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Steins;Gate Elite

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Steins;Gate Elite
The game's cover art consists of a stylized illustration of two young women and one young man, standing among clockwork; in the distance, a satellite-like machine can be seen having crash landed atop the roof of a building.
Cover art, featuring (top to bottom) Makise Kurisu, Rintaro Okabe, and Shiina Mayuri
Developer(s)5pb.
Publisher(s)
Producer(s)Tatsuya Matsubara
SeriesScience Adventure
Platform(s)PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, iOS
ReleasePS4, NS
  • JP: September 20, 2018
  • WW: February 19, 2019
PlayStation Vita
  • JP: September 20, 2018
Microsoft Windows
  • WW: February 19, 2019
iOS
  • JP: October 15, 2019
Genre(s)
Mode(s)Single-player

Steins;Gate Elite[a] is a science fiction visual novel and interactive movie video game, part of the Science Adventure series. It was developed by 5pb. for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows and iOS, and was released in September 2018 in Japan and in February 2019 internationally. It is an updated, fully animated remake of the 2009 game Steins;Gate, using footage from the anime adaptation of the original game along with newly produced animation by White Fox.

The game was created from the desire of its planner, Chiyomaru Shikura, to evolve the visual novel genre: he was influenced by the fully animated game series Yarudora, but as high development costs and a long production time would have prevented a full-length animated visual novel, it was decided to create a game that reused already existing animation. The game has received widespread critical acclaim by critics, in particularly for its story, footage of the anime adaptation of the original game, and visuals.

Overview

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See also: Steins;Gate § Plot

Steins;Gate Elite is a science fiction[1] visual novel[2] and interactive movie game,[3] an updated version of the 2009 game Steins;Gate.[4][5][6] Unlike previous games in the Science Adventure series,[7] it is fully animated,[8] using all the footage from the Steins;Gate anime series along with newly produced animation for story routes not adapted in the anime;[7] the animation is played together with the script and voiced dialogue from the original game.[4] The player reads the on-screen text and presses a button to advance the animation and text, and thereby progresses through the story. At certain points, the player makes choices which cause the story to branch, leading to different endings.[9]

Production

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Development

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Steins;Gate Elite was developed by 5pb., and was planned by Chiyomaru Shikura and produced by Tatsuya Matsubara.[10] The new animation was produced by White Fox, the studio that produced the Steins;Gate anime series.[7] Shikura had for a long time thought about how to evolve the visual novel genre, as he felt it had been largely stagnant. He was influenced by the Yarudora series of games, which are fully animated and voice acted,[10] liking how fully animated visual novels would have the advantage of both containing prose describing characters' internal feelings, and showing movements and expressions that are not as easily conveyed through character sprites and prose only.[11] He did however note that making a full-length visual novel in that style would be difficult due to production costs and how long the development would take. Realizing that a project like it would have to reuse old animation to be feasible, it was decided to create a game using material from the anime adaptation of Steins;Gate, as it already contained a large portion of the story from the original game.[10]

There were still difficulties involved in incorporating the anime footage in Steins;Gate Elite: In a typical visual novel, each character only talks and acts when the player pushes a button, while multiple characters can move and talk at the same time in an anime. This resulted in the anime footage having to be deconstructed, with each character's movements in a scene separated into its own individually playable animations. Because the player character uses his cell phone at several points in the game, they also had to add new animations of him taking it out.[10] Other difficulties involved discrepancies between the original game and the anime adaptation, such as characters being in different locations for certain scenes in the anime compared to the original game; taking care of these situations alone took six months.[12] The user interface was also redesigned to be subtle and blend in with the animation.[10]

Release

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A 2012 photograph of Kanako Itō
Kanako Itō performed the game's opening theme, "Cosmic Looper".

The game was announced at the Chiyo-ST Live 2017 Genesis event in Tokyo in May 2017,[13] and was showcased at Sega's booth at Tokyo Game Show 2017, with a seven-minute demo available for the public to play.[9][14] The full game, which is branded as a "Full Animation Adventure",[10] was released on September 20, 2018, in Japan for PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Nintendo Switch,[15] with no differences between the three platforms.[10] Although it had originally been announced for release on March 15, 2018, it was delayed as further improvements to the quality were deemed necessary.[16] In March 2018, Spike Chunsoft's newly established American subsidiary announced that they would publish the game in North America and Europe for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows:[17] they were released on February 19, 2019.[18][19] The English versions use the script from the English release of the original Steins;Gate,[20] along with Japanese audio.[17] An iOS version was later released in Japan on October 15, 2019.[21]

The PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and Microsoft Windows versions include an HD remaster of the 2013 game Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram, while the Nintendo Switch version includes the newly developed 8-bit ADV Steins;Gate,[b] a Steins;Gate game in the style of 1980s adventure games for the Famicom console.[18][17][22] 8-bit ADV Steins;Gate was developed to be as true to Famicom games of the time as possible, and so the development team made use of older tools to produce it, such as using the 6502CPU to assemble assets and the 2A03 sound chip to compose the sound.[12]

Reception

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Pre-release

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Reviewing the game's Tokyo Game Show demo, Famitsu wrote that they thought the game felt fresh despite how they had already played the original game and watched the anime. Because of the added animations, they thought the game gave a greater feeling of urgency than the original Steins;Gate, and described it as feeling like they were moving the animation due to how it waits for the player to press a button before moving.[9] Dengeki PlayStation were initially negative towards the idea of remaking Steins;Gate using material from the anime, but were positively surprised when they played the demo.[11] IGN was positive to the demo, and thought the anime footage prevented the monotony one can feel when playing visual novels with static background images and character sprites.[38]

Post-release

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The PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PlayStation Vita versions of the game were the second, fourth and twentieth best-selling physical video games in Japan during their debut week, selling a combined total of 30,442 copies.[39] The PC version was among the best-selling new releases of the month on Steam.[40][c]

Steins;Gate Elite was well received by critics according to the review aggregator Metacritic,[24][23] and was the 10th best reviewed PlayStation 4 game and 22nd best reviewed Nintendo Switch game of the year.[42] Famitsu enjoyed the combination of reading the visual novel script and watching the animation, and liked the newly produced animated sequences.[26]

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The game's opening theme, "Cosmic Looper", the insert songs "Technovision", "Sky Clad Observer" and "A.R." as well as the first ending theme "Another Heaven" are performed by Kanako Itō. The second ending theme, "Annie no Yubiwa" (アニーの指輪, Anī no Yubiwa, "Annie's Ring"), as well as the insert song "Masquerade" are performed by Yui Sakakibara. Both the opening and second ending themes were released on singles on September 19, 2018.[43][44] The full Steins;Gate Elite Original Soundtrack album was released by Mages on March 18, 2020.[45] Steins;Gate 0 Elite, a follow-up which updates the sequel Steins;Gate 0 in the same manner as Steins;Gate Elite did with Steins;Gate, was announced at the annual Science Adventure Live event in January 2020, and is in development by Mages.[46]

Notes

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  1. ^ Steins;Gate Elite (Japanese: シュタインズ・ゲート エリート, Hepburn: Shutainzu Gēto Erīto)
  2. ^ Titled Famicolle ADV Steins;Gate in Japanese;[22] not to be confused with the similarly-titled 2011 game Steins;Gate 8bit.
  3. ^ Based on total revenue for the first two weeks on sale.[41]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Review: Steins;Gate Elite". Destructoid. February 9, 2019. Archived from the original on April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  2. ^ Sato (September 21, 2017). "Steins;Gate Elite's Gameplay Video Shows The Visual Novel With Anime Footage In Motion". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  3. ^ Blake, Vikki (March 4, 2019). "Steins;Gate Elite review - a must-have for fans, a maybe for everyone else". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 21, 2017). "Steins;Gate Elite Game's Video Shows Anime Footage With Visual Novel Script". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  5. ^ Bass (September 10, 2017). "Steins;Gate Elite listed for PS4, PlayStation Vita... and Nintendo Switch?". Destructoid. Modern Method. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  6. ^ Romano, Sal (September 20, 2017). "Steins;Gate Elite first gameplay video". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Romano, Sal (September 19, 2017). "Steins;Gate Elite is a "full animation adventure game," coming to Switch". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  8. ^ "『シュタインズ・ゲート エリート』フルアニメーション・アドベンチャーゲームとして新生！【先出し週刊ファミ通】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. September 19, 2017. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c "『シュタインズ・ゲート エリート』プレイインプレッションーーアニメを操作している感覚で遊べるフルアニメーションアドベンチャー【TGS2017】". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. September 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g "志倉千代丸氏インタビュー 『シュタインズ・ゲート エリート』は"ゲーム以上でいて、アニメ以上"". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. September 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  11. ^ a b "【電撃PS】『シュタゲエリート』志倉千代丸氏へのインタビューを掲載。フルアニメーションの動画も初公開！". Dengeki PlayStation (in Japanese). Kadokawa Corporation. September 21, 2017. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Sato (February 28, 2019). "STEINS;GATE ELITE Producer On Stringing Together Its Worldlines And A Science Adventure Teaser". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  13. ^ "『シュタインズ・ゲート』と『ロボティクス・ノーツ』の新作などが発表――ライブイベント"チヨスタライブ"での発表内容をお届け！". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. May 28, 2017. Archived from the original on May 28, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  14. ^ "「STEINS;GATE ELITE」2018年春リリース、東京ゲームショウにプレイアブル出展へ". IGN (in Japanese). Ziff Davis. September 9, 2017. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  15. ^ "『シュタインズ・ゲート エリート』の発売日が9月20日に決定！ 豪華特典を同梱した完全受注生産限定版も発表". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  16. ^ Romano, Sal (February 13, 2018). "Steins;Gate Elite delayed to general 2018 in Japan". Gematsu. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c Romano, Sal (March 23, 2018). "Steins;Gate Elite coming west for PS4, Switch, and PC in 2018". Gematsu. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Sato (September 25, 2018). "Steins;Gate Elite Launches In The West On February 19, 2019 For PS4 And Switch". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  19. ^ Romano, Sal (September 25, 2018). "Steins;Gate Elite for PS4 and Switch launches February 19, 2019 in North America". Gematsu. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  20. ^ Sato (March 23, 2018). "More Mages Games And Robotics;Notes May Come To The West [Update]". Siliconera. Curse, Inc. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  21. ^ Madnani, Mikhail (October 11, 2019). "'Steins;Gate Elite', Which Is a Remake of the Original Visual Novel from 5pb., Is Coming to iOS Next Week in Japan". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Romano, Sal (December 14, 2017). "Steins;Gate Elite first-print copies in Japan include Famicom-style Steins;Gate on Switch, Linear Bounded Phenogram HD on PS4 and PS Vita". Gematsu. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  23. ^ a b "Steins;Gate Elite for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 26, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  24. ^ a b "Steins;Gate Elite for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 27, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  25. ^ Arlotta, Lara (February 26, 2019). "Steins;Gate Elite - recensione". Eurogamer (in Italian). Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "シュタインズ・ゲート エリート まとめ [Switch]". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Archived from the original on December 17, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  27. ^ "Review: Steins;Gate Elite". Hardcore Gamer. March 4, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  28. ^ Shigeta, Yuichi (October 2, 2018). "STEINS;GATE ELITE レビュー". IGN (in Japanese). Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 3, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  29. ^ "Steins;Gate Elite Review - Review". Nintendo World Report. February 18, 2019. Archived from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "Steins;Gate Elite". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK (160): 89.
  31. ^ Square, Push (February 19, 2019). "Steins;Gate Elite - The Greatest Visual Novel Just Got Even Better". Push Square. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  32. ^ "TEST. Steins;Gate Elite (PS4, Nintendo Switch)". Gameblog (in French). February 19, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  33. ^ Dunlap, Chris (February 14, 2019). "Steins;Gate Elite review for PS4, Switch, PC". Gaming Age. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  34. ^ "SteinsGate Elite Review - Time is Running Out (PS4)". PlayStation LifeStyle. CraveOnline. February 19, 2019. Archived from the original on March 23, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  35. ^ "RPGFan Review - Steins;Gate Elite". RPGFan. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  36. ^ "Análisis Steins;Gate Elite, remake de la novela visual de culto (PS4, PSVITA, Switch, PC)". Vandal (in European Spanish). February 19, 2019. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  37. ^ "Steins;Gate Elite Reviews". OpenCritic. February 26, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  38. ^ "ゲームとアニメのいいとこ取り「STEINS;GATE ELITE」インプレッション". IGN (in Japanese). Ziff Davis. September 22, 2017. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  39. ^ "「STEINS;GATE ELITE」や「ゼノブレイド2 黄金の国イーラ」などの新作が登場の「週間販売ランキング＋」". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Aetas, Inc. September 26, 2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  40. ^ "Best of 2019: New Releases". Steam. Valve. December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  41. ^ "A Look Back - The Best of 2019". Steam. Valve. December 26, 2019. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  42. ^ Dietz, Jason (January 3, 2020). "The Best Videogames of 2019". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  43. ^ "いとうかなこさんが歌う『シュタインズ・ゲート エリート』OPテーマ 『COSMIC LOOPER』のジャケットデザインが公開". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. August 14, 2018. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  44. ^ "『シュタインズ・ゲート エリート』のEDテーマとなるファンタズム（FES 声：榊原ゆい）NEWシングル『アニーの指輪』のジャケットデザインが公開". Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. August 27, 2018. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  45. ^ "『シュタインズ・ゲート エリート』10周年記念曲も収録されたサントラが3月18日に発売決定！". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. January 24, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  46. ^ "『シュタゲ』ハリウッド実写化や『シュタインズ・ゲート ゼロ エリート』制作決定！ "科学ADVライブS;G1010th Anniversary"発表まとめ". Famitsu (in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. January 26, 2020. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
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