WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Steins;Gate 0

When it comes to the two Steins;Gate titles, I don’t find either of their soundtracks to be particularly amazing. They’re perfectly fine and atmospheric but not the kind that I could find myself listening to over and over again, with the exception of a few tracks. I’ve written about my favourite music piece from the first game before, so it’s only fitting that I do the same for my favourite piece from Steins;Gate 0.

I could be wrong but Steins;Gate 0‘s soundtrack is a lot more oppressive and dark than its predecessor’s, with a good chunk of the tracks creating feelings of tension, despair and horror, which fits perfectly with the overall tone of the game (though maybe that’s because they’re used more often?). But come a certain part of the story, this track breaks through that awful atmosphere with something much more triumphant.

What’s great about it is that it’s actually the game’s main theme, which is just as grand but more dour and tragic. And it even has a couple of variations that, while much slower paced, are still very melancholy. It’s a theme of sadness and heartbreak. But not this version. It’s quicker, with a techno-like feel – a perfect tune for the “re-awakening” of mad scientist Hououin Kyouma.

It symbolises Okabe managing to not so much overcome his pain but use it to push himself back up and move forward. His sadness is no longer the weight that holds him down but what motivates him to work ever harder to ensure that the bleak future that awaits him and his friends never comes to pass. He may act like an anime villain, but this theme is a heroic rise that reveals his true character and only makes the act of Okabe putting on a lab coat even more powerful and awesome.