Muv Luv and Alternate

[iamnoob]

Is there a need to play the 1st game before playing Alternate? 

And if there is no real need, is there at least some benefit? For example extra lore/referances ?

[Dreamysyu]

Yes. It introduces the characters and sets up the scene for some plot developments and twists in Alternative. You can theoretically skip to it if you absolutely hate the first two parts, but Alternative simply doesn't work as well if you don't finish Extra and Unlimited first.

[Stormwolf]

I dont see how it works either way. Only played a bit of the first game and the characters are just ludicrous.

[havoc]

Muv luv extra i would skip, it is just a little too wacky for my tastes and felt like it went nowhere. Unlimited is a lot of fun tough and lays the groundwork for alternative.

[MIUUZICK]

Don't skip anything. Alternative wouldn't have the same impact without the first two parts. 

[glupak]

So first you should play Muv-Luv and then Muv-Luv Alternative, right? Im asking because there seems to be a lot of other games as well. And an upcoming sequel as well. Also at the end of the day is it worth it to play both games? I know they are praised here but is it the plot that makes it good?

[Dreamysyu]

1 hour ago, glupak said:

So first you should play Muv-Luv and then Muv-Luv Alternative, right? Im asking because there seems to be a lot of other games as well.

Well, it would be ideal if you also played Kimi ga Nozomu Eien and Kimi ga Ita Kisetsu first, since some of the characters from these games appear in Muv Luv, but I wouldn't really say it's very important, and neither of these games are available in English yet. Pretty much all the other games from the series are meant to be played after you finish Alternative (and they are just spin-offs and you can just skip them if you want).

1 hour ago, glupak said:

Also at the end of the day is it worth it to play both games?

The first game is pretty meh on its own, especially its first part, Muv Luv Extra, but you still should play it first. Like I said in my previous post, Alternative just doesn't work as well if you skip the first game.

1 hour ago, glupak said:

I know they are praised here but is it the plot that makes it good?

Many reasons, really. Plot, action, wordbuilding, character development. It's also one of the most emotional VNs I've ever experienced, and even Key games pale in comparison.

[Soul Hunter]

Yes there is, for plot reasons, Muv Luv Unlimited is almost mandatory since without it you won't understand half of what's happening at the first half of Alternative, and won't get most of the references, and Muv Luv Extra is important because of:

Spoiler

Sumika, you need to know her before playing Alternative.

Another reason (but not necessary to understand the plot of Alternative) I give you to play Extra and Unlimited is Meiya, she is best girl in my opinion:

Spoiler

This is because you'll only get enough of her in the first game, actually, you'll only romance any heroine in this game, since Alternative locks Takeru to Sumika, this is what enraged me the most in Alternative, since I am a super romance fan, not seeing any route in a VN is almost a deal breaker to me.

That being said, you only need to play one route both in Extra and Unlimited to be able to enjoy Alternative at its fullest, a lot of the content is kind of useless and badly written.

Edited July 13, 2020 by Soul Hunter