Make me play Muv Luv

[Guimu]

Hi guys

I saw Muv-Luv and the sequels have all very high score in vndb. I downloaded it and started playing it, but... It's boring!

I don't know what route I'm in, but the last save is a bit after the meal contest. I remember helping the megane-girl with her lacrosse team. The things that are happening don't hook me at all, and I don't feel anything big incoming.

What is the point of this VN? Is it a slice of life? But it can't be, I saw some pictures where the characters are wearing something like combat-space-weird suits!

So, how does this VN work?

[Kreweta]

Ok.. I will try to motivate you, as I am currently going through Alternative and I felt exactly the same way you do about Muv-Luv.

First of all, Muv-Luv has two... stories in it. The one you're going through is "Muv-Luv extra" and the one that becomes available later is "Muv-Luv Unlimited", so don't expect that Meiya and Takeru will jump into cosmic gear and save the universe after they finish meal contest. After you finish muv-luv extra (the one you're going through now) you will be able to click "new game" and choose muv-luv unlimited.

About the point of this VN... Hmm, well. You should read Muv-Luv to know what is Takeru talking about in both Unlimited and Alternative, it definitely makes the sequels much more fun. I'd say, just get to know the characters and more less, remember the outline of the plot, it may be hard sometimes to keep on reading, but do still... do it! You can skip some scenes if you really can't force yourself (e.g. I skipped all the scenes with 3 idiots). Oh, and I don't think there's much point in going through any route except Sumika and Meiya. (and I am not sure Meiya is mandatory either).

Before you play Alternative it is mandatory that you read "Unlimited". Luckily, you probably won't have to force yourself through that one. Its fairly ok, if you accept some facts they throw at you.

After that you can start Alternative, and that pays the bill for the whole meal. Its at least twice as long as Extra and it is good to say the least. Myself I haven't finished it yet and frankly I don't want to finish it soon, I bet we all know that feeling. So push yourself, so that you can play Alternative with clear conscience and enjoy it to the fullest.

PS: If you want some motivation for reading "Muv-luv extra" then, I can try and lie to you that there is an amazing twist at the end and don't even bother figuring out what it is, you have no chance. I literally facepalmed when I got to that, I will leave the interpretation of "why I did it" to you.

[Wahfuu]

MuvLuv Extra just read it fast and only read Meiya/Sumikas routes for any context regarding the other games. Do Meiyas route in Unlimited. (None of the others matter.) Then be prepared for the amazing that is MLA. Warning, it is long and dialogue heavy as shit.

[JeMhUnTeR]

I heard the story was quite good, but since it was old, the graphics turned me down. I have both the first and the unlimited on my pc, and I haven't even played for an hour.

It's up to you whether you want to continue it. It's just annoying to force yourself to read it. If you're really looking forward to the ending, just endure the first parts and eventually you'll finish.

[RusAnon]

MLE is just backstory of MLA, so feel free to scroll past boring stuff if it doesn't entertain you. You will understand that it was worth the effort to read MLE when you get to certain points of MLA.

[Erlkonig]

Just skim through MLE. Catch the character's ideas and personalities. (u can just play Meiya and Sumika)

Then in MLU, it will become more interesting. And MLA, after the first 15+ hours, it will be awesome.

[Fujimoto Takashi]

I felt exactly like you at first, I couldnt stand Muv-Luv Extra, the grapgics, characters, everything seemed to turn me away from the game...till Meiya showed up and I started to get familiar with everyone...but even then I still dont like the majority of the cast...only Sumika and Meiya caught my eye, the history is pretty good, thats wh you gotta force yourself to stand Extra just enough to complete their roots, and by the end of it you will realise it was tottaly worth it.

Unlimited surprised me, but just one character, I repeat, ONE character almost ruined the whole thing for me, but I still loved the game, the rest of the crew tottaly made up for it aswell as the story, shame it felt so linear...

Alternative, here is where Muv-Luv show its true powar! I have yet to play it since Im trying to focus on Hoshizora no Memoria for the time being, but i watched the first few chapters on youtube and man, they were awesome! Playing the first two is must though, and quite francly, I enjoyed doing so.

[Movr]

I enjoyed last part of extra too

[Gork]

Gota agree with the other peoples comments here, in extra read Meiya and Sumika

in unlimited Meiya

i personally struggled through Extra and greatly enjoyed Unlimited and Alternative

Alternative was actually the hardest to finish, its quite long

question for the rest of you people who have played this, have you read Altered fable?

http://vndb.org/v405 (in case you didn't know it existed)

[RusAnon]

question for the rest of you people who have played this, have you read Altered fable?

http://vndb.org/v405 (in case you didn't know it existed)

I'm waiting for translation or my jp skills becoming good enough, whichever comes first.

Although from what I know, AF isn't that good, its just extra with more characters.

[Tief Blau]

Read Extra, you have to get through it to get to Unlimited anyway.

Read Extra, it makes Alternative better.

Read Unlimited, it makes Alternative and Alternative Chronicles Better

Read Alternative, it makes Altered Fable better.

Then read Kimi ga Nozomu Eien if you are curious to the back stories of the second half of the squad.

Or watch the show...

Was the show any good?

[Fujimoto Takashi]

Gota agree with the other peoples comments here, in extra read Meiya and Sumika

in unlimited Meiya

i personally struggled through Extra and greatly enjoyed Unlimited and Alternative

Alternative was actually the hardest to finish, its quite long

question for the rest of you people who have played this, have you read Altered fable?

http://vndb.org/v405 (in case you didn't know it existed)

Waiting for translation, even though Its just more Extra I still want to play it.

Read Extra, you have to get through it to get to Unlimited anyway.

Read Extra, it makes Alternative better.

Read Unlimited, it makes Alternative and Alternative Chronicles Better

Read Alternative, it makes Altered Fable better.

Then read Kimi ga Nozomu Eien if you are curious to the back stories of the second half of the squad.

Or watch the show...

Was the show any good?

Wait wait wait! What does Kimi ga Nozomu Eien has to do with Muv-Luv?

Show? What show? There is one?! I cant believe this!

[Down]

Show? What show? There is one?! I cant believe this!

Muv-Luv Total Eclipse? The anime is meh. Don't know about the original.

I believe MuvLuv got adaptations in novels and mangas too? Too lazy to check.

[Tatsujin]

Muv-Luv EXTRA and UNLIMITED are essential to know and understand what's happening in those VNs. They're the set-up stories to Muv-Luv Alternative. EXTRA is a day-to-day life experience, as UNLIMITED you'll be sent to another world (a pretty fucked up world) and you'll get to understand the characters better and some of their background stories (not much to tell anyways). And I am with you, EXTRA is freaking boring and beyond freaking stupid (Sumika's route is really dump and not developed). I did enjoy EXTRA for it's entertainment and I also did enjoy Meiya's route better than Sumika.

In my own case, I read a summary of EXTRA and UNLIMITED then played Alternative. Half-way through ... I wanted to go back and play EXTRA and UNLIMITED to get a better grasp of the character's emotions, but I ... was stuck - my freedom was lost all in Alternative. So I decided to finish Alternative then hit EXTRA and UNLIMITED. Alternative will take you more than 90 hours to beat up to 130+ hours (correct me if I'm wrong, but I put up about 110+ hours). I went back to EXTRA, and decided to go with Meiya because of how involved and important she is in Alternative (all characters are, and Meiya plays a very important role to Takeru). Meiya's route was pleasant, I really liked it. Sumika's was boring and stupid. I hit UNLIMITED and I laughed a lot and didn't have trouble understanding the characters since I played Alternative. Thou' the development and the routes and arcs in UNLIMITED are essential ... they are very important in order to give you an insight of who the characters are and what will happen in Alternative. I beat Meiya's route considering the relation and importance she is to Takeru (even the guide suggests to beat her route before the rest and you can just skip everyone else and go to Alternative afterwards - I hear they are about the same, only different words but settings are the same).

If I can go back in-time, I would play Muv-Luv EXTRA and UNLIMITED before I play Alternative. You do what you want to do, but for a full experience and so you don't end up regretting it later - do what I recommend in this statement.

There are characters from Kimi ga Nozomu Eien that make appearance in Alternative and ... I freaking screamed so hard just seeing them. No, not just Akane.

I'll put Alternative in words for you to understand - it is way and above good to describe or to put into words. Alternative will suck you in and dry you - it's bittersweet, brutal, driven emotion, gory (explicit and mind-fuck scenes) - yet it's honorable, structured backstory (well put together, detailed in every corner you want to think about and explains everything - even why ... I won't even go there!), developed beyond your imagination, awe moments, respectful and ... just everything you want to have - everything in a VN is put together in Alternative. Alternative is worth it.

[Tief Blau]

Muv-Luv Total Eclipse? The anime is meh. Don't know about the original.

I believe MuvLuv got adaptations in novels and mangas too? Too lazy to check.

Rumbling Hearts, which is the Anime adaptation of Kimi ga Nozomu Eien.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien features the other cast in Isumi's Valkyries, Haruka, Suzumiya, Isumi.

It also has a setting like Extra/AF, and that tree on the hill makes it debut in Kimi ga Nomozu Eien.

It was made "before" Muv Luv, but shares many cast members.

[Movr]

watch akane maniax too, a prerequel of muv luv

[Wahfuu]

The show Total Eclipse is so bad it hurts. I advise anyone who really likes MLA to stay away from it, its seriously offensive how bad it is.

[Tatsujin]

So I was chilling and trying out few builds for the 4770K i7, and decided to listen to Muv-Luv music and ... oh god please! I cannot go back and re-play this game! It's ... so good! Damn that Coup d'etat Arc flipped one switch it shouldn't have. Literally, the beginning ... the very beginning of that arc when [you know who] shows up, I was screaming "NO FUCKING WAY?!" lol. It was the most thrilling and best excitement I had from that moment and it kept pushing the bars so high. Each arc, each chapter and event was like "what the fuck? Is this gonna keep getting better?" It's like filling a cup with water, only you push both cold and hot water at maximum and make it over-fill non-stop. Ah man .... I did play it a second time, but I stopped right before Chapter 8 (that chapter ... it's brutal and not merciful).

Anyways ... back to what I was doing.

[Fujimoto Takashi]

The show Total Eclipse is so bad it hurts. I advise anyone who really likes MLA to stay away from it, its seriously offensive how bad it is.

Really? Thats....disheartening...I was looking forward to watching it =(

...but...how bad can it actualy be? I mean...Its still Muv Luv...right?

So I was chilling and trying out few builds for the 4770K i7, and decided to listen to Muv-Luv music and ... oh god please! I cannot go back and re-play this game! It's ... so good! Damn that Coup d'etat Arc flipped one switch it shouldn't have. Literally, the beginning ... the very beginning of that arc when [you know who] shows up, I was screaming "NO FUCKING WAY?!" lol. It was the most thrilling and best excitement I had from that moment and it kept pushing the bars so high. Each arc, each chapter and event was like "what the fuck? Is this gonna keep getting better?" It's like filling a cup with water, only you push both cold and hot water at maximum and make it over-fill non-stop. Ah man .... I did play it a second time, but I stopped right before Chapter 8 (that chapter ... it's brutal and not merciful).

Anyways ... back to what I was doing.

I also love Muv Luv OST, two of them really stood out for me, the one that starts playing on dramatic scenes and the one that plays in Alternative menu screen.

[Wahfuu]

Really? Thats....disheartening...I was looking forward to watching it =(

...but...how bad can it actualy be? I mean...Its still Muv Luv...right?

Picture an anime

Now immagine everything that could possibly be wrong with an anime be wrong.

Now immagine it's borrowing the setting of one of your favorite franchises.

That is Total Eclipse.

[Fujimoto Takashi]

Picture an anime

Now immagine everything that could possibly be wrong with an anime be wrong.

Now immagine it's borrowing the setting of one of your favorite franchises.

That is Total Eclipse.

By the Emperor....that bad? wow...glad I didnt watch it then.

Lets just forget it exists.

[Skeith]

Well, if you played it the first time, Extra would be sucky cause you might be feeling tricked because, "where are the robots and stuff?" But trust me, I suggest you read through the whole Extra (each route), so that it wouldn't be that confusing in Unlimited, and in Alternative (at least somewhat). Also, the side routes of Extra isn't bad at all. When I replayed the MuvLuv series, I read the side routes, and I regretted not doing it the first time.

IMO, Total Eclipse wasn't that bad. But, yeah, where was the supposed Muv-Luv styled fights and stuffs? :D/>

[RusAnon]

IMO, Total Eclipse wasn't that bad. But, yeah, where was the supposed Muv-Luv styled fights and stuffs? :D/>/>

In the first episode, obviously. It was quite Muv-Luv-ish.

[garejei]

I've also been trying to force myself to play the Muv Luv games, seeing how MLA is like the #1 game on VNDB. However, such astronomical ratings always make me suspicious and wonder if it's tremendously overrated only because it's in English and therefore is accessed/rated by a wider audience, the majority of which is unaware of other untranslated gems. So basically it might be the best one out of the translated VNs, but there are better untranslated titles out there. I'm not saying that's the case, it's just something I've been wondering about.

And after reading some posts here saying it's a 100+ hour time investment, I'm even more discouraged to put that much time into something that might not have the orgasmic payoff I'm expecting. I mean, if a game is going to eat up that much of my free time, it really has to be *insanely* good, especially with the huge amount of hype that's been built around it.

tl;dr I'm highly skeptical but will probably play it anyway eventually.

[Eurobeatz]

And after reading some posts here saying it's a 100+ hour time investment, I'm even more discouraged to put that much time into something that might not have the orgasmic payoff I'm expecting. I mean, if a game is going to eat up that much of my free time, it really has to be *insanely* good, especially with the huge amount of hype that's been built around it.

Yeah, it better have that orgasmic payoff, because Muv-Luv Extra is killing me.