Operation Backlog Completion 2024
Feb 092024
 

Steins;Gate is not only one of the first true visual novels I’ve ever played, but also one of my all-time favorites. I absolutely loved it.

Despite that, I never got around to playing Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace, a lighthearted spin-off/fandisc with more of a romantic comedy approach.

So what better time than now, during Celebrating All Things Romantic?

If you’re at all familiar with Steins;Gate, you know that the basic premise kicks off when the main character Okabe and his friends learn they can send emails into the past (which they then refer to as D-Mails) and change the timeline through these messages. My Darling’s Embrace begins with Okabe finding himself at the other end of a D-Mail change where they’ve begun to develop new gadgets to sell… although he sent so many D-Mails that he doesn’t quite know what one caused this.

Things quickly spiral out of control when he and Kurisu end up stuck wearing a new gadget that shocks them whenever they argue. They prepare to send a D-Mail into the past to change it… and your choice there determines which route you end up on.

There are six routes, and each takes the story in a different direction focused on one of the characters. A couple of the routes (mainly Suzuha’s) hint at romance more than showing it, but most have the growing relationship as a core part of the route. They’re all sweet and funny, an entertaining look at how Okabe’s relationships could develop under other circumstances.

I especially enjoyed Moeka’s route, which was so wholesome and nice to see.

Click for Steins;Gate spoilers
And unlike in the main game, Luka is still a guy for his route this time.

Above everything else, My Darling’s Embrace reminded me of how much I love the Steins;Gate story and its characters. While the main story might become an intense thriller, and that’s still one of its biggest draws, it was nice to relax and read some lighthearted rom-com antics with this cast.

So if you’re a fan of Steins;Gate and want to some more romance-focused routes with its characters, check out Steins;Gate: My Darling’s Embrace!

Sep 202017
 

Back in May, Steins;Gate Elite was announced for the PS4 and Vita in Japan.

Very few details were revealed, but it sounded like some sort of enhanced remake of Steins;Gate.

Now the Switch has been added to the list of platforms, and Steins;Gate Elite has been described further as “a full animation adventure game.”

All of the animation from the Steins;Gate anime will be used, along with new animation for the routes that weren’t in the anime.

No one seems quite sure what to make of this.

I loved Steins;Gate and also enjoyed its sequel/midquel, but I don’t quite see the point of making a fully animated visual novel.

Is it like an expanded version of the anime, except you can answer Okabe’s phone and make choices to lead to the different routes, like in the visual novel? That’s interesting, but is there really an advantage over reading the visual novel? Is it intended for people who don’t like visual novels but don’t want to just watch the anime? Who is the target audience?

Steins;Gate Elite will be out in 2018 in Japan, so we’ll see what it’s like then. No localization news has been announced so far.

What do you think of this idea? Am I just missing the appeal? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.

Sep 182017
 

The visual novel Chaos;Child is being localized for the PS4 and Vita, and we finally have an official release date. It will be out on October 13 in Europe and October 24 in North America.

Chaos;Child is part of the Science Adventure series, which also includes Steins;Gate, although you don’t need knowledge of one to play the other.

(The Science Adventure series includes Steins;Gate and Steins;Gate 0, Chaos;Head and Chaos;Child, and Robotics;Notes and Robotics;Notes DaSH.)

It is also the sequel to the still-unlocalized Chaos;Head, but fans have said you don’t need to be familiar with Chaos;Head to play/read Chaos;Child.

Chaos;Child is about a group of high school students who begin to investigate supernatural murders.

I loved Steins;Gate, so I’m excited for this.

Are you interested in getting Chaos;Child?