Illya's #1 fangirl

So I've finished up the Steins;Gate visual novel near 100%, I'm missing a few achievements involving the mail system, so here's some thoughts.

-Okabe is an interesting protagonist in that he is neither a giant idiot nor a suave ladies man, though in the end there is a harem element of sorts to the game. He is an awkward teenager, though honestly I thought he was older then his actual age of 18, and masks his insecurity with his over-the-top mad scientist persona in a way that reminds me very much of friends who use fandom and cosplay as a mask to interact more easily with others. He seems like more of a fleshed out character then most visual novel heroes who usually amount to paper thin surfaces on which players can project their desire to save the day and screw vaguely Asian girls with techinocolor hair.

-The supporting cast is strong, with the possible exception of Faris Nyannyan and Ruka whom I will discuss in a sec. Kurisu is quite a bit like Rin in that she is a Tsundere type without being annoying about it. Daru is mostly our walking embodiment of otaku and internet culture but remains funny with the sparing use of such references [bonus points for the Fate references he manages to throw out near the beginning of the game]. Mayuri is...Dumb as rocks but serves the role as our mandatory childhood friend and plot point well. As for Amane Suzuha, she is a walking spoiler, but I will say she is a fun character and the most fleshed out of the secondary cast.

-Now the issue with Ruka and Faris is that they are anime stereotypes, or more so bigger stereotypes then the rest of the cast, with their respective catgirl/maid/anime fan-girl and trap routines. They lack some of the depth the main cast is given and it is rather easy to set them aside as bait for a very specific fanbase. In the visual novel they do thankfully get their own moments to shine in their respective chapters and route endings, building them up enough to clarify their pasts and make them all the more likeable.

-The use of real world science and conspiracy theories gives the story a certain degree of believability with their use of the John Titor incident and the oddness surrounding the LHC and CERN being the standouts. Though, at times, Kurisu's lectures on physics and neuroscience can become rather dense and send the play scrambling to hit the fast forward button .

Spoilers begin here
-Endings

Amane Suzuha- Seeing Okabe fall apart mentally is depressing but his redemption via Suzuha is touching and cute. My second favorite ship and ending in the game.

Faris Nyannyan- Interesting in that is creates an entirely new timeline now seen anywhere else in the game. As well as the fact that Faris finally gets the limelight, continuing from her confession to Okabe in the main timeline, in a manner beyond being a cat-girl maid. My favorite ship in the series <3

Ruka Urashibara- Depressing end is depressing, Mayuri dies. Okabe becomes a depressed wreck. Ruka begins having horrible gender issues due to her repressed memories o another timeline and guilt over being responsible indirectly for Mayuri's death. Happy in the end that Ruka finally gets to be with Okabe like she always wanted and finally getting over her shyness and cosplaying to make Mayuri happy one last time. The CG after the credits is adorable.

Mayuri: Okabe chooses Mayuri over Kirursu, angsts for awhile, hooks up with Mayuri. Honestly this felt like a more natural ending then Kurisu's and is nearly as cute as Ruka's once the angst stops flowing.

Kurisu: this is the show's ending as well. I won't spoil it for you.

Overall: A very soild story with likeable characters and a few odd moments, like how the hell did sending a message to Ruka's mom's pager change her gender?, but overall what is good about the Visual novel far outways what is bad.