<report>The #1 problem this has is with pacing. The scenario itself is interesting enough but every compelling part is sandwiched by a few hours of circular monologues and dialogues... the writers can't just introduce a dilemma for the main character, nor can they omit unimportant details in a scene; instead, they repeat the same key points over and over again, they have conversations that go nowhere but last forever, seemingly in the interest of making sure the player 'gets' what the writer is trying to say. They don't trust the reader to speculate on the text itself, so every theme or idea is sledgehammered into the script so that even you— the target audience— can understand. All of this... Read more »

<report>I'll leave the note that if you're into Japanese imperialism or just don't care you'll probably not agree with the problems I have with this game. If so, just move on. If you find fascism kinda cringe or don't love reading loving references to WW2 Japan's regime you might not want to bother spending 100+ hours on this series.
I went into this game super excited after Unlimited. The story had great groundwork laid for something interesting. Sadly I realized everything I thought was morally complex political intrigue was really just build up to a jingoistic, nationalist, fascist mess.
The game has some incredible moments and I love the characters, but they really get beat down into less... Read more »

<report>I honestly have a lot of problems with this novel and think it's actually pretty overrated.

It feels like, most of the ratings are based solely on the main story and nothing else. If this was a kinetic novel I could see myself maybe rating it an 8 or 9/10 but it's not and so I dont.

The main story is intriguing and unique for sure, and honestly the presentation is awesome.
But that's just about it for the positiv.

The game does have "routes", but I use that term very losely, because they really don't matter at all.
Whatever heroin route you choose will literally just give you 3 additional scenes with no effect on the overall story whatsoever.
And those 3 scenes are incredibly short... Read more »

<report>Truth be told, after initially reading MLA I did't understand how it kept it's top 1 rating at the time. Not because the VN was bad, but because MLA, and Muv-Luv franchise by extension, are in their nature as niche as it gets. Because seriously: how easy it is to recommend someone a series which starts as a romcom VN with zany humor and over the top characters, but eventually transforms into post apocalypse mecha? And even then, the focus is not on cool robots fighting, but on deep worldbuilding and politics. It seems like the series doesn't exactly have a plan of who to appeal to in mind. You just have to casually enjoy all those elements to truly have fun with this long (100+ hours to... Read more »

<report>This review will contain minor spoilers that VN newbies may not know but are likely considered common knowledge by VN veterans. More major spoilers will be hidden. If you know literally nothing about Muv-Luv, read this at your own risk.

Muv-Luv Alternative is objectively a masterpiece. All one needs to do to verify this claim is look towards the vote statistics - there’s more than twice as many 10/10 ratings than 9/10 ratings, and a mean score of 9.12/10 as of when this review was written. It is quite easily the best piece of media I’ve ever had the luxury of consuming. This review I hope will serve as, first, a way to convince newcomers that the 100+ hours you can sink into this franchise... Read more »

<report>The third and final act in the Muv Luv trilogy. This blows everything that came before in the series to a new dimension. It subverts reader's expectations, telling an intriguing science fiction story involving mechas, aliens, time travel, parallel worlds and conspiracies. The setting is described in painstaking detail, from its politics, military, history and philosophy, leading to a great sense of immersion in its world. Most of its science fiction conceits are based on a mix of real science and its own (albeit more shaky) mechanics, and impressively over the course of its many twists it never strays or breaks its own rules. It left me riveted on the edge of my seat for most of its 50... Read more »

<report>The only literally life-changing piece of art that I've come across in any medium, without the slightest bit of exaggeration. It lifted me out of an abysmic mess at the exact right moment, and Takeru's journey will live with me for the rest of my life. It takes you apart, shakes you to the core, and thoroughly reforms you in the end. You'll never be the same again and will come out of it so much more mature and stronger, and will remain calm and stoic in the face of no matter what challenge life throws at you, as it'll always be a piece of cake compared to what Takeru and everybody in the world of Alternative had to go through. You'll feel ashamed for ever flinching/thinking of running away... Read more »

<report>The highest rated visual novel of all time on vndb is highly rated for a reason - it's an excellent piece of work which makes you exprience what the protagonist feels, has high production values and high-octane action when things get going. It is no wonder that it has gone on to inspire Hajime Isayama to make Attack on Titan. While it may have steadily declined across the years in terms of rating - from its peak rating of 9.29 in 2015 to its current rating of 9.09 (as of 6 September 2020), it still remains one of the visual novel community's most beloved works.

So what makes this visual novel so highly rated, even without an anime adaptation to boost its presence? Many reasons, but the... Read more »

<report>MLA has some absurdly high highs. There were multiple points where I genuinely thought I was reading what might be perhaps the best thing I've ever read. There were points I couldn't stop reading and nearly ruined my work routine by pulling a near all-nighter reading 12 straight hours of MLA. There were points I thought I'd lower everything else in my list by 1 point because MLA was just hitting me that hard.

Unfortunately: MuvLuv Alt also has some really stupid lows. Plain idiocy from some characters, infodumps that aren't that relevant or interesting to world building, an 18+ scene that is unwarranted, Takeru being way too dense over just about anything, the dialogue feeling like a... Read more »

<report>This is one giant leap up from the original Muv-Luv. It is a sequel, but really this feels like the main story and everything before it was purely set-up.

I'll keep this spoiler free. This is all about riding out the suffering and catastrophe that existence can be. It gets very dark at times. Really, really dark. But our protag and those around him need to find ways to continue to fight and rally forward. I love these kinds of stories, but this one does present these themes in a visceral and confronting way.

The animations bring the scenes to life. In battles the amount of details and things moving about on screen makes it feel alive, and given when this was developed it is very... Read more »

<report>What's left that hasn't been said about this game?

Exposition dumps: annoying, kills the pace, but it's absolutely needed, what with the monstrous amount of worldbuilding.
Weak dialogue: Definitely one of the game's weakest aspect. Also, a LOT of things being spelled out for you.
Soundtrack: A bit repetitive at times.

and yet, I still gave this game a 10/10. I absolutely love this game. Getting through this game is a really daunting task. It's long and emotionally tiring. I could've stopped at any time if I hated what I'm experiencing, and yet I keep coming back to it because I wanted to see how the journey ends.

That journey felt like you were dragged through hell and back.

THIS is... Read more »

<report>Muv Luv A Legendary Masterpiece.

Notice:
This review has no SPOILERS.

Muv Luv intrigued me,messed with me,really. I wanted to have the Muv Luv experience in my heart and read everything from the main franchise.

As a Visual Novels reader on my personal journey of reading several Visual Novels throughout my life, I don't regret having read and experienced this story and simply delving into the narrative, characters and universe of Muv Luv.

I knew that one day I would read this visual novel and one of the things that first caught my attention was that Muv Luv Alternative is in the top 1 (top 1 in 2021) of the visual novels on the VNDB and is considered one of the best visual novels of all... Read more »

<report>Muv-Luv Alternative is extremely unique among visual novels in terms of the type of topics it covers. Alternative is one of the best novels I've read that has a focus on camaraderie and the effects of war. It does a great job covering politics in Japan, particularly focusing on the Imperialist Japanese mindset and its clash with modern Japan. Alternative also has some of the most thrilling and impactful moments in any visual novel.

One of the best aspects of Alternative is the characters. I have never connected so much with a protagonist like I did with Takeru. We get to see everything he goes through and feel everything he feels. The characters really serve to show off camaraderie... Read more »

<report>I love how Kouki wants to teach us the meaning of true love so he makes a bland and generic rom-com VN to teach us that, and the he was like "Oh was that too boring?" and then slaps an "Alternative" to deliver the same fucking message in the most tragic and cruel way possible.

It's a reflection of how we takes things for granted in real life, for example someone gives you a moral speech about fixing your problems and you probably dismiss it as boring blabber, but then one day you face the consequences of your build up problems that may be drastic enough-to ruin you completely, you probably wish that you had taken the advice before, but it's too late. You realize the importance of that... Read more »

<report>What I liked:
-Each character, regardless if they are a main or side character, gets plenty of screen time, background and development. Easily the best cast overall I've come across in a VN
-The story line is planned out exceptionally well, the world the war is occurring in is explained with an incredible amount of detail. The setting is taken very seriously.
-Outstanding presentation. Everything from the Mecha designs, cut scenes, music etc. is perfect or close to it. An insane effort from all involved.
-Very good pacing, it never slows down too much except on the odd occasion.
-Has a satisfying ending

What I didn't like:
-An excessive amount of monologues. More than a few became... Read more »

<report>I don't even know where to start.

I will have 2 parts to this review: non-spoiler and spoiler

First off, to be able to understand and grasp the story, playing extra and unlimited is MANDATORY. Even though I give muv-luv a 6.5, you need to play it to understand the alternative.

Muv Luv is a very highly rated VN but not very popular in my opinion (at least in the west dunno in Japan). Even in the VN world I never heard of it until I saw some youtube vid about AOT that were inspired by the Muv Luv trilogy. It is also one of the VN that has the highest barrier of entry being Extra (does not age well) and Unlimited (feels more like a prologue).

Alternative technically continues right after... Read more »

<report>Chapter 1-5:
The ending in Unlimited was way too open and left me very hyped for what was going to come.
However, the start of Alternative is really slow as it is Muv-Luv Unlimited all over again.
The only differences are a few changes but unfortunetly that makes it a worse version since it completely erases the little development that characters like Meiya and Tama had.
This part is half of the VN and since the reader already knows what will happen it makes it really boring.
Chapter 6:
This arc is the best so far in the VN. It has a good start and it was well handed.
The pacing was still slow but the themes it tries to express are really interesting, the situation where some characters... Read more »

<report>Muv-Luv Alternative is one of the best form of media I have ever read in my entire life. I am a bookworm; I've read countless novels and light novels alike. I love me a great story. I am not a stranger to visual novels, playing Grisaia no Kajitsu, among other priceless titles. However, Muv Luv Alternative hits different.

I will give no spoilers in this review, but you may be able to contextualize the plot if you read between the lines. If you haven't yet, play the trilogy in the recommended order given by guides all around the internet. Still, reading? Here you go.

No Downtime
You will not feel bored. If you are already at the point of booting up Muv Luv Alternative when doing the... Read more »

<report>Before playing alternative, I am of the opinion that playing through EVERY route in extra and the main route in unlimited is necessary. Trust me, you will be missing out otherwise.

Before the review, I must admit that this VN has accomplished one thing very few other VNs are able to do.
The moment you start it up, and continue from the previous save file, it is absolutely impossible to put the novel down. This VN manages to stay completely engaging for the entirety of its near 50 hour run time, battles are well thought out, diverse in scope, and very unique, especially in regards to how BETA works. Slice of life scenes were funny and motivational, excelling in showing off why people want... Read more »

<report>This shall be a doozy. This review (or analysis under the guise of a review) contains spoilers for some of the themes of muv luv and whatnot, but no major plot spoilers other than maybe chapter 6 as well as some minor details (mostly to bash on takeru). Also if you want to skip directly to the purely review section, I have it marked.

Muv Luv, at its core, is not about epic mech fights, aliens, nor love. It is simply about Takeru, the human condition, and utilitarianism. Most of Muv Luv Alternative is not particularly interesting, above average at best. The first five chapters are full of half filler, basically having Takeru go through most of the events of unlimited once again with some... Read more »

<report>Of all the media that I have consumed over my life, Muvluv would most certainly be the only one that has stunned me the most. After reading it, all that came out was a depressed, confused, but content man who was grateful that he rode the Muvluv rollercoaster. However, after playing it, I still could not put into words what I like about it. Is it the characters? Not exactly. Is it the mechs? Partially. Is it the world building? Likely not. My confusion has left me looping over and over again regarding this story, unable to let go of it because it ended like there was still a piece missing that I so desperately need to find. And that piece is answering what do I like about Muvluv? What is it... Read more »

<report>I truly am blown away by how good this was, I truly loved MUV LUV and was truly happy with Extra and Unlimited but Alternative was a true conclusion and one of the highest quality where everything that came before as a true and reasonable explanation, I figured out most of the story beats but it didn't mean the story had any less of an impact. This is because it was wrote in impeccable fashion and truly blew me away with how powerful the scenes in it where. Only Fate/Stay Night effected me like this before now so this is my second favorite visual novel. This story hits you so damn hard and just as you pick yourself off the floor your hit just as hard again. Thats because of an impeccable... Read more »

<report>While I overall like the Muv-Luv trilogy, to me it's the definition of a flawed, inconsistent masterpiece. I read it back when it was just a fan-translation in the early 2010s.

The story it's trying to tell definitely sticks out, the atmosphere, the feeling of hopelessness, the tense fight scenes... there's a reason it was a huge inspiration for Isayama's Shingeki no Kyojin / Attack on Titan. When Muv-Luv hits, it hits HARD. You can feel the genuine emotional weight on many major moments throughout the series.

Speaking of, Muv-Luv Alternative specifically has some of my favorite emotional scenes in any visual novel. They are what help me have mostly positive reception of the series years... Read more »

<report>Score: 9/10

Muv-Luv Alternative was a very fitting depiction of war and political nuance of de facto military administration which touches upon a lot of wartime topics in a fastidious way. PTSD Arc especially stood out to me because of personal experiences and was the highlight prior to the finale. The final Episode pulled everything together and delivered spectacularly in terms of unravelling the mysteries, tension and sucking the reader into the world while enhancing the central themes and message poignantly. All the main characters received congruous conclusions as well. The ideas in it employ extensive usage of artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics, which are... Read more »

<report>Cliche, cliche, cliche upon cliche built on top of another cliche - that's what the entirety of Muv-Luv Alternative is composed of. Honestly, if you feel like you've already exhausted everything in this media and want to experience something new, ignore this game, it doesn't offer anything you haven't already seen somewhere else. Though, that's not necessarily a bad thing, the game just aged poorly, that is.

Also, I still don't understand why fan-base is so insistent on Extra's value and contribution to the story of Alternative. With the unhealthy amount of flashbacks and backtracking this game has you will get a gist of it anyway, characters don't escape the confines of their troupe even... Read more »

<report>Wow, look at me! How special I am! I gave a rating of 1 to the most highly appreciated novel on this site.

Hmm, I looked at reviews and it turns out I'm not that special. Well, it's very sad.

So why 1? Because I do not know the concept of "mediocre game" and everything should be either 10 out of 10 or 1 out of 10? Yes, you may think so. Or maybe because I just wanted to go against society and show what a cool rebel I am? And so you can think.

But I gave this rating because it is one of the worst novels I have ever read. Not the worst. One of them. The worst was Sunrider Academy.

Did I expect something incredible from this game? Of course, I expected it, my expectations were just... Read more »