experiences and the decisions that cause them. For a new fan like myself, there’s a lot to love, but I’m not sure the updates and extra content are worth forking out upwards of £45 for if you already have the original or Elite versions, so it might be worth waiting until it goes on sale.
Developer: Mages Inc.
Publisher: Spike Chunsoft
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PC
Release Date: 20th August 2026 (PS5 and Switch versions release 29th October 2026)
Gaming Respawn’s copy of Steins;Gate Re:Boot was provided by the publisher.
