Entry 956 - Stein's Gate

Style: VGM

Primary Emotions/Themes: The future is linked to inexplicable suffering, the more you try to change it the worse it becomes

Thoughts: Given the choice to change the past, to return the life of a loved one... not just any loved one, you're most cherished human. What would you do? How far would you go to restore that person? How many other lives would you destroy? What would be the ultimate cost?

This is the questions that Steins' Gate poses. It's an exploration of the human mind as well as the consequences of trying to change that which should be written in stone. A fate more horrific than that already bestowed upon you... but the more that you try to fix things, the worse they become... there is no redemption... only the abyss.

With subjects such as these, the music accompanying the choices you are asked to make in the shoes of Okabe Rintaro better have the same emotional impact of the story that is being told. The soundtrack of Steins' Gate does just that. 

While the songs themselves may not be the best presented on their own, when seen within the context of the game they have a much more profound impact. Listening to a track like Laboratory reminds me of the innocence that the game starts out with, or the peaceful tones of Quiet Air as the staff is able to fully reflect on life as it is... before time travel... before everything goes to hell.

These innocent tracks are balanced by the darkness seen in songs like Chaos Mind or Urd where the consequences of messing with that which humans were never meant to explore are fully realized. This is the perfect example of a soundtrack that may not be exactly what I want to listen to all the time, but rather something to listen to when I want to revisit the emotions I felt during the game.

Steins' Gate remains one of my favorite visual novels, and the music compliments the game perfectly. Every part of the soundtrack matches the narration part nearly perfectly. It's a project I never thought I would see come to light, but here it is on my record player. Small miracles do happen from time to time.

Written September 16th 2024