Steins;Gate is one of the greatest if not the best visual novel I have ever had the pleasure to experience.

Story

The story had ensnared me within it's universe within the first hour. Which is quite the feat considering my attention span. A story focused on time travel is one very easy to mess up and can easily become a convoluted mess. But Steins Gate managed to accomplish this feat seemingly effortlessly. The way that the rules that are set within it's universe are shown to the readers and the show manages to make sense within it's own rules. The dialog and conversation between the characters never leave any dull moments, no matter the situation the characters manage to set the scene emotional or comedic. My only gripe is the slow first half but I wouldn't change it as it serves to make the second half even more powerful.

Characters

Hououin Kyouma shown to us as a wannabe mad scientist with his ability to retain memories of other timelines "READING STEINER" (later explained in game). Erratic in nature but always fun later turned melancholic, pessimistic Okabe Rintaro in the latter half of the novel has easily become my most favourite character in this novel. The way that he talked in the first half with his cocky and delusional alter ego put me off at first but I later came to enjoy this personality. This served to make things more dramatic and deliver a strong emotion when we see this alter ego of his die out. This change made the later revival of Hououin Kyouma a much more impactful moment.

The way that the all the labmems responded to Okabe was amazing and served to glue together this masterpiece of storytelling. The chemistry between all of them was absolutely amazing, especially Kurisu and him (ps. Kurisu best girl). It wasn't like other visual novels where I found myself mindlessly clicking waiting for the stories climax, this had me actively paying attention with my eyes glued to the screen lost in the story.

Art

The art in this game is absolutely mesmerizing to say the least. I was unsure at first as it was a new style that I had not seen before but not long after I found it growing on me. It is one of the most colourful, vibrant visual novels I've ever seen.

Conclusion

I say that Steins;Gate is worth every cent that it costs. It was one hell of a ride and a unforgettable experience it and I guarantee you that you will hold it as one of your favourites for many years to come. Do not dismiss it if you are a new reader although it may seem daunting, stick till the end. Also play with the committee of zero patch as it fixes various formatting issues and makes for a even more enjoyable experience.

Overall:
I'd give it a solid 10/10


El Psy Kongroo

5 months later...
I have now gone on to play through every one of the visual novels in the Steins;Gate franchise and I have to say they are absolutely amazing. Steins;Gate 0 is one that you must not miss out on, I brought it on Vita because it wasn't on Steam (I hope it will be soon). The other visual novels help to flesh out the universe even more. It was an amazing addition and served to make me love the franchise even more, making it my favourite VN of all time. By the way the Steins;Gate 0 anime adaptation will be released on April 11th 2018, I hope it's as good as the VN. But before all else, HYPE!

2 and a half years later...
Again my opinion on this visual novel / anime / franchise is unchanged. No matter how many times I experience this story my eyes still sweat. With Steins;Gate Elite and all the other spin-offs such as LBP coming onto steam there is no better time to get into this immersive universe. I doubt that I'm even physically capable of ever coming to dislike this series, there's too much to love.