Steins;Gate
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese visual novel
developed by 5pb.
and Nitroplus
, and was released on October 15, 2009 for the Xbox 360
. This is the two companies' second time collaborating together after Chaos;Head
. A port to the Windows
operating system
on the PC
was released on August 26, 2010 and a port for Sony's PlayStation Portable
handheld game console
was released on June 23, 2011. The game is described by the development team as a . The gameplay in Steins;Gate follows a non-linear plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction.
The story of Steins;Gate takes place in Akihabara
and is about a group of friends who have customized their microwave into a device that can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN who has been doing their own research on time travel tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them. Steins;Gate has been praised for its intertwining storyline and the voice actors have been commended for their portrayal of the characters. A manga adaptation of the story illustrated by Sarachi Yomi began serialization in Media Factory
's Monthly Comic Alive
magazine on September 26, 2009. A second manga series illustrated by Kenji Mizuta began serialization in Mag Garden
's Monthly Comic Blade on December 28, 2009. An anime
adaptation aired in Japan between April 6, 2011 and September 14, 2011, with a movie adaptation greenlit. The movie will show new footage and won't be a recap, according to the game designer Chiyomaru Shikura's livestream. A sequel game titled Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling was released on June 16, 2011. A second sequel game titled Steins;Gate: Henikuukan no Octet was released on October 28, 2011.
For these decision points, Steins;Gate presents the user with the system which is similar to the "delusional trigger" system that was introduced in Chaos;Head
. When the player receives a phone call from somebody, the player can choose to answer or ignore the call. Incoming text messages will have specific words underlined and highlighted in blue, much like a hyperlink on a browser, where the player can select on to reply to the text message. Most phone calls or text messages do not have to be responded to though there are certain points in the game where the player is required to take action. Depending on the player's choices on how to respond to these phone calls and text messages, the plot will progress in a specific direction.
. Physical locales of Akihabara like the Radio Kaikan building can be spotted in the game. According to Chiyomaru Shikura, who headed the planning of Steins;Gate, Akihabara was chosen because it is an easy place for acquiring hardware parts which makes it the ideal place for people interested in inventing and tinkering with things. The notion of time
and time travel
ing are the main themes of the game. The concept of cause and effect
is featured prominently in the game as the protagonist travels back in time numerous times to perform different actions in an attempt to alter what has happened in the future.
/
district of Tokyo
. On July 28, 2010, Rintarō Okabe and his friend Mayuri Shīna head towards the Radio Kaikan building for a conference, where Rintarō finds a girl named Kurisu Makise lying in a pool of blood. As Rintarō sends a text message about the incident to his friend, Itaru "Daru" Hashida, he experiences a strange phenomenon and the people around him disappear, with no-one else noticing anything had changed. After later running into Kurisu, who is strangely alive and well, and discovering the message he had sent to Itaru had arrived a week before he sent it, Rintarō soon deduces that the 'Mobile Microwave' he and his friends had been developing is, in fact, a time machine capable of sending text messages to the past. He and his friends soon learn that SERN
, an organization that has been researching time travel for some time, has actually succeeded in sending humans into the past although they seem to have all resulted in the test subjects' deaths. Rintarō begins experimenting with , which begin to cause major differences in the timeline. Kurisu also manages to create a device to send a person's memories through the microwave, allowing that person to effectively leap into the past.
However, SERN learn of the time machine and send a group to retrieve it, killing Mayuri in the process. Using Kurisu's time leap machine, Rintarō travels back in time numerous times to try and save Mayuri, but to no avail. As Rintarō reaches wit's end, he is approached by Suzuha Amane, a girl from a future ruled by SERN due to their possession of a time machine, who tells him that he needs to return to a Beta world line
in which Mayuri won't die. By undoing the effects of the D-Mails that caused shifts in the time line, Rintarō regains possession of an IBN 5100
PC that they lost earlier, allowing them to crack into SERN's systems and delete the evidence of Rintarō's original D-Mail. However, Rintarō realizes that by doing so, he would have to return to a world line in which Kurisu is dead. After realizing their feelings for each other, Kurisu tells Rintarō to save Mayuri. Reluctantly, Rintarō agrees and deletes the evidence of his D-Mail from SERN's database, returning him to the Beta world line.
Some time later, Suzuha appears before Rintarō, having arrived in a time machine from the future. She tells Rintarō that the only way to prevent World War III in the future is to prevent Kurisu's death at the hands of her father, Dr. Nakabachi, who stole her time travel theory to present to SERN. However, this operation ends in a disaster as Rintarō ends up killing Kurisu himself by mistake. After this failure, Rintarō receives a message from his future self, telling him that the way to save Kurisu without altering the events that led to him developing a time machine is to fool his past self into believing Kurisu had been killed. Returning to the past again, Rintarō puts his own life in danger in order to save Kurisu's life, prevent Nakabachi from successfully escaping with the time travel theory, and fool his past self, setting him on his journey through time. Returning to a world line safe from the threat of SERN, Rintarō and Kurisu manage to reunite by chance in the streets of Akihabara.
Prior to the game's announcement, a teaser site was featured on 5pb.'s website that simply referred to the game as Project S;G and stating that it was going to be a collaboration between 5pb. and Nitroplus. This was not the first time that a second collaborative project between 5pb. and Nitroplus was mentioned as Nitroplus's website had hinted at this on its 10th anniversary website. Matsuhara, who was also the producer for Chaos;Head, had previously stated that the game would be centred around Akihabara and that the project with Nitroplus would be the second part in a series around the theme "". On June 12, 2009, the countdown expired and the name Steins;Gate was revealed.
Matsuhara, who was the one originally thought of the concept of the phone trigger system, stated that they initially wanted to incorporate the player's own mobile phone into the system. However, the idea was abandoned due to concerns of clashing with Japan's privacy laws. When asked if the phone trigger system would be used in a possible sequel to the game, Hayashi stated that he hoped this would not be the case and recalled saying "who thought of this system!" while writing the contents of the text messages. While Shitakura did not directly contribute to the script itself, Hayashi stated that Shitakura helped with the overall plot and provided assistance with the second half of the story. In particular, Shitakura helped a lot on the time traveling aspects of the story. Hayashi stated that while he did not want the script to repeat the same text over and over again, it was ultimately unavoidable due to the player having to travel back in time so he tried to place emphasis on the overall tempo of the plot's development and how the plot unfolded. With regards to the theme of time traveling, Hayashi had felt that it seemed like a topic that was overdone and expressed concern over it when he first heard the idea from Shikura.
Kana Hanazawa
stated that she was happy to have been selected to be in Steins;Gate as she felt that it was not common to be able to play a part in a serious game. She also thought that the game gives the player more of a thrilling sensation rather than a frightening one and it entices the player to continue reading.
on October 7, 2009 for Xbox Live
Gold members and then publicly on October 14, 2009. The demo allows the player to play through the prologue and the game's first chapter. Steins;Gate was released in both limited and regular editions on October 15, 2009. The limited edition contained the game itself, a toy named "Future Gadget #3 Lie Detector" from the game and a small hardcover artbook that includes various illustrations and background information about the game's universe as well as comments from the staff members. A Windows
port of the game was released on August 26, 2010, the port will include additional CGs. A PlayStation Portable
port of the game was released on June 23, 2011. The game includes elements from the downloadable contents of the Xbox 360 version as well as a new opening movie, a new opening theme and a new ending theme. The game was also released for Apple iOS devices on August 25, 2011.
, the story for this sequel is irrelevant to the original game, and takes more of a comedy spin. Steins;Gate: Henikuukan no Octet, however, is an extension of the True End of the original game. Unlike the modern visual novel format of the original game, this retro game
perfectly mimics the style of graphical text adventure games from the 8-bit
PC era (e.g. PC-88), with the player typing short commands to interact with and explore the game world. It features all backgrounds and characters drawn in a low-color
pixelated
style with emulated scanlines, chiptune
music played through an emulated FM chip
, and currently features no voice acting. The premise of the game features Rintarō Okabe receiving a D-Mail from himself in 2025 that states that he must save the future by reclaiming an IBN 5100 from a person under of the alias "Knight-hart". This person could possibly be Takumi Nishijō of Chaos;Head
, since he runs under the same player name in his favorite MMORPG
, and the D-Mail also states that "Knight-hart" lives in Shibuya and has "inherent, supernatural abilities", a reference to his power as a gigalomaniac. The game was released on October 28, 2011. A game demo is currently available.
show to promote Steins;Gate named "" began broadcasting on September 11, 2009. The show was streamed online on every Friday, and was produced by HiBiKi Radio Station. The show was hosted by Asami Imai, the voice actress of Kurisu Makise, and Kana Hanazawa
, the voice actress of Mayuri Shiina. Guests that appeared on the show included Yū Kobayashi
, the voice actress of Ruka Urushibara, and Ayano Yamamoto, the voice actress of . The last show was aired on October 30, 2009. A CD containing a special Comiket
show with Haruko Momoi
, the voice actress of Feiris Nyannyan, as the guest was released on December 29, 2009. A collection of all eight broadcasted Internet radio shows, the Comiket show, and one new show was released on February 3, 2010, in a bundle together with the soundtrack of the game. The Internet radio shows are recorded in MP3
format.
's Monthly Comic Alive
' s November 2009 issue. Although the manga was released before the visual novel, the story is inspired from the game.
Four side-story manga series are currently being serialised. , illustrated by Kenji Mizuta, began serialization in Mag Garden
's Monthly Comic Blade' s February 2010 issue. The manga focuses on Suzuha Amane as it tells the events of the story from her point of view. , illustrated by Takeshi Mizoguchi, began serialization in Famitsu
's Comic Clear web magazine and it takes the point of view of Yūgo Tennōji. , illustrated by Yuzuhana Morita, began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten
's Comptiq
' s February 2011 issue and was transferred to Monthly Shonen Ace in its October 2011 issue. The manga focuses on main heroine Kurisu Makise as the events are told from her poiint of view. Another manga, titled started serializing on Comic Blade in its August 2011 issue. It follows the events told in the fandisc.
A spinoff comedy manga, titled , was illustrated by Nini and serialized in Media Factory
's Monthly Comic Alive
' s March 2011 issue.
A book containing information and designs of Steins;Gate was published by Enterbrain
on February 26, 2010.
account that Steins;Gate would be adapted into an anime
. Further details about the adaptation were revealed in the September 2010 issues of Newtype
and Comptiq
. The adaptation is produced by White Fox
and aired in Japan between April 6, 2011 and September 14, 2011. The adaptation is directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Takuya Satō
, with series' composition by Jukki Hanada
and music by Takeshi Abo
and Murakami Jun. At the end of the series, it was announced that a film adaptation had been greenlit. Funimation Entertainment
has licensed the series.
while the other ones are sung by Kanako Itō
. Itō's "Technovision" was included in her "Stargate" album which was released on August 26, 2009. "Sky Clad Observer" was composed by Chiyomaru Shikura and "Another Heaven" was composed by Yoshihiro Suda. The "Sky Clad Observer" single was released on October 28, 2009. Sakakibara's "Unmei no Farufarra" was composed by Tatsuhi Hayashi and the single was be released on November 25, 2009. A soundtrack of the game was released on February 3, 2010 on two discs in a bundle of three that includes recorders of the Internet radio show. All the background music of the game was included as well as shortened versions of the vocal tracks. The piano score for one of the tracks, "Gate of Steiner", was also included in the soundtrack. In episode 4, the song "Watashi☆LOVE na☆Otome!" by Afilia Saga East, who also sings the opening to the sequel game of STEINS;GATE, can be heard.
The anime features two pieces of theme music; the opening theme is "Hacking to the Gate" by Kanako Ito
while the ending theme is by Yui Sakakibara
(in ending credits she is mentioned as FES from Chaos;Head
band). The anime soundtrack, Steins;Gate Original Soundtrack, was released July 27, 2011, bundled with STEINS; GATE Vol.2 [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray].
on the year starting on December 1, 2008 and ending November 30, 2009. The PSP version of Steins Gate debuted at 2nd place on the Japanese game charts, selling 63,558 units in its first week. As of June 2011, 300,000 copies of the game have been shipped across the PC, Xbox 360 and PSP platforms.
Senji Ishii of Famitsu Xbox 360
praised the scenario for its detail and noted that events that were overlooked as insignificant later returned to affect events of the future. Due to the way the plot ties the many different events of the game together, Ishii believes it must have been a lot of work to write the scenarios. As for 2009, Famitsu awarded Steins;Gate as annual game of excellence award. 4Gamer.net commented that Steins;Gate is comparable to 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de and felt that it is a gem that has not been seen in recent years. ITmedia Gamez noted that players should be attentive to all the details in the story as the twists will surprise the player in many different ways. It was also suggested to the player that the characters' voices be left turned on as the voice acting
is very good. The review did caution that players who have played through the demo and who did not enjoy the atmosphere of the game were not likely to find the rest of the game interesting.
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
developed by 5pb.
5pb.
is a Japanese video game manufacturer and record label for video game and anime music. 5pb. formed on April 6, 2005 after Chiyomaru Shikura left Scitron to begin the company as its executive director, the position he still holds. The company name is derived from the phrase "The Five powered &...
and Nitroplus
Nitroplus
Nitroplus Co., Ltd., stylized as nitro+, is a Japanese visual novel computer software company that has developed a number of visual novels, including eroge. They have also have been collaborating with TYPE-MOON to create the light novel series Fate/zero. Their works usually have dark themes such...
, and was released on October 15, 2009 for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. This is the two companies' second time collaborating together after Chaos;Head
Chaos;Head
, stylized as ChäoS;HEAd, is a Japanese visual novel developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus that was released on April 25, 2008 for the PC. A port of the game, named , for the Xbox 360 console was released on February 26, 2009. The game is described by the development team as a...
. A port to the Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
on the PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
was released on August 26, 2010 and a port for Sony's PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
handheld game console
Handheld game console
A handheld game console is a lightweight, portable electronic device with a built-in screen, game controls and speakers. Handheld game consoles are run on machines of small size allowing people to carry them and play them at any time or place...
was released on June 23, 2011. The game is described by the development team as a . The gameplay in Steins;Gate follows a non-linear plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction.
The story of Steins;Gate takes place in Akihabara
Akihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
and is about a group of friends who have customized their microwave into a device that can send text messages to the past. As they perform different experiments, an organization named SERN who has been doing their own research on time travel tracks them down and now the characters have to find a way to avoid being captured by them. Steins;Gate has been praised for its intertwining storyline and the voice actors have been commended for their portrayal of the characters. A manga adaptation of the story illustrated by Sarachi Yomi began serialization in Media Factory
Media Factory
is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...
's Monthly Comic Alive
Monthly Comic Alive
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.-Serialized titles:*Asobi ni Ikuyo!*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai*Bone Crusher*Chaos;Head -Blue Complex-*D-Frag...
magazine on September 26, 2009. A second manga series illustrated by Kenji Mizuta began serialization in Mag Garden
Mag Garden
is a Japanese publishing company that focuses on manga-related publications and is also involved in the development of anime and live-action adaptations. It was founded on June 5, 2001 by Yoshihiro Hosaka along with former manga artists of Enix...
's Monthly Comic Blade on December 28, 2009. An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation aired in Japan between April 6, 2011 and September 14, 2011, with a movie adaptation greenlit. The movie will show new footage and won't be a recap, according to the game designer Chiyomaru Shikura's livestream. A sequel game titled Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling was released on June 16, 2011. A second sequel game titled Steins;Gate: Henikuukan no Octet was released on October 28, 2011.
Gameplay
Steins;Gates gameplay requires little interaction from the player as most of the duration of the game is spent on reading the text that appears on the screen which represents either the dialogue between the various characters or the thoughts of the protagonist. Like many other visual novels, there are specific points in Steins;Gate where the user is given a choice to affect the direction of the game.For these decision points, Steins;Gate presents the user with the system which is similar to the "delusional trigger" system that was introduced in Chaos;Head
Chaos;Head
, stylized as ChäoS;HEAd, is a Japanese visual novel developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus that was released on April 25, 2008 for the PC. A port of the game, named , for the Xbox 360 console was released on February 26, 2009. The game is described by the development team as a...
. When the player receives a phone call from somebody, the player can choose to answer or ignore the call. Incoming text messages will have specific words underlined and highlighted in blue, much like a hyperlink on a browser, where the player can select on to reply to the text message. Most phone calls or text messages do not have to be responded to though there are certain points in the game where the player is required to take action. Depending on the player's choices on how to respond to these phone calls and text messages, the plot will progress in a specific direction.
Setting and themes
Steins;Gate is set in the summer of 2010, approximately one year after the events that took place in Chaos;Head, in AkihabaraAkihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
. Physical locales of Akihabara like the Radio Kaikan building can be spotted in the game. According to Chiyomaru Shikura, who headed the planning of Steins;Gate, Akihabara was chosen because it is an easy place for acquiring hardware parts which makes it the ideal place for people interested in inventing and tinkering with things. The notion of time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
and time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ing are the main themes of the game. The concept of cause and effect
Causality
Causality is the relationship between an event and a second event , where the second event is understood as a consequence of the first....
is featured prominently in the game as the protagonist travels back in time numerous times to perform different actions in an attempt to alter what has happened in the future.
Main characters
- The player assumes the role of Rintarō Okabe, the protagonist of Steins;Gate. Rintarō is a self-proclaimed mad scientistMad scientistA mad scientist is a stock character of popular fiction, specifically science fiction. The mad scientist may be villainous or antagonistic, benign or neutral, and whether insane, eccentric, or simply bumbling, mad scientists often work with fictional technology in order to forward their schemes, if...
and often refers to himself under the alias of , which is also the name he uses to introduce himself to other people. Mayuri and Daru refer to him by the nickname , a portmanteau of his surname and given name. He is the founder of what he calls the in Akihabara where he spends most of his time. Rintarō gives off the appearance of being delusional and paranoid, frequently referring to the "organization" that is after him, talking to himself on his phone, and engaging in fits of maniacal laughter. Most of the time he takes on a fairly arrogant personality. He is usually seen wearing a lab coat. As he experiments with time travel, he learns that he is the only one who possesses the ability to determine changes between different timelines, which he dubs "Reading Steiner". The character is 18 years old and a first year student at Tokyo Denki UniversityTokyo Denki Universityis a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1907. It was chartered as a university in 1949 with Yasujiro Niwa as first president.-External links:* *...
.
- Kurisu is the main female protagonist of the game. She is a neuroscience researcher at an American university, and can speak and read English well. Having had her research published in the academic journal SciencyScience (journal)Science is the academic journal of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and is one of the world's top scientific journals....
at the young age of 18, Kurisu is extremely talented. She skipped a grade in the American school system. She does not get along with her father and has not spoken to him in many years. Rintarō often just calls her or one of a number of nicknames he comes up with, such as , none of which she likes. She is considered a tsundereTsundereis a Japanese character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time. The word is derived from the terms , meaning to turn away in disgust, and meaning to become 'lovey dovey'...
character. Her character is 18 years old.
- Mayuri is a long time childhood friend of Rintarō and is a bit of an airhead. Mayuri enjoys creating cosplayCosplay, short for "costume play", is a type of performance art in which participants don costumes and accessories to represent a specific character or idea. Characters are often drawn from popular fiction in Japan, but recent trends have included American cartoons and science fiction...
costumes and has a part-time job at a maid cafeMaid cafeMaid cafés are a subcategory of cosplay restaurants found predominantly in Japan. In these cafés, waitresses dressed in maid costumes act as servants, and treat customers as masters in a private home, rather than as café patrons...
called "Mayqueen Nyannyan". She sometimes calls herself , a portmanteau of her given name and surname, which is also what Daru calls her. She typically sings when she arrives or introduces herself. Her character is 16 and she is a second year at a private university preparatory school.
- Hashida is an experienced hacker who has known Rintarō since high school. He is very skilled at computer programming and with old and new computer hardware. He is also well-versed in things pertaining to otakuOtakuis a Japanese term used to refer to people with obsessive interests, particularly anime, manga or video games.- Etymology :Otaku is derived from a Japanese term for another's house or family , which is also used as an honorific second-person pronoun...
culture. Rintarō and Mayuri refer to him by the nickname "Daru", which is based on his given name Itaru. Rintarō sometimes also calls him , mispronouncing the word to his chagrin. He is a big fan of Feiris. Daru is often annoyed with Rintarō's frequent delusional behavior. He frequently says things which could be taken as sexual harassment. His character is 19 years old and, like Okabe, is a first year student at Tokyo Denki UniversityTokyo Denki Universityis a private university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1907. It was chartered as a university in 1949 with Yasujiro Niwa as first president.-External links:* *...
.
- Moeka is a tall girl who Rintarō bumps into in Akihabara and is on a search for the IBN 5100 personal computer. Moeka is extremely protective of her mobile phone and becomes agitated if someone tries to take it from her hands. She is very shy and prefers to talk to someone by sending them a text message instead of speaking, even if they are right in front of her. Okabe calls her . Her character is 20 years old.
- Ruka is a male bishōnenBishonenis a Japanese term literally meaning "beautiful youth ". The equivalent English concept is a "pretty boy".The term describes an aesthetic that can be found in disparate areas in East Asia: a young man whose beauty transcends the boundary of gender or sexual orientation...
who looks strikingly like a girl, and even wears the traditionally female mikoMikois a Japanese term that anciently meant a "female shaman, spirit medium" who conveyed oracles from kami , and currently means a "shrine maiden; virgin consecrated to a deity" who serves at Shinto shrines.-Word:...
attire despite being a boy. He is a close friend and classmate of Mayuri and is often asked by her to try on her cosplay costumes, though as he is quite shy he generally refuses. Okabe calls him , and thinks of him as a pupil. His character is 17 years old.
/
- Feiris works at the maid cafeMaid cafeMaid cafés are a subcategory of cosplay restaurants found predominantly in Japan. In these cafés, waitresses dressed in maid costumes act as servants, and treat customers as masters in a private home, rather than as café patrons...
"Mayqueen Nyannyan", the same maid cafe that Mayuri works at, and is the most popular waitress there. Her real name is Rumiho Akiha, whose family owns Akihabara, her being the one suggested it become the mecca of moe and anime. She tends to add to her sentences. Her character is 17 years old.
- Suzuha works part-time for the landlord of Rintarō's apartment and is on a search for her father in Akihabara. She enjoys riding her bicycle and appears to be at odds with Kurisu for some reason. Her character is 18 years old. She is the main protagonist of the side-story manga, Steins;Gate: Bōkan no Rebellion.
- He is Rintarō's landlord, who owns a TV repair store beneath his apartment, living with his daughter, Nae. Rintarō often gives him the nickname "Mr Braun" for his passion to Braun tube TV.
Story
Steins;Gate takes place in the AkihabaraAkihabara
, also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
district of Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. On July 28, 2010, Rintarō Okabe and his friend Mayuri Shīna head towards the Radio Kaikan building for a conference, where Rintarō finds a girl named Kurisu Makise lying in a pool of blood. As Rintarō sends a text message about the incident to his friend, Itaru "Daru" Hashida, he experiences a strange phenomenon and the people around him disappear, with no-one else noticing anything had changed. After later running into Kurisu, who is strangely alive and well, and discovering the message he had sent to Itaru had arrived a week before he sent it, Rintarō soon deduces that the 'Mobile Microwave' he and his friends had been developing is, in fact, a time machine capable of sending text messages to the past. He and his friends soon learn that SERN
CERN
The European Organization for Nuclear Research , known as CERN , is an international organization whose purpose is to operate the world's largest particle physics laboratory, which is situated in the northwest suburbs of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border...
, an organization that has been researching time travel for some time, has actually succeeded in sending humans into the past although they seem to have all resulted in the test subjects' deaths. Rintarō begins experimenting with , which begin to cause major differences in the timeline. Kurisu also manages to create a device to send a person's memories through the microwave, allowing that person to effectively leap into the past.
However, SERN learn of the time machine and send a group to retrieve it, killing Mayuri in the process. Using Kurisu's time leap machine, Rintarō travels back in time numerous times to try and save Mayuri, but to no avail. As Rintarō reaches wit's end, he is approached by Suzuha Amane, a girl from a future ruled by SERN due to their possession of a time machine, who tells him that he needs to return to a Beta world line
World line
In physics, the world line of an object is the unique path of that object as it travels through 4-dimensional spacetime. The concept of "world line" is distinguished from the concept of "orbit" or "trajectory" by the time dimension, and typically encompasses a large area of spacetime wherein...
in which Mayuri won't die. By undoing the effects of the D-Mails that caused shifts in the time line, Rintarō regains possession of an IBN 5100
IBM 5100
The IBM 5100 Portable Computer was a portable computer introduced in September 1975, six years before the IBM PC. It was the evolution of a prototype called the SCAMP that was developed at the IBM Palo Alto Scientific Center in 1973. In January 1978 IBM announced the IBM 5110, its larger cousin,...
PC that they lost earlier, allowing them to crack into SERN's systems and delete the evidence of Rintarō's original D-Mail. However, Rintarō realizes that by doing so, he would have to return to a world line in which Kurisu is dead. After realizing their feelings for each other, Kurisu tells Rintarō to save Mayuri. Reluctantly, Rintarō agrees and deletes the evidence of his D-Mail from SERN's database, returning him to the Beta world line.
Some time later, Suzuha appears before Rintarō, having arrived in a time machine from the future. She tells Rintarō that the only way to prevent World War III in the future is to prevent Kurisu's death at the hands of her father, Dr. Nakabachi, who stole her time travel theory to present to SERN. However, this operation ends in a disaster as Rintarō ends up killing Kurisu himself by mistake. After this failure, Rintarō receives a message from his future self, telling him that the way to save Kurisu without altering the events that led to him developing a time machine is to fool his past self into believing Kurisu had been killed. Returning to the past again, Rintarō puts his own life in danger in order to save Kurisu's life, prevent Nakabachi from successfully escaping with the time travel theory, and fool his past self, setting him on his journey through time. Returning to a world line safe from the threat of SERN, Rintarō and Kurisu manage to reunite by chance in the streets of Akihabara.
Development
Steins;Gate is the second collaborative work between 5pb. and Nitroplus after Chaos;Head. The game was created with the concept of "99% science (reality) and 1% fantasy" in mind. The planning for Steins;Gate was headed by Chiyomaru Shikura of 5pb. The characters were designed by Huke whereas the gadgets were designed by Sh@rp. Naotaka Hayashi of 5pb. wrote the scenario with assistance from Vio Shimokura of Nitroplus. Tatsuya Matsuhara from 5pb. was the producer and Tosō Pehara from Nitroplus was the art director. The music was composed by Takeshi Abo of 5pb. and Toshimichi Isoe of Zizz Studio. Shikura, Hayashi, Matsuhara, Abo, and Isoe had all previously worked on Chaos;Head.Prior to the game's announcement, a teaser site was featured on 5pb.'s website that simply referred to the game as Project S;G and stating that it was going to be a collaboration between 5pb. and Nitroplus. This was not the first time that a second collaborative project between 5pb. and Nitroplus was mentioned as Nitroplus's website had hinted at this on its 10th anniversary website. Matsuhara, who was also the producer for Chaos;Head, had previously stated that the game would be centred around Akihabara and that the project with Nitroplus would be the second part in a series around the theme "". On June 12, 2009, the countdown expired and the name Steins;Gate was revealed.
Matsuhara, who was the one originally thought of the concept of the phone trigger system, stated that they initially wanted to incorporate the player's own mobile phone into the system. However, the idea was abandoned due to concerns of clashing with Japan's privacy laws. When asked if the phone trigger system would be used in a possible sequel to the game, Hayashi stated that he hoped this would not be the case and recalled saying "who thought of this system!" while writing the contents of the text messages. While Shitakura did not directly contribute to the script itself, Hayashi stated that Shitakura helped with the overall plot and provided assistance with the second half of the story. In particular, Shitakura helped a lot on the time traveling aspects of the story. Hayashi stated that while he did not want the script to repeat the same text over and over again, it was ultimately unavoidable due to the player having to travel back in time so he tried to place emphasis on the overall tempo of the plot's development and how the plot unfolded. With regards to the theme of time traveling, Hayashi had felt that it seemed like a topic that was overdone and expressed concern over it when he first heard the idea from Shikura.
Kana Hanazawa
Kana Hanazawa
a voice actress represented by Office Osawa talent agency. She is notable for voice acting leading roles for a number of anime television shows and other anime-related media in Japan.-Anime voice roles:Leading roles in bold2003...
stated that she was happy to have been selected to be in Steins;Gate as she felt that it was not common to be able to play a part in a serious game. She also thought that the game gives the player more of a thrilling sensation rather than a frightening one and it entices the player to continue reading.
Release history
Steins;Gate was first declared gold on September 18, 2009 with a demo of the game being made available a few weeks later on the Xbox Live MarketplaceXbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
on October 7, 2009 for Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
Gold members and then publicly on October 14, 2009. The demo allows the player to play through the prologue and the game's first chapter. Steins;Gate was released in both limited and regular editions on October 15, 2009. The limited edition contained the game itself, a toy named "Future Gadget #3 Lie Detector" from the game and a small hardcover artbook that includes various illustrations and background information about the game's universe as well as comments from the staff members. A Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
port of the game was released on August 26, 2010, the port will include additional CGs. A PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
port of the game was released on June 23, 2011. The game includes elements from the downloadable contents of the Xbox 360 version as well as a new opening movie, a new opening theme and a new ending theme. The game was also released for Apple iOS devices on August 25, 2011.
Sequels
The game also produced two sequels: Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling and Steins;Gate: Henikuukan no Octet. Steins;Gate: Hiyoku Renri no Darling was released on June 16, 2011, and similar to Chaos;Head Love Chu Chu!Chaos;Head Love Chu Chu!
is a romantic comedy visual novel developed and produced by 5pb. and Nitroplus for the Xbox 360. It was released on March 25, 2010. This is the two companies' third time collaborating together after Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate. The game is described by the development team as a .-Main characters:The...
, the story for this sequel is irrelevant to the original game, and takes more of a comedy spin. Steins;Gate: Henikuukan no Octet, however, is an extension of the True End of the original game. Unlike the modern visual novel format of the original game, this retro game
Retrogaming
Retrogaming, also known as old-school gaming, is the hobby of playing and collecting older computer, video, and arcade games. These games are played either on the original hardware, on modern hardware via emulation, or on modern hardware via ports or compilations...
perfectly mimics the style of graphical text adventure games from the 8-bit
8-bit
The first widely adopted 8-bit microprocessor was the Intel 8080, being used in many hobbyist computers of the late 1970s and early 1980s, often running the CP/M operating system. The Zilog Z80 and the Motorola 6800 were also used in similar computers...
PC era (e.g. PC-88), with the player typing short commands to interact with and explore the game world. It features all backgrounds and characters drawn in a low-color
Color depth
In computer graphics, color depth or bit depth is the number of bits used to represent the color of a single pixel in a bitmapped image or video frame buffer. This concept is also known as bits per pixel , particularly when specified along with the number of bits used...
pixelated
Pixelation
In computer graphics, pixelation is an effect caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a bitmap at such a large size that individual pixels, small single-colored square display elements that comprise the bitmap, are visible to the eye...
style with emulated scanlines, chiptune
Chiptune
A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...
music played through an emulated FM chip
Sound chip
A sound chip is an integrated circuit designed to produce sound . It might be doing this through digital, analog or mixed-mode electronics...
, and currently features no voice acting. The premise of the game features Rintarō Okabe receiving a D-Mail from himself in 2025 that states that he must save the future by reclaiming an IBN 5100 from a person under of the alias "Knight-hart". This person could possibly be Takumi Nishijō of Chaos;Head
Chaos;Head
, stylized as ChäoS;HEAd, is a Japanese visual novel developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus that was released on April 25, 2008 for the PC. A port of the game, named , for the Xbox 360 console was released on February 26, 2009. The game is described by the development team as a...
, since he runs under the same player name in his favorite MMORPG
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
, and the D-Mail also states that "Knight-hart" lives in Shibuya and has "inherent, supernatural abilities", a reference to his power as a gigalomaniac. The game was released on October 28, 2011. A game demo is currently available.
Internet radio show
An Internet radioInternet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
show to promote Steins;Gate named "" began broadcasting on September 11, 2009. The show was streamed online on every Friday, and was produced by HiBiKi Radio Station. The show was hosted by Asami Imai, the voice actress of Kurisu Makise, and Kana Hanazawa
Kana Hanazawa
a voice actress represented by Office Osawa talent agency. She is notable for voice acting leading roles for a number of anime television shows and other anime-related media in Japan.-Anime voice roles:Leading roles in bold2003...
, the voice actress of Mayuri Shiina. Guests that appeared on the show included Yū Kobayashi
Yu Kobayashi
is a female voice actress from Tokyo, Japan and is affiliated with HolyPeak. She also occasionally works as a key animator.-Anime:*12Riven - Yuyu Hoshino*Air Gear: Kuro no Hane to Nemuri no Mori - Emily Adachi*Amatsuki - Benitobi...
, the voice actress of Ruka Urushibara, and Ayano Yamamoto, the voice actress of . The last show was aired on October 30, 2009. A CD containing a special Comiket
Comiket
, otherwise known as the , is the world's largest self-published comic book fair, held twice a year in Tokyo, Japan. The first Comiket was held on December 21, 1975, with only about 32 participating circles and an estimated 600 attendees. Attendance has since swelled to over a half million people....
show with Haruko Momoi
Haruko Momoi
is a Japanese voice actress and singer/songwriter. She was born in Tokyo, Japan and is affectionately referred to as 'Halko' by her fans, a nickname she gave herself which is inspired by HAL 9000, the onboard computer of the Discovery in 2001: A Space Odyssey....
, the voice actress of Feiris Nyannyan, as the guest was released on December 29, 2009. A collection of all eight broadcasted Internet radio shows, the Comiket show, and one new show was released on February 3, 2010, in a bundle together with the soundtrack of the game. The Internet radio shows are recorded in MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format.
Manga
On September 26, 2009, a manga adaptation by Sarachi Yomi began serialization in Media FactoryMedia Factory
is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...
's Monthly Comic Alive
Monthly Comic Alive
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.-Serialized titles:*Asobi ni Ikuyo!*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai*Bone Crusher*Chaos;Head -Blue Complex-*D-Frag...
Four side-story manga series are currently being serialised. , illustrated by Kenji Mizuta, began serialization in Mag Garden
Mag Garden
is a Japanese publishing company that focuses on manga-related publications and is also involved in the development of anime and live-action adaptations. It was founded on June 5, 2001 by Yoshihiro Hosaka along with former manga artists of Enix...
's Monthly Comic Blade
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
's Comic Clear web magazine and it takes the point of view of Yūgo Tennōji. , illustrated by Yuzuhana Morita, began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten
Kadokawa Shoten
is a well-known Japanese publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. Kadokawa has published both manga novels and magazines, such as Newtype magazine...
's Comptiq
Comptiq
is a Japanese computer game magazine, first published in 1983, by Kadokawa Shoten. The name "Comptiq" came from combining the words "computer" and "boutique". Originally a PC magazine, its focus shifted from computers to computer games. As of September 2003, it has been known as a "MediaMix Game...
A spinoff comedy manga, titled , was illustrated by Nini and serialized in Media Factory
Media Factory
is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...
's Monthly Comic Alive
Monthly Comic Alive
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.-Serialized titles:*Asobi ni Ikuyo!*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai*Bone Crusher*Chaos;Head -Blue Complex-*D-Frag...
A book containing information and designs of Steins;Gate was published by Enterbrain
Enterbrain
is a Japanese magazine publisher established on April 1, 2000. Enterbrain magazines are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy guides. In addition, the company publishes a small selection of anime artbooks. Enterbrain is based in Tokyo, Japan...
on February 26, 2010.
Drama CDs
Three drama CDs were released on March 31, 2010, April 28, 2010, and June 2, 2010 respectively. The first drama CD takes place in the tenth chapter of Kurisu's route.Anime
On July 25, 2010, Chiyomaru Shikura announced on his twitterTwitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account that Steins;Gate would be adapted into an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. Further details about the adaptation were revealed in the September 2010 issues of Newtype
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
and Comptiq
Comptiq
is a Japanese computer game magazine, first published in 1983, by Kadokawa Shoten. The name "Comptiq" came from combining the words "computer" and "boutique". Originally a PC magazine, its focus shifted from computers to computer games. As of September 2003, it has been known as a "MediaMix Game...
. The adaptation is produced by White Fox
White Fox
, is a Japanese animation studio founded in April 2007. They are a relatively new anime studio spun off from OLM.-Other animation works:*Kiddy Girl-and: Key Animation*Mobile Suit Gundam 00: In-Between Animation...
and aired in Japan between April 6, 2011 and September 14, 2011. The adaptation is directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Takuya Satō
Takuya Sato
' is a Japanese script writer and director of anime.-Works:*Street Fighter II V Assistant Director*Harimogu Harry Storyboard, Episode Director*NieA 7 Director, Script*Princess Tutu eps. 6,11 Script...
, with series' composition by Jukki Hanada
Jukki Hanada
' is a Japanese screenwriter.-Series composition:*Hanaukyo Maid Team La Verite*Idolmaster: Xenoglossia*Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl*Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful*Petite Princess Yucie*Popotan*Rozen Maiden...
and music by Takeshi Abo
Takeshi Abo
is a Japanese video game composer. He was employed by KID beginning in 1990, and joined 5pb. in December 2006 after KID declared bankruptcy.-Discography:*Chaos;Head*Close to ~Inori no Oka*Famicom8BIT - momo-i*Gokujyou Seitokai*Iris ~Irisu~...
and Murakami Jun. At the end of the series, it was announced that a film adaptation had been greenlit. Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
has licensed the series.
Music
Steins;Gate has four main theme songs, the opening theme , the first ending theme "Another Heaven", the second ending theme ", and the insert song "Technovision". The third song is sung by Yui SakakibaraYui Sakakibara
, is a female Japanese choreographer, dancer, singer, songwriter, and voice actress from Hyōgo, Japan. She appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen as back ground dancer behind Ami Suzuki in 1999 and 2000. She used to use the name and others in her previous voices...
while the other ones are sung by Kanako Itō
Kanako Ito
is a female Japanese singer from Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan. She has sung many songs that have appeared in video games and anime. One of her notable songs in games is , the "bad end" ending theme to the visual novel School Days. Itō has also sung songs for a drama CD and anime adaptations of School...
. Itō's "Technovision" was included in her "Stargate" album which was released on August 26, 2009. "Sky Clad Observer" was composed by Chiyomaru Shikura and "Another Heaven" was composed by Yoshihiro Suda. The "Sky Clad Observer" single was released on October 28, 2009. Sakakibara's "Unmei no Farufarra" was composed by Tatsuhi Hayashi and the single was be released on November 25, 2009. A soundtrack of the game was released on February 3, 2010 on two discs in a bundle of three that includes recorders of the Internet radio show. All the background music of the game was included as well as shortened versions of the vocal tracks. The piano score for one of the tracks, "Gate of Steiner", was also included in the soundtrack. In episode 4, the song "Watashi☆LOVE na☆Otome!" by Afilia Saga East, who also sings the opening to the sequel game of STEINS;GATE, can be heard.
The anime features two pieces of theme music; the opening theme is "Hacking to the Gate" by Kanako Ito
Kanako Ito
is a female Japanese singer from Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan. She has sung many songs that have appeared in video games and anime. One of her notable songs in games is , the "bad end" ending theme to the visual novel School Days. Itō has also sung songs for a drama CD and anime adaptations of School...
while the ending theme is by Yui Sakakibara
Yui Sakakibara
, is a female Japanese choreographer, dancer, singer, songwriter, and voice actress from Hyōgo, Japan. She appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen as back ground dancer behind Ami Suzuki in 1999 and 2000. She used to use the name and others in her previous voices...
(in ending credits she is mentioned as FES from Chaos;Head
Chaos;Head
, stylized as ChäoS;HEAd, is a Japanese visual novel developed by 5pb. and Nitroplus that was released on April 25, 2008 for the PC. A port of the game, named , for the Xbox 360 console was released on February 26, 2009. The game is described by the development team as a...
band). The anime soundtrack, Steins;Gate Original Soundtrack, was released July 27, 2011, bundled with STEINS; GATE Vol.2 [Limited Edition] [Blu-ray].
Reception
Steins;Gate placed 13th in sales during its first week of release with 16,434 copies sold, 28th on its second week with 4,253 copies, and 26th on its third week with 6,095 copies, totaling 26,782 copies by October 29, 2009. Steins;Gate placed fourth in overall Xbox 360 game sales on Amazon JapanAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
on the year starting on December 1, 2008 and ending November 30, 2009. The PSP version of Steins Gate debuted at 2nd place on the Japanese game charts, selling 63,558 units in its first week. As of June 2011, 300,000 copies of the game have been shipped across the PC, Xbox 360 and PSP platforms.
Senji Ishii of Famitsu Xbox 360
Famitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
praised the scenario for its detail and noted that events that were overlooked as insignificant later returned to affect events of the future. Due to the way the plot ties the many different events of the game together, Ishii believes it must have been a lot of work to write the scenarios. As for 2009, Famitsu awarded Steins;Gate as annual game of excellence award. 4Gamer.net commented that Steins;Gate is comparable to 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de and felt that it is a gem that has not been seen in recent years. ITmedia Gamez noted that players should be attentive to all the details in the story as the twists will surprise the player in many different ways. It was also suggested to the player that the characters' voices be left turned on as the voice acting
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
is very good. The review did caution that players who have played through the demo and who did not enjoy the atmosphere of the game were not likely to find the rest of the game interesting.