Gotta say, I'm beyond disappointed with Muv Luv Alternative. I slogged through Extra and Unlimited with naiive anticipation of reading the 40+ hour epic rollercoaster that VNBD, and all of Alternative's fans, led me to believe. Shame that this is what I got. I have no idea how it got rated so high on VNBD or why it has such a devoted following. It's certainly not the worst VN I've ever read, but it still sucks.
I feel as if it's important to say that I played most of it, and kinda read up on the ending because it got so unbearable. So maybe my thoughts are contradicted by things happening near the end.
I don't know if I'm going to be kicking the hornet's nest posting this here, but after investing so much time into the game, I feel as if I have to rant, so this is happening regardless. Here's my grips:
1. The protagonist sucks. He starts off great. He's a marty stu and you root for him because we've become invested in a world that has little to no chance, but then one little thing goes wrong and he goes down a path of self-degradation. He's so self-important and arrogant that he believes that everything that does not go 110% is his fault. And he never shuts the hell up with his internal dialogue. 24/7 he's repeating obvious nonsense or raging inside his head about something. There is no good scenes in Muv Luv that have Takeru's presence, which is 99% of them, because he has to interrupt with his inane angsty prattling throughout even the most dramatic scenes.
Think of Majikoi. Think of Grisaia. Remember the Main Characters inner dialogue? If you do, you barely do, because it was so seemlessly inserted into the narrative that it was almost undetectable.
2. The pacing. There's too many times where Takeru is talking back and forth about nothing pertinent with people (or, of course, himself). Most of Muv Luv is just full of nothing happening. This kinda leads onto the next point.
3. Infodumping. Self-explanatory. Even if you disagree with every other little thing I say, this is simply an undeniable fact.
Exposition is supposed to be weaved into a dialogue, not fed to you like you're in a classroom, which you are half the bloody time in Muv Luv AND Alternative. Reading this stuff feels like work half the time. Yuuko, your life tutor, seems to love the sound of her own voice. I get that Quantum Physics is a thing in Muv Luv, and it's very hard to understand for even 'experts' or whatever, but do we really have to have lectures in 20 minute intervals that drone on forever about a subject nobody cares about. Steins Gate did it fine.
4. The plot is garbage. It doesn't go anywhere. There's really not much more to say. The only time there was any semblance of a plot was the Coup-Detat, but that's hardly ever mentioned again except for whenever someone wants to gush about how awesome 'the Shogun' is, even though it's clearly established she's nothing more than a walking figurehead. Other than that, what was actually going on in between all of these raids on Hives that wasn't Takeru just mindlessly talking to his companions about nothing in particular?
5. Shock value. The chomp scene was the only death scene that had any significance, since an entire almost-unendurable arc was based around it. Everyone else just died randomly and had little impact on the story on their way out. Hell, they didn't even serve as development for anyone else, with the exception of the one Captain lady, and that was so forced and spontaneous it was pathetic. Like, they all instantly become the characters they end up as in their routes because a dying woman that they knew for less than a couple of weeks told them to. Yeah. Humans don't really work like that.
Speaking of shock value, let's talk about the Beta Rape scene. 'Spoilers' were included in the title, so no whining about that.
It was utterly stupid, simply put. So, the Beta decided randomly after not even seeing us as worth worrying about, or as 'life forms', for so long that they're going to find out how to make a human female moan? Even if there was a reason, why the female and not the male? Objectively speaking, what's the difference? We're not talking about reproductive qualities, of which females are far superior, we're just talking about pleasure.
Answer = Because that fate would shock the viewers more, of course, and conjure some stupid reason to put Sumika in a sympathetic light. Well, I couldn't care less about her because that was contrived and her character is weak.
6. Characters were horrible, yo. Their dialogue was inane and their growth non-existent, at least by any believable or substantial means. They served little more than as triggers for Shirogane to do stuff. It's very easy to forget the original cast exist in Alternative. They're overshadowed by other characters, and even they suck. Most of them exist just to die, and the ones that survive have NOTHING compelling about them at all. This entire game is like a submit of a clumsy first draft.
7. Romantic interests. This is more of a minor gripe, relatively. Why give us all these options and characters to explore with in the last games and then force us into a relationship with the most generic and insipid character ever created? A character that has NO depth, even in the original. A character that has no likes or interests that are not Takeru related? A character that whines, complains and is only useful due to a power that is not her own? A character two steps from becoming a Yandere, and yet even that somehow prevents her from becoming the least bit compelling because she doesn't do anything. She is the main heroine because, and only because, she inherits the bewilderingly popular role of 'Childhood Friend'. /puke.
8. The ending. What? It's bad. It erases literally everything Takeru did so he can be placed smack bang into square one. And he doesn't even remember! We might as well consider Alternative non-canon.
9. Angst. So. Much. Angst. Takeru is always screaming and nobody inside of his head, and even outside of his head in front of people, creating awkward atmospheres. The one point where I was like "Oh, this dude is awesome" was in the retelling of the scene where those two jealous soldiers sock the crap out of him. He embarassed himself in Unlimited, but took the situation like a champ in Alternative.
Where did that Takeru go? The dude who was willing to get beaten the hell out of to get stuff done, and stay calm throughout the whole thing? He was awesome, and he didn't stick around long. He was replaced by a dude who screams in the middle of an entire classroom and hugs his teacher.
People thought Shirou from Fate Stay/night was embarassing? Lmfao.
So, that's my rant.
