GAME replied to my email asking the situation on my package and they told me that if I don't receive it until next week, to let them know and they'll send a replacement. Thing is, I doubt they'll have spare copies of the limited edition available anymore and it might just take another month and a half, if it even arrives.
I find it a bit hard to wrap my head around it, but I mean,
SERN giving them the tools so they can invent the time leap machine makes sense. But if you go so far to change the future to your liking, why would you be so sloppy as to let Okarin time-leap again and again?
They also had enough times to actually capture Okarin, but every time they choose to let him time warp. I mean, in the scenes where you run away with Mayushii there seemed to be SERN everywhere, yet when Okarin takes a shitload of time to crawl to the lab, he seems to encounter none. The whole scene seems to say that they want Okarin to time leap, but what does SERN gain from it, it only makes Okarin go the the beta line.
But it doesn't really matter how often Okarin is leaping. In this world line Mayuri will always die and he will always get captured later down the road. Leaping over and over again never changed the past or future, so SERN doesn't have to stop him from leaping or put more effort in capturing him. Moeka said SERN only attacked because they wanted to publish their discovery. So that's probably something that would change to a different world line in a way SERN doesn't want and is the primary goal in this event.
Or if the leaping was indeed necessary and from SERN intended I would assume only to break Okarin or something like that
@Shizuka
I would wait until next week. Maybe the game still arrives and if not see if GAME can send another LE. If they can't I would decide based on where you live and what would most likely arrive sooner for you, another copy from game or waiting for the US release. 1 1/2 month shipping doesn't seem usual though.
Despite having it for two weeks or so (and once having the Japanese PSP original but having sold it off) I finally got around to really giving this game a go -- wow, after that slow start, I'm in Chapter 4 and things are really moving! If the quality stays this high, I'm looking forward to it; better a slow beginning than a weak final act.
So glad I finally gave this game a chance. I knew it was about time travel, but nothing else. And the translation is amazing; they really did a great job of finding ways to express all that otaku lingo really well.
I'm seeing pseudo-English newspapers in the backgrounds and their obvious machine-translatedness somehow adds to the atmosphere rather than detracting from it.
Also, while the other characters have ordinary-enough names, Kurisu (紅莉栖's is very strange and unnatural. Is it a reference to something? I'm really enjoying all the references to other time travel stories (Back to the Future, Flashforward, the John Titor thing) and feel like I might be missing one.
But it doesn't really matter how often Okarin is leaping. In this world line Mayuri will always die and he will always get captured later down the road. Leaping over and over again never changed the past or future, so SERN doesn't have to stop him from leaping or put more effort in capturing him. Moeka said SERN only attacked because they wanted to publish their discovery. So that's probably something that would change to a different world line in a way SERN doesn't want and is the primary goal in this event.
Or if the leaping was indeed necessary and from SERN intended I would assume only to break Okarin or something like that
That and he may have convergence working for him. His surviving to time leap again may be as impossible to avoid as Mayuri's death in the Alpha worldline.
Also, while the other characters have ordinary-enough names, Kurisu (紅莉栖's is very strange and unnatural. Is it a reference to something? I'm really enjoying all the references to other time travel stories (Back to the Future, Flashforward, the John Titor thing) and feel like I might be missing one.
If it's a reference, I'm not aware of it. It may just be a name. I think I read somewhere that it's somewhat in vogue in Japan to give kids Japanese-ified western names.
GAME replied to my email asking the situation on my package and they told me that if I don't receive it until next week, to let them know and they'll send a replacement. Thing is, I doubt they'll have spare copies of the limited edition available anymore and it might just take another month and a half, if it even arrives.
Ugh. Honestly GAME are really slow. Even if you live in Europe. When I order something from them, I have to wait 2~ weeks for the package to arrive. I usually get my orders in a week or less when I order from somewhere else.
GAME replied to my email asking the situation on my package and they told me that if I don't receive it until next week, to let them know and they'll send a replacement. Thing is, I doubt they'll have spare copies of the limited edition available anymore and it might just take another month and a half, if it even arrives.
But it doesn't really matter how often Okarin is leaping. In this world line Mayuri will always die and he will always get captured later down the road. Leaping over and over again never changed the past or future, so SERN doesn't have to stop him from leaping or put more effort in capturing him. Moeka said SERN only attacked because they wanted to publish their discovery. So that's probably something that would change to a different world line in a way SERN doesn't want and is the primary goal in this event.
Or if the leaping was indeed necessary and from SERN intended I would assume only to break Okarin or something like that
my problem is actually just the first time, why was the fiber line there the first time this timeline happened. Why would there be a connection in the first place? Let's say that this timeline is a conversion that happened because SERN send a D-Mail back to the past. In the D-Mail SERN asks for a fiber line between future lab and SERN. This is the only reason I could think off why there would be a fiber line between. But why would they ever go back in time and change stuff like that if the result would be the same anyway? Do they want to speed up the project for some reason?
Maybe the first time the fiber line wasn't there yet and the Phonewave was not completely finished yet. Then to have the future lab actually finish it they constructed a fiber line. Though that raises another question in me. If the fact that SERN would rule and Kurisu would make time travel for them was set in stone anyway, why would you ever temper with time?
I'm just putting random thoughts on paper right now, hehe. I hope you kinda get what I'm trying to say.
Also, while the other characters have ordinary-enough names, Kurisu (紅莉栖's is very strange and unnatural. Is it a reference to something? I'm really enjoying all the references to other time travel stories (Back to the Future, Flashforward, the John Titor thing) and feel like I might be missing one.
I always just thought that Kurisu's name was such that it sounded like 'Chris', i.e. a western name, and the kanji was chosen so that it fitted the desired pronunciation (and had a nice meaning). Maybe it's a reflection of the fact she's Japanese and American, kind of? Idk really, I don't know much about Japanese naming conventions.
I find it a bit hard to wrap my head around it, but I mean,
SERN giving them the tools so they can invent the time leap machine makes sense. But if you go so far to change the future to your liking, why would you be so sloppy as to let Okarin time-leap again and again?
They also had enough times to actually capture Okarin, but every time they choose to let him time warp. I mean, in the scenes where you run away with Mayushii there seemed to be SERN everywhere, yet when Okarin takes a shitload of time to crawl to the lab, he seems to encounter none. The whole scene seems to say that they want Okarin to time leap, but what does SERN gain from it, it only makes Okarin go the the beta line.
Maybe I'm just thinking a bit too hard about a "convenient" plot point. But I find it a bit hard to believe that
SERN would go as far as to construct a direct fiber line, so you can invent a time leap machine, but then can't capture you or the machine. Seems a bit backwards, right?
Time to take a long shower and think about it, these are things you can only grasp when you're standing under a shower.
the fibre line is there just so Braun, as a rounder, has a direct line to base and it's just a coincidence that line is what allows the lab to make the time leap machine.
my problem is actually just the first time, why was the fiber line there the first time this timeline happened. Why would there be a connection in the first place? Let's say that this timeline is a conversion that happened because SERN send a D-Mail back to the past. In the D-Mail SERN asks for a fiber line between future lab and SERN. This is the only reason I could think off why there would be a fiber line between. But why would they ever go back in time and change stuff like that if the result would be the same anyway? Do they want to speed up the project for some reason?
Maybe the first time the fiber line wasn't there yet and the Phonewave was not completely finished yet. Then to have the future lab actually finish it they constructed a fiber line. Though that raises another question in me. If the fact that SERN would rule and Kurisu would make time travel for them was set in stone anyway, why would you ever temper with time?
I'm just putting random thoughts on paper right now, hehe. I hope you kinda get what I'm trying to say.
YesI think it's an interesting topic, too.
I assume that the direct connection was there so that the future gadget lab could use the LHC. If SERN had planned this it was most likely a necessity for their future. It doesn't serve any other purpose in the story, too.
They probably couldn't fix their jellyman problem or advance beyond the d-mail without it so sending a d-mail from the future and asking for the connection is unavoidable to land on exactly this world line.
But it's a good point. The game doesn't make it really clear what exactly is set in stone in the world line and what not. But even for things that are certain the way they happen are not Like Mayuris death. She always dies but on different ways.
So maybe all those world lines always leads to SERN ruling but different versions of it. Like one version where they rule but with less power and more restricted time 'travel' based on d-mail and one with more power thanks to time leap as a base for their research. This would work if the the invention of time leap is not set in stone.
If it's a reference, I'm not aware of it. It may just be a name. I think I read somewhere that it's somewhat in vogue in Japan to give kids Japanese-ified western names.
I always just thought that Kurisu's name was such that it sounded like 'Chris', i.e. a western name, and the kanji was chosen so that it fitted the desired pronunciation (and had a nice meaning). Maybe it's a reflection of the fact she's Japanese and American, kind of? Idk really, I don't know much about Japanese naming conventions.
OK, that sounds reasonable enough. I had been wondering if it was a reference to some time travel story, perhaps with a protagonist named Chris or something similar, that I didn't know about.
Yes, these days names like 紅莉栖, with kanji chosen solely for their phonetic value, are popular with Western-Japanese couples looking to give their kids Western names; one of my friends has an Arisu 有栖 who will answer to "Alice" in English.
Rintaro, Mayuri, and Itaru are pretty normal names, and Suzuha is unusual but has the feel of a name that
is kind of newfangled and might be popular a few years in the future
, so it still sounds normal.
And I cannot put this game down now. This story just keeps getting better and better. Still chapter 5 and from what I gather (blank spaces in the trophy list) I'm only half done!
Friend is playing through this for the first time, and
I said I didn't like Moeka cause all her texting irritated me a bit etc xD, but he's saying he doesn't mind and kinda likes her character..... His fav character is Mayuri. Naturally I'm waiting for "it".
YesI think it's an interesting topic, too.
I assume that the direct connection was there so that the future gadget lab could use the LHC. If SERN had planned this it was most likely a necessity for their future. It doesn't serve any other purpose in the story, too.
They probably couldn't fix their jellyman problem or advance beyond the d-mail without it so sending a d-mail from the future and asking for the connection is unavoidable to land on exactly this world line.
But it's a good point. The game doesn't make it really clear what exactly is set in stone in the world line and what not. But even for things that are certain the way they happen are not Like Mayuris death. She always dies but on different ways.
So maybe all those world lines always leads to SERN ruling but different versions of it. Like one version where they rule but with less power and more restricted time 'travel' based on d-mail and one with more power thanks to time leap as a base for their research. This would work if the the invention of time leap is not set in stone.
Hm yes, that actually does make a lot of sense, I could see SERN as this really OCD power that wants everything to be pixel perfect. So for them to time travel a lot and try to manipulate as much as possible would make sense to me. I still think Okarin never getting caught before time-leaping is a bit too convenient. I mean, since they are the ones who have coined the theory of the alpha, beta lines etc, they should be aware of the possibility that Okarin would try to go to the beta line. It's a bit weird how everything seems to have atleast some explanation, but the fiber line between future lab and SERN never gets touched on again. Feels like they once wanted it to be a plotpoint, but kinda forgot about it.
One of the most fun things of these time travel games is the discussion after you finish the game, when you try to piece everything together!
the fibre line is there just so Braun, as a rounder, has a direct line to base and it's just a coincidence that line is what allows the lab to make the time leap machine.
I always just thought that Kurisu's name was such that it sounded like 'Chris', i.e. a western name, and the kanji was chosen so that it fitted the desired pronunciation (and had a nice meaning). Maybe it's a reflection of the fact she's Japanese and American, kind of? Idk really, I don't know much about Japanese naming conventions.
@Shizuka
I would wait until next week. Maybe the game still arrives and if not see if GAME can send another LE. If they can't I would decide based on where you live and what would most likely arrive sooner for you, another copy from game or waiting for the US release. 1 1/2 month shipping doesn't seem usual though.
Ugh. Honestly GAME are really slow. Even if you live in Europe. When I order something from them, I have to wait 2~ weeks for the package to arrive. I usually get my orders in a week or less when I order from somewhere else.
I know, it's really getting to me. It wouldn't if it was any other game, but this is Steins;Gate we're talking about. The shame is that there is no local store or seller on the internet that has the game available for sale, I'd have to import another copy all over again.
I'll wait, at least another week or so. I mean, I think I'm still getting a NA copy once it's released, but that's only at the end of August, too far away.
Hm yes, that actually does make a lot of sense, I could see SERN as this really OCD power that wants everything to be pixel perfect. So for them to time travel a lot and try to manipulate as much as possible would make sense to me. I still think Okarin never getting caught before time-leaping is a bit too convenient. I mean, since they are the ones who have coined the theory of the alpha, beta lines etc, they should be aware of the possibility that Okarin would try to go to the beta line. It's a bit weird how everything seems to have atleast some explanation, but the fiber line between future lab and SERN never gets touched on again. Feels like they once wanted it to be a plotpoint, but kinda forgot about it.
One of the most fun things of these time travel games is the discussion after you finish the game, when you try to piece everything together!
Maybe that's one of those things that can't happen at this moment. They catch him later but during this event he will always escape. But it's indeed very convenient. Maybe it's really just so that the plot can move on. It would have been nice if the game explained this a bit better.
But the discussion and speculation is fun, too
Anyway, reading back the thread (because reading reactions always brings a smile to my face), I saw someone had the same avatar, so I had to change it ;_;.
Just got what I think is a bad ending: in Chapter 8,
I never sent the D-mail that would have changed Lukako back into a guy, and the story just sort of stopped and the credits rolled.
Got a trophy and, back at the starting screen,
see that there are six endings. Do I load up my latest save and see if there's an interval where I can send that D-mail? Or was this fate decided long before that?
Just a single hint, if you don't mind. I went in blind and haven't looked at any flowcharts or guides or anything. I even bought the official artbook and story guidebook, but have them sitting unread on my desk and won't touch them until I've finished the main story once. (Or was that it, just now?)
Just got what I think is a bad ending: in Chapter 8,
I never sent the D-mail that would have changed Lukako back into a guy, and the story just sort of stopped and the credits rolled.
Got a trophy and, back at the starting screen,
see that there are six endings. Do I load up my latest save and see if there's an interval where I can send that D-mail? Or was this fate decided long before that?
Just a single hint, if you don't mind. I went in blind and haven't looked at any flowcharts or guides or anything. I even bought the official artbook and story guidebook, but have them sitting unread on my desk and won't touch them until I've finished the main story once. (Or was that it, just now?)
Fate was not long ago decided. You can manually pull out the phone and change fate at a certain point in time. Wait for the blinking "advance text" cursor thingy to change to indicate when it's time.
And DO NOT LOOK AT ANY SUPPLEMENT MATERIAL. You are not even close to done enough to look at potentially spoiler material.
Just got what I think is a bad ending: in Chapter 8,
I never sent the D-mail that would have changed Lukako back into a guy, and the story just sort of stopped and the credits rolled.
Got a trophy and, back at the starting screen,
see that there are six endings. Do I load up my latest save and see if there's an interval where I can send that D-mail? Or was this fate decided long before that?
Just a single hint, if you don't mind. I went in blind and haven't looked at any flowcharts or guides or anything. I even bought the official artbook and story guidebook, but have them sitting unread on my desk and won't touch them until I've finished the main story once. (Or was that it, just now?)
GAME replied to my email asking the situation on my package and they told me that if I don't receive it until next week, to let them know and they'll send a replacement. Thing is, I doubt they'll have spare copies of the limited edition available anymore and it might just take another month and a half, if it even arrives.
I could be remembering it wrong but aren't you from Brazil?
If yes, you should really wait a bit longer since it's probably stuck in customs hell. My last package from Europe took 3 months to arrive.
I don't even bother asking for a refund since I know it'll eventually arrive (plus most stores are no longer shipping to our country precisely because of that)
It's a pure visual novel. The game has a slow start and some characters may annoy you at first but they really do grow on you. I say this as someone who usually dislikes or downright doesn't care about most characters in other games. The story picks up immensely - enough to keep you glued to the screen, but it does take a while to get going.
It's one of the better VNs out there. You should definitely give it a try.
It's a pure visual novel. The game has a slow start and some characters may annoy you at first but they really do grow on you. I say this as someone who usually dislikes or downright doesn't care about most characters in other games. The story picks up immensely - enough to keep you glued to the screen, but it does take a while to get going.
It's one of the better VNs out there. You should definitely give it a try.
When you say one of the better ones what would you classify as actually being better than Steins gate? I've played the Zero escape, Danganronpa, Ace attorney and Hotel Dusk series. What else is there?
Fate was not long ago decided. You can manually pull out the phone and change fate at a certain point in time. Wait for the blinking "advance text" cursor thingy to change to indicate when it's time.
WhrilwindMonk's quote confused me -- what cursor thingy? -- but then once I reloaded, Quabba's explanation made sense. At one point, the cursor changed to a red and white icon.
Was there some reward that I'd missed because I couldn't get to the real ending (or just the default ending) without a mistake?
Anyway, using the phone at the right moment led to the next chapter, and that's where I stopped for now.
This game is so amazing. The first part is slow; Okarin and Mayushii are super-annoying; the maid cafe and otaku stuff takes far too long. But then the story grabs you and won't let go. And then after that breakneck-pace section, there's something of a lull but it has that feel of being at the very top of a roller coaster ride, slowing down before another speed-up. I can't wait to see what happens next. I have some theories, and I'm hoping to be proven wrong.
When you say one of the better ones what would you classify as actually being better than Steins gate? I've played the Zero escape, Danganronpa, Ace attorney and Hotel Dusk series. What else is there?
While SG definitely has its dark and 'holy shit' moments I tend to prefer VNs that pack a bigger punch in that department. So I prefer 999 and VLR.
I did play quite a few VNs though. I've played all the ones you listed but those aren't pure VNs. The only similar game to those that I can think of is Corpse Party. The others pretty much differ thematically.
It's a pure visual novel. The game has a slow start and some characters may annoy you at first but they really do grow on you. I say this as someone who usually dislikes or downright doesn't care about most characters in other games. The story picks up immensely - enough to keep you glued to the screen, but it does take a while to get going.
It's one of the better VNs out there. You should definitely give it a try.
I liked it better than both of those games, but I'd say they're a bit different in the end. Although the themes in Steins;Gate and VLR are comparable I feel like S;G is more personal than VLR. As Saphirax said, don't expect the same amount of "mind-blow" to happen in S;G. While VLR focuses more on the
big picture of things, Radical-6, world being shit etc
, S;G focuses way more on the interaction between the characters and their relations. Of course there is mystery and intrigue, but it often takes the background for the characters. You could actually compare S;G to the moment in VLR when
right at the end, Tenmiouji is ranting about Akane being selfish and to them everything that has happend won't matter
. Expect more tears, more feels, but less mind-blown. Again, not to say there aren't "mind-blown" parts, but S;G is about the journey, not the twist. The start IS slow, keep that in mind, although I did not personally mind it. Normally I really don't like "slice of life", but for once I really liked it in S;G.
Yes, there is no gameplay aside from interacting with your phone, so if you don't like the sound of that the game is probably not for you.
----
Also, I've been watching the anime and I'm at the part again where Kurisu mentions the quote
"what I want the most right now is my own fork. I already have my own spoon"
. I'm not sure how this is embarrassing, is there something I'm missing? Only thing I can think of is spooning, but that's a bit far-fetched, lol.
on 2ch there was a meme where "my spoon" referenced a BFF and "my fork" referenced a lover
. Though there's also the more literal interpretation
because she has to borrow the lab's forks, and she's used to eating that way in America. She probably also recognizes the @channel interpretation which makes it even more embarrassing
. There's also a side manga that shows that
her dad gave her an engraved spoon on her last birthday before the falling out, and his promise to give her an engraved fork was never fulfilled
. I'm not entirely sure how canon that is, but it seems plausible.
WhrilwindMonk's quote confused me -- what cursor thingy? -- but then once I reloaded, Quabba's explanation made sense. At one point, the cursor changed to a red and white icon.
Was there some reward that I'd missed because I couldn't get to the real ending (or just the default ending) without a mistake?
OK, I finished Chapter 10. Got a second ending, though I don't think there were any decisions to make in this last chapter.
Is this the "default", last-before-doing-the-secret-ending end of the story? What do you veterans recommend? Look at a flowchart and start over now, or is there something left to do in this playthrough?
OK, I finished Chapter 10. Got a second ending, though I don't think there were any decisions to make in this last chapter.
Is this the "default", last-before-doing-the-secret-ending end of the story? What do you veterans recommend? Look at a flowchart and start over now, or is there something left to do in this playthrough?
ending. There are 4 other non-true endings. At the ends of chapters
6, 7 and 8
are three of them. The fourth requires getting between 1 and 5 "true ending flags" while the true ending requires getting all 6. To find out what those flags are, look at a flowchart. But if you've only gotten two endings so far, I'd absolutely say go back and get the other two that don't require true ending flags first, then look at a flowchart to get the fifth ending, and then get the true ending.
There is a fan translation of the ongoing manga adaptation, but I'm not sure if I should recommend it because the whole thing isn't out yet (and Steins;Gate 0 is going to retread some of the same material, I believe, so you may be better off waiting for that). For my recommendations, see my earlier post.
ending. There are 4 other non-true endings. At the ends of chapters
6, 7 and 8
are three of them. The fourth requires getting between 1 and 5 "true ending flags" while the true ending requires getting all 6. To find out what those flags are, look at a flowchart. But if you've only gotten two endings so far, I'd absolutely say go back and get the other two that don't require true ending flags first, then look at a flowchart to get the fifth ending, and then get the true ending.
. I also chose not to send one in Chapter 9 and the story kept going all the way into the next chapter, so I went back to an old save to see what happens if I send it, and it was basically the same, only I would have been deprived of a gruesome scene that reveals
the truth about Nae
.
I'll go back to Chapters 6 and 7 and see what happens if I fail to
send the D-Mail
.
Are these 'true ending flags' in any way obvious? How early in the game do they occur?
In the very beginning of the game, you find Kurisu dead, and I had the theory that the killer might be
another Okabe desperate to prevent the events of the Alpha worldlines from happening
. And it turns out that you can
play right up to what feels like the default ending, with Rintaro and Mayuri as a couple,
without that ever being resolved. That was a little weird.
OK, first off, load up Chapters 6 and 7 and
get those 'gimme' endings where I just have to hesitate.
So for the true ending, I'll give you some hints keeping it vague.
To get the true ending you need to respond to a series of emails correctly.
The first email received is in
Chapter 4
All the emails are
from Kurisu
.
You need to answer all the emails correctly to get all the true ending flags.
I don't know if I would ever have got the ending unless I followed a flowchart, or at the least known where the flags start and reloading to keep trying different responses.
Remember the game quicksaves at the start of each chapter so if you go into quick load you can load the chapter you need and then press start to skip all previously read text. It will stop skipping when you get an email you can respond to or trigger new scenes.
Good to know, Quabba and Hamchan. Guess I'll grab the Chapter 6 and 7 endings by reloading saves on this playthrough and then start another one to get the true ending.
In Chapter 10 it felt like I could have made a decision that would have led to a
Kurisu-based
ending, but that never came, unless it was during a very short, easily missable interval. Or maybe this is part of WhirlwindMonk's fourth "near-true" ending.
Should I reload from
Chapter 4
to do this or just start at the beginning, using a guide so I can also get those ridiculously-obscure ringtones and wallpapers? Somehow I only managed to get 1 of 13 RaiNet stories, though I got 2 of 3 for one of the other collectibles.
Just watched the Steins;Gate Drama CD gamma, because calc said it's "the closest we'll get to a
Moeka ending
". I assume this was originally just a voice recording, because if so, mad props to the translators for going the extra mile. It was amusing for what it was and I enjoyed it, helps that it was only an hour long anyway.
's is very strange and unnatural. Is it a reference to something? I'm really enjoying all the references to other time travel stories (Back to the Future, Flashforward, the John Titor thing) and feel like I might be missing one.
