8-Bit Adventure Steins;Gate (Nintendo Switch) Review

Given Linear Bounded Phenogram presents multiple visual novel side stories never before released in the West that rack up (supposedly) about 30 hours, and that this 8-bit re-imagining of Steins;Gate can be walked through in about an hour or so, the easy answer to the above question is "yes."

Sadly, Switch purchasers of Steins;Gate Elite have got the short end of the stick in this frustrating bonus content battle, and will give fans and potential newcomers to the series a pretty hard time in deciding which version to go for. Opt for the portable factor of the Switch release, or go with the PS4 edition to receive the unreleased side stories?

If it makes the decision any easier, it has since been announced that a three-game pack containing Steins;Gate 0, Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace, and Steins;Gate: Linear Bounded Phenogram will launch in March on Nintendo Switch in Japan. With any luck, this will make its way to Western shores at some point, so if the Switch is the ideal choice to own Steins;Gate Elite, but the PS4 bonus game has been causing a bit of a rethink, this news might sway things back in the Switch version's favour. Fingers crossed the bundle pack gets localised.

It is a nostalgic little game that has been crafted in 8-bit Adv Steins;Gate, and amusing in itself how the world of Akihabara and its various locations from the visual novel have been squeezed down into pixelated format. However, this is a title that has been condensed, condensed, and then condensed again into the simplest, smallest possible retelling of the events of Steins;Gate imaginable, and - as mentioned earlier - won't last more than a couple of hours at best. The fact there is no option to save current progress, being designed like the NES games of the past to finish in one sitting, is a good indicator of its length.

Remember those classic adventure games, such as Shadowgate? This is how 8-bit Adv Steins;Gate works, minus any of the clicking on visual objects. Main character Okabe can move around the top-down map of Akihabara to different single-screen places, and then choose from a list of commands that usually involve talking to whoever is there, investigating the area for items of interest, or using whatever item is necessary in opportune moments.

There is hardly any item management of sorts, so rarely are times of critical thinking required - just pretty much going through each and every option and trying each one until something works. This is the general rule of thumb for progress. It isn't always clear where to head to next, so there will be plenty of walking around, entering each available location on the map, running through the talk, investigate and use options, then repeating at another area. Trial and error rears its head a few too many times; however, for the most part, this is an incredibly easy endeavour whose main difficulty is finding the correct place to be at. Furthermore, there are no crucial player choices that affect outcomes or endings to be made.

Only the very pivotal points of the plot are brought up and quickly brushed over, so there is no chance to get to know any of these characters properly or observe character development of any kind. You really have to have played the original game - or experience Steins;Gate Elite, which this retro title is released with - before diving in with this. Whilst the story points are glossed over, it is still full of major spoilers that will ruin your time with the main adventure if trying this out before it. Don't do it. This 8-bit retelling is designed for fans that have already played the visual novel from beginning to end. You don't want this cheap little thing devastating the real story.