A remake of a 2009 Xbox 360 exclusive game is releasing this summer, August 20, via the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X. In other words, the game is coming to all modern platforms, including most of the last-gen platforms. The only platform that has been excluded is the Xbox One. Given the game’s heritage, this will be disappointing news for any Xbox gamer still playing on the Xbox One.
More specifically, MAGES has announced that it is bringing sci-fi visual novel fans back to 2009 with the release of a remake of Steins;Gate called Steins;Gate RE:BOOT. This remake was first announced in October 2024, but now it has a release date of August 20 for fans of the Nitroplus and 5pb game. As you may know, this is now the second remake of the 2009 Xbox 360 cult classic, following the release of Steins;Gate Elite in 2018 for the PS Vita, PS3, and PS4. This remake is said to contain updated visuals, a refined user interface, and a revitalized story.
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A 2009 Cult Classic Sci-Fi Game
When Steins; Gate was originally released in 2009 via the Xbox 360, it flew under the radar greatly. In fact, Western Xbox 360 gamers may not even know this game exists because, in 2009, it was only available in Japan, and an Xbox 360 version never actually came west. The game didn’t come west until 2014, via a PC version. Then, a year later, it came to consoles in the West via PS3 and PS Vita.
That said, the sci-fi visual novel game earned an 87 on Metacritic at release and sold well enough to get a follow-up release in 2015 called Steins;Gate 0, as well as an anime adaptation in 2018. What many people don’t know about the sci-fi visual novel is that it is actually a follow-up itself to 2008’s Chaos;Head, which only finally came west in 2022 via a global Nintendo Switch release.
In the game, players are thrust into the life of a ragtag group of tech-savvy students whose latest invention accidentally gains the ability to send messages to the past, unlocking the ability to alter history itself. To this end, players can shape the game’s story, which has multiple endings.
It is unclear how much MAGES and Spike Chunsoft are going to charge for this reboot when it releases this summer.
All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the video game conversations happening over on the ComicBook Forum.
