''The way I see it, this world exists because of a choice Kurisu made. I must protect that choice. That is this world’s law. In reliving time, I learned one thing… That certain events converge as if orchestrated by God. Trying to change them… it’s challenging God. And God does not tolerate human arrogance. '' Okabe Rintaro
''This vague, ominous feeling… It’s like living in a nightmare where I know all the bad things to come. Where the world enjoys to rub in the guilt of my unspeakeable sin. This inescapable despair... Slowly becomes a downward spiral... '' Okabe Rintaro
Steins;Gate 0 is the bleak reality of the Beta World Line. Basically, it's Okabe's story of the tragic future of the beta line, portraying his depression and how he managed to plan Operation Skuld. Steins;Gate 0 arises from the premisse "what if?". What if Okabe had made another decision, giving up everything?
Story - 10
It is highly recommended watch Steins;Gate 0 because it explains exactly the events that leads to the end of the original series, why this tragic future needs desperately to change. The dialogues are dense and shocking (episode 16 is the perfect proof of this), since Okabe tries to live a normal life but, even so he sinks in an absolute sadness. See only if you have that in mind, because it is not easy to recover from a trauma, and his motives to become depressed are entirely plausible. Hououin Kyouma will return, we all know, but surely he must experience total despair before the glorious return and the glorious ending.
Art - 9
The art is very similar to the original, however, here has many more dark tones to leave a more tense atmosphere. I also like the fact that the camera focuses a lot on the traumatized expression of the Okabe, emphasizing all his suffering. The only problem of the art is the animation of the action scenes that occur in episode 17 and 18, but since it’s not an anime focused totally in action, I can overlook this a little bit. But I hope they will improve this at the final edition.
Sound - 10
The soundtrack is simply beautiful.
Character - 10
The characters continue to have a good development, especially Okabe, Daru, Mayuri and Maho. They all have a backstory, philosophical and subjective debates, goals and dramas. I would say that initially Steins;Gate 0 as well as Steins;Gate has a focus on character development, only that in S;G 0 they are developed in a dense environment, which further increases the thrilling atmosphere. It is noteworthy that, PRACTICALLY in the whole anime Okabe is depressed and hopeless, which is not a bad thing, it is totally plausible for the reasons I mentioned above.
Enjoyment - 10
If you loved Steins; Gate, you'll love this one. All the dark atmosphere and the deep feelings that are addressed in every episode. If you felt comfortable after the ending of Steins;Gate, be prepared to be punched in the gut with every episode. This is not your feel-good anime. This anime will torment you with feels in a way you wouldn't expect.
S;G 0 is so much underrated. I believe that a large portion did not understand some points of the plot, premise and the interweaving of routes of the VN. The point is that Steins;Gate 0 should not be observed separately, since the main premise is to complement the True Ending, giving a totally new great meaning to it. Basically it's the story of the Operation Skuld but not about the Operation Skuld.
This way, it can be said that the main issue addressed in Steins;Gate 0 is sacrifice. I can't say much more about the True Ending due to spoilers, but It's implied that 0kabe lives through multiple PR and V&A like scenarios. What I can say is that Steins;Gate 0 is very, very complex... maybe even more complex than the original series, because it has several layers and infinite loops of failures and sacrifices, plus the end is extremely sad. It is a sensational experience.
Overall, It's a great sequel. Steins;Gate 0 has a genial psychological plot with a very dark atmosphere and incredible soundtrack. Just like Steins;Gate, this series deserves to be watched by all humans of this and other World Lines.
El Psy Kongroo.