The way that Alternative handled death, however, astounded me in both the quality of its execution (pun not intended) and depth of the subsequent resolution process. In many stories the deaths of characters are used to good effect, whether it be shock factor, taking advantage of emotional connections or highlighting the hopelessness of a situation. It’s no spoiler to say that people die in Muv-Luv Alternative. You will share the protagonist’s frustration over international posturing and infighting and the information you’re given goes a long way towards emphasizing just how terrifying humanity’s enemies are, making battle scenes that much more immersive. The amount of detail conveyed about the background and politics of the alternate world, the workings of the Tactical Surface Fighters and the BETA themselves is phenomenal without being overbearing. During the most exciting portions of the game I was absolutely glued to the screen for hours at a time.Īll good stories start off with a strong base and Alternative’s is no different. Admittedly, some days I didn’t read anything because I felt I didn’t have enough time to do the story justice and waiting till I did have time was well worth it. I often complain about titles being too short, but in this case I spent a good number of weeks reading 2-3 hours of Muv-Luv per night and never found myself growing bored. Alternative’s plot has been finely honed into a near-perfect product the quality of the storytelling is superb and to top it all off it’s long. That’s a huge amount of time to spend working on a story and all of that time and effort pays off. Muv-Luv Alternative is the result of taking three years to develop a visual novel that already has a full cast of well-developed characters and all of its visual and audial assets completed. Still, he is willing to make any sacrifice to destroy the BETA and return to his own world. Acting differently results in different outcomes, however, and Takeru soon finds himself in unfamiliar territory. While he can’t remember how his past experience ended, all of the skills and knowledge he gained remain with him, and having that knowledge this early on might just be what it takes to save humanity. Waking up in a world torn apart by the BETA, finding his home destroyed, his school converted into a military base and his classmates training to put their lives on the line. Every single one of those forum-goers recommending the Muv-Luv series because of Alternative is right in a way few people will ever be. As far as I’m concerned, this particular finale is the ultimate visual novel experience due to the sheer quality of its writing and story. Muv-Luv Alternative has made it incredibly hard for me to stick with that belief because, to be honest, if every series had a conclusion like this one I would forgive just about anything. I’ve decided to review the instalments as separate visual novels, though I ask you to keep in mind that each requires you to read the one before it to reach its full potential.Īs I’ve said a few times now, I believe that visual novels should be able to stand up on their own regardless of what their sequels have planned. All three parts (Extra, Unlimited, Alternative) work together to build up for a grand finale at the expense of the earlier games and I’m just not sure how I feel about that. I believe that all visual novels should stand up on their own regardless of whatever is planned for their sequels, but looking at Muv-Luv that way doesn’t quite do it justice. Reviewing Muv-Luv has left me a little conflicted. Length – 10 – 20 Hours (Extra), 10 Hours (Unlimited), 50+ Hours (Alternative)
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