The original Steins;Gate is a classic hero’s journey. Okabe suffers, learns, and triumphs. Missing Link deconstructs that: what if the hero ? What if there is no secret message? What if hubris (repeated time-leaping) only makes things worse?
The first half of the episode remains identical to the original, but the narrative shifts dramatically after Okabe's first failed attempt to save Kurisu: Steins-Gate- Kyoukaimenjou no Missing Link - Di...
Okabe accidentally kills Kurisu himself and returns to the present, utterly broken. The original Steins;Gate is a classic hero’s journey