VN Reading Club - Steins;Gate (about bloody time)

[Turnip Sensei]

Just finished Suzuha's ending myself:

Spoiler

And as I promised some good stories about Steins;Gate, here goes. My experiences with Steins;Gate, now and back when I first read it.

Some background info first. I've mentioned it fairly often, but Steins;Gate was the visual novel that made me really interested in the medium and made me realize its uniqueness. I went into Steins;Gate knowing absolutely nothing. I didn't know if it had any routes and even my preconceptions were hilariously of the mark. Back then I thought Steins;Gate was about Okabe and Kurisu travelling around the world and time, trying to run away from Organisation and change the future. (I was as hopelessly bad at reading descriptions as I'm now) 

But anyways, on my first time I thought phone-system was just a way to add some funny interaction, nothing more. Until I got into the point in chapter 6 where you need to send the D-mail to change Suzuha's fate. I just had read the heartrending letter after thinking about that everything would be fine and I just couldn't press the send button. It was too sad. I didn't want to believe it was right. I couldn't believe it was right. Denying the bonds the characters had formed, undoing the only truly happy and peaceful days of Suzuha's life, it was all too cruel. So I kept reading the increasingly despairing narration, tears in my eyes and hoping there would be something else I could do. But of course there wasn't. (not that I realized it immediately)

So I got into the Suzuha's route and had hard time reading about Okabe slowly going crazy and suffering so for the sake of others. Or himself, as only he can perceive their cruel fate. Even the end was really touching in it's tragic beauty. 

Then after credits and loading up some saves I realized how the choices worked and I was totally mindblown. Because I didn't know that I made a choice or that there would be more than one ending, it all felt so... real. I didn't just choose a binary option from dialogue box like I was used to, I ended on a different path because I wanted to deny that the other option could be true. A choice that didn't felt like choice because how emotional I was. And that was a rather unforgettable feeling, something that can't be replicated after you know the trick. This is one of the many reasons why I remember Steins;Gate so fondly and why fell in love with visual novels.

And now that I played it again, it's still as touching. All the despair, frustration and tragedy creates a really powerful atmosphere and powerlessness and cruelty Okabe feels is almost tangible. It was no way near as powerful as the first time, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't really moved while reading Suzuha's letter or during the final moments of the time loop.        

 

[FrozenRaven]

Not gonna lie, it was only for a moment, but I thought Luka was really cute. 

[Eclipsed]

I'd bang 0.4569XX% (α) Luka anyday 

[Kurisu-Chan]

I'd bang every Luka.  

[Vorathiel]

5 hours ago, FrozenRaven said:

Not gonna lie, it was only for a moment, but I thought Luka was really cute. 

For a moment? Luka's voice is one of the best and most charming thing in this Vn!

[Nimbus]

7 hours ago, FrozenRaven said:

Not gonna lie, it was only for a moment, but I thought Luka was really cute. 

At least I wasn't the first person to say it.

 

And now for something completely different; whilst I do like the idea of the choices being implemented as what replies you send I wish we could actually see what the reply would be before you have to send it. When I see a topic the reply would be about, what I would say is ultimately very different from what Okarin would say so I almost always end up regretting my choice. 

[Vorathiel]

8 minutes ago, Nimbus said:

And now for something completely different; whilst I do like the idea of the choices being implemented as what replies you send I wish we could actually see what the reply would be before you have to send it. When I see a topic the reply would be about, what I would say is ultimately very different from what Okarin would say so I almost always end up regretting my choice. 

True. His answers are so bizarre that I was just simply saving game before choosing any reply.

[Nimbus]

I hate to keep coming back to this but goddamn do I hate Okarin. He's so insufferable I can only put up with him for about an hour at a time. I'm making practically no progress on the game at all!

How many chapters is it?

[Vorathiel]

10 chapters.

why do you hate him? I had to try 2 times. One, about an hour of reading, I strongly bounced off S;G because Okarin was, who he was in the prologue. But second time I knew what I'm going into, and Okarin didn't surprised me. And then, around 4-5 chapter I started to like him. Not very much, but enough.

[Nimbus]

1 minute ago, Vorathiel said:

10 chapters.

why do you hate him? I had to try 2 times. One, about an hour of reading, I strongly bounced off S;G because Okarin was, who he was in the prologue. But second time I knew what I'm going into, and Okarin didn't surprised me. And then, around 4-5 chapter I started to like him. Not very much, but enough.

He just annoys me on every level possible. It's probably amplified by the fact that I'm enjoying all the side characters (Daru is your standard Otaku and isn't particularly memorable, but otherwise inoffensive). I'm still really early in the game (chapter 2 or 3) so Okarin will get better from what everyone says. I'm just worried if the grind will be worth the payoff. 

[Vorathiel]

S;G is one of the best VNs ever made. It is worth it.

[Nimbus]

I wouldn't be surprised. Everything outside the protagonist is great; the characters, their design, the story. I'm enjoying all that stuff.

I feel so petty for focusing so much on Okarin, but he really is bringing the whole thing down. I really need to get through these earlier chapters and get to the point he isn't such a prick.

[Fred the Barber]

Stick with it, Nimbus. I guarantee he'll get better.

I finished Chapter 7 and took the fork for

Spoiler

Faris's chapter

Damn, I forgot that I felt this way not just about Suzuha, but about everybody who gets so horribly screwed along the way. Faris is breaking my heart, too. Hopefully the side-route can mend it a little before I have to go back and kind of ruin her life again.

Also, I forgot (if it was even there in the anime) that she completely reclaimed her memories from the old worldline, but it feels completely appropriate for her character (and only hers): she's got a certain je ne sais quoi. She might even be best girl, in spite of the cat maid act.

 

[Leaf]

I'm on Chapter 4, hooray for me.

The time travel thing is starting to make sense to me now, all the pieces are falling into place. Not sure when the character routes come into place, promised not to spoil myself.

Looks like you guys have been oogling Luka, would be lying if I say i'm not a little attracted to him, just a little man.

I agree with Nimbus that Okabe is hard to keep up with, but I see there are endearing things about him like his protectiveness of Mayuri, he also seems dead set that he can't be a savior too, very interesting. I'm just not gonna give my opinion on him until after I finish the story.

[Nimbus]

Chapter 3 spoilers...

Spoiler

So Shining Finger's discovery of the Time Machine just turned Steins;Gate into an "Idiot Plot"

Fan-fucking-tastic 

 

[Vorathiel]

Care to elaborate?

[Nimbus]

Spoiler

Basically her involvement seems to now come from the characters doing uncharacteristically stupid things. After all the crap Okabe spills about trying to be secret he tells a journalist everything before realizing what an idiot he's been. I get that this scene was probably intended to be funny but the fact that I simply didn't laugh, I groaned instead.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh (this vn is still in my bad books) but it's really just pushing it's luck. I really enjoyed the previous scene because they actually progressed the story, had proper conversations about what was happening and everyone else drowned out Okabe's annoying habits. I was riding a high from that scene only for it to come crashing down. 

 

[Kurisu-Chan]

41 minutes ago, Nimbus said:

  Hide contents

Basically her involvement seems to now come from the characters doing uncharacteristically stupid things. After all the crap Okabe spills about trying to be secret he tells a journalist everything before realizing what an idiot he's been. I get that this scene was probably intended to be funny but the fact that I simply didn't laugh, I groaned instead.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh (this vn is still in my bad books) but it's really just pushing it's luck. I really enjoyed the previous scene because they actually progressed the story, had proper conversations about what was happening and everyone else drowned out Okabe's annoying habits. I was riding a high from that scene only for it to come crashing down. 

 

You'll soon understand, stop playing dumb and at least get to chapter 5. 

[Fred the Barber]

I'll admit, Steins;Gate requires a bit of patience in the early rounds. Whatever you do, don't drop it just yet.

[Eclipsed]

@Nimby at least get to Ch 5, and if you still '7/10 has great moments but does not deserve very high a place in hallmark of VNs' then RIP, it just wasn't meant to be, gg waited too long and fell victim to classic too much expectation -> disappoint

but it is the first time 'round these parts I'm seeing s;g complaining and even actually call it bad, so I'll look forward to your end game review

 

[Nimbus]

Curious on everyone else's opinion on this; Does anyone else think Okabe's relationship with Luka Pre-Chapter 5 is kinda abusive?

Spoiler

The guy is yelling at Luka for the smallest, most trivial matters which brings him/her to the point of tears. He may be joking around but he/she takes everything Okabe says seriously, and he damn well knows Luka does.

If they were dating I'd be calling for an intervention, if not the police.

 

[Vorathiel]

I didn't care at all. It was was it was, I didn't thought about it too much.

But I had a somehow similiar issue. I liked banters and chemistry between Kurisu and Okabe, bot not nce I felt that she really, genuinely liked him. I always felt like she was staying at lab, because she was interested in microwave, and ocasional banters with Okabe were... well, simply banters between two highly intelligent persons. Okabe - sure, his feelings were visible. But Kurisu was visibly liking Okabe maybe only in e-mails.

Even in later chapters, where she was 

Quote

helping him with backtracking the changes, it felt like she was helping him because she was 100% involved in it and felt responsible, not because she had a feelings for him.

 

[Fred the Barber]

29 minutes ago, Vorathiel said:

I didn't care at all. It was was it was, I didn't thought about it too much.

But I had a somehow similiar issue. I liked banters and chemistry between Kurisu and Okabe, bot not nce I felt that she really, genuinely liked him. I always felt like she was staying at lab, because she was interested in microwave, and ocasional banters with Okabe were... well, simply banters between two highly intelligent persons. Okabe - sure, his feelings were visible. But Kurisu was visibly liking Okabe maybe only in e-mails.

Even in later chapters, where she was 

 

Really? Kurisu blushes like a sunset every time Okabe is sincere with her. She's just a classic tsundere.

6 hours ago, Nimbus said:

Curious on everyone else's opinion on this; Does anyone else think Okabe's relationship with Luka Pre-Chapter 5 is kinda abusive?

  Reveal hidden contents

The guy is yelling at Luka for the smallest, most trivial matters which brings him/her to the point of tears. He may be joking around but he/she takes everything Okabe says seriously, and he damn well knows Luka does.

If they were dating I'd be calling for an intervention, if not the police.

 

I can see where you're coming from, but at least for me, I don't think of it as abusive. There's a mismatch in their power in the relationship. But that is not uncommon; relationships aren't always between equals (compare, for instance, your relationship with your boss, or your teacher, or when younger your parents). I think Okabe thinks of himself as a teacher for Luka; he's hard on him because he cares about Luka getting mentally stronger. I don't think the relationship hurts or demeans either of them.

[Vorathiel]

Just now, Fred the Barber said:

Really? Kurisu blushes like a sunset every time Okabe is sincere with her. She's just a classic tsundere.

Well, it was my third VN after Katawa an G-Maou, so I wasn't really accustomed to tsunderes, but that was how I received her.  And even though I don't think she is 'classic', like in tsuntsun->deredere. 

[LiquidShu]

The first 45 minutes of the game failed to grip me, it was interesting but I didn't feel like sitting down and reading. After last night I'm ~90 minutes in and my feelings towards S;G underwent a complete turnaround. The banter between the characters is very amusing (Luka <3), and the mystery is starting to grip me. 

Definitely won't finish before the end of March but I can throw out some thoughts here and there.