Remaking a visual novel typically seems a bit pointless unless the original art is ugly or very low-resolution; there simply doesn’t tend to be much of a good reason to not just settle for a remaster. But while its changes can feel unnecessary, Steins;Gate Re:boot has worthwhile additions here and there that make it worth the investment for fans.
This isn’t the first time this visual novel has gotten a questionable redo, as Steins;Gate Elite (which combined the original VN with the anime) came out just six years ago. All the art, from the backgrounds to the characters, has been redone from scratch, as well as all the voice acting.
The issue is that the art and voice acting here isn’t necessarily better. The original’s more artistic style is sadly gone. Backgrounds are less stylized, being rendered in more typical fashion compared to the almost watercolor look of the originals. The characters are similar, with their quirky, artsy portraits replaced with rigged models that are now animated.
I honestly do like these models, as they mostly animate well and do a very good job of showcasing certain character traits, but they can look weird at times (especially Daru’s). Still, they’re expressive and do more than just flap their mouths like the original portraits do. They have a surprising amount of range too, typically running the gamut of a character’s entire emotional palette.
The voice acting, similarly, was recorded at a seemingly higher bitrate, but it’s more archetyped than the original performances. Mamoru Miyano’s Okabe here is often cartoonier and more over the top, delivering a more grating performance (although I can see this being intentional). The character’s meant to often be annoying, but it can be a bit much at times.
Other characters are victims of this too, such as Mayuri, who now sounds sillier and more caricaturized compared to Kana Hanazawa’s somewhat more grounded portrayal a decade-and-a-half ago. Some might prefer this, though, plus the actors are considerably older now. The translation has clearly been touched-up too, but it’s often mostly faithful as best I can tell.
Certain facets and sequences have also aged very poorly. I’d think that if Steins;Gate had been written in the mid-2020s, there would be no sexual harassment played for laughs, for instance. Despite all of this, though, Steins;Gate Re:boot is still a very gripping story, but the more conventional visuals and performances dilute things a bit and make it feel more like a typical anime in a lot of ways.
Verdict
There’s a whole new story route here, of course, which will be the main thing bringing fans back for more, but anyone who owns the original and isn’t a huge fan will probably not see much reason to go through this again just for the animated models. It’s still a very good way to experience this melodramatic time travel story, however, and this PC version is easier to use than the original’s.
