55. Muv-Luv (Steam)
Well, this was an interesting experience.
I'm not one to typically play a massive branching-path visual novel (though perhaps now I am?), but the hype for this one was too strong, the allure too irresistible. Not only is Muv-Luv a visual novel that's garnered massive critical acclaim, but its sequel, Muv-Luv Alternative, is hailed by many (including the internet's Visual Novel Database) as being the greatest VN of all time. Some high praise for games that are (seemingly) about a bunch of anime schoolgirls. Muv-Luv was developed by an outfit called âge, and initially released in Japan as a PC title in 2003. Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 ports eventually followed. The game was finally localized (along with its sequel) thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, seeing English releases on Steam and the PlayStation Vita.
Every great game series needs to be defined by some confusing nomenclature, Muv-Luv being no exception. Though ostensibly a "trilogy" the mainline Muv-Luv series consists of a duo of games. However, Muv-Luv is split into two discrete "arcs" known as Muv-Luv Extra and Muv-Luv Unlimited. The Steam release requires these be played in order, and familiarity with the events contained within is (apparently) needed to fully appreciate Alternative (the second game, and "part three").
Muv-Luv Extra is a slice of life tale. A high school comedy about a young man named Shirogane Takeru and his lady friends. Takeru happens to live next door to his childhood buddy Kagami Sumika, whom he can converse with nightly through their adjacent bedroom windows. One fall morning, Takeru wakes up next to a mysterious young woman in his bed. Named Mitsurugi Meiya, she is apparently heir to a massive fortune, and immediately insists she's destined to be Takeru's lover. She's also moving in and has used her vast fortune to send Takeru's parents away on a vacation. This is all much to the chagrin of Sumika, who has had unrequited feelings for the man for some time. There are some peripheral classmates as well: three gals and the suspiciously androgynous Mikoto. Rounding out the cast are some disturbingly attractive classroom teachers: one who moonlights as a cosplayer, the other a physics instructor conducting vague mysterious experiments.
The writing is of mixed quality, but mostly good (and superbly localized). Extra is a quirky little romp that doesn't take itself particularly seriously. I found myself chuckling frequently at some of the more ridiculous scenarios (like Meiya quickly and casually turning Takeru's house into a giant sprawling complex) and the absurd retro gaming references (Takeru bemoans the death of the "Dreamcost" on more than one occasion). Extra is at its best when flowing naturally. The banter between the various classmates is ever-charming, and it's hard to not become attached to these kids as they meander through the fall and winter of senior year.
And then there's the "romance." Yes, dating sims are and were popular in Japan, and much of Extra is focused on Takeru's potential relationship with a given young lady. The writing is at its weakest during these one-on-one "dates." For starters, Takeru is a bratty little twerp through the bulk of Extra, making the idea of him as womanizer downright implausible. And these encapsulated love stories feel rushed and harried; two teenagers who spend some casual time together both simultaneously realize they're in love. Cue the smooching!
Oh dear, I have to talk about those "h-scenes" don't I? Or not! Though present in the original Japanese PC version, they've been excised for this Steam release. Though I'm typically opposed to heavy censorship via localization, I have no real issue with never seeing any of these individuals naked. Be aware that this is still very much an M-rated game. The sexy time dialogue remains intact (in all its painful clumsiness) with the naughty bits swapped out for a "lights out" black screen or an extended still of a preceding scene.
Winning favor with a girl requires Takeru and the player follow a specific route by choosing strategically from the pop-up choices that occasionally appear. It's actually not that difficult, in fact the game makes it supremely intuitive. Simply interact with, and show affection towards, one character consistently and that's who Takeru ultimately ends up with. Sumika and Meiya are clearly the canonical choices; in fact it is these routes that must be completed before Muv-Luv Unlimited can be accessed. Some players may be inclined to simply move on to Unlimited after the two aforementioned routes, which is arguably the wisest choice. A completionist to the end, I played through the Tamase, Ayamine, and Sakaki routes to their conclusions, finding them (eventually become) painfully long-winded in comparison. There are also some gag endings, which are actually more difficult to discover, as they essentially require Takeru act upon capricious decisions in just the "right" way.
The game is absolutely gorgeous. These are some of the best character designs seen in a popular visual novel, with so much attention to detail paid to individual facial expressions and animations. And there's a surprising amount of animation indeed, including one black & white "manga" sequence as well as some occasional hilarious "chibi" cutscenes that punctuate the game's more farcical moments. The girls are all beautiful, of course -- the Sumika character is so stupidly adorable (both in appearance and action) that I felt pangs of guilt when showing affection to anyone else. As for the soundtrack: it lays waste to even the best console titles of the era. Catchier than it has any right to be, it's the perfect backdrop for the amazing visuals. Hitting up the post-game galley and jukebox is absolutely required.
The reward for finishing Muv-Luv Extra is an entrance into the world of Muv-Luv Unlimited. Though this "part two" retains many of the same characters, backgrounds, and musical selections, its plot heads off in a completely different and unexpected direction. While Extra was focused on character-building, the priority of Unlimited is world-building. A different sort of world, that is. Takeru wakes up one morning to find his neighborhood in ruins, a broken-down mecha lying among the waste. He heads out looking for answers, only to be detained by soldiers. After a meeting with Yuuko, his physics teacher turned government scientist, Takeru soon learns that the events he's experiencing are not unfolding after those of Extra, but rather simultaneously. He's entered some sort of parallel timeline, something that Yuuko is oddly and calmly able to explain.
Takeru soon reunites with his friends. None of which have any memories of him, but all retain the personalities ascribed to them in Extra. As far as that mecha goes, it turns out the citizens of this new world are at war with a strange alien menace known as BETA. The mechas are the humans' instruments of war, piloted by elite soldiers. Takeru's old school is now a sort of military installation, and the bulk of Unlimited is dedicated to the training of Takeru and company.
With many innocent lives on the line, the plot of Unlimited is more intense than that of Extra, upping the amount of terse and serious dialogue. Of course, the harem hijinks aren't entirely gone, and there's still plenty of silliness to be had. The emotional stakes are higher overall, and the Takeru character is shown to transform ever-so-slowly, gradually shedding his crass nature that characterized so much of the first installment. He begins Unlimited timid and unsure of how to proceed within the horrifying world he's been thrust into. With time he gains confidence, empathy, and a modicum of charm. I went from desperately wishing the game starred a blank slate character and/or featured third-person narration, to finding Takeru the most sympathetic of the whole crew. His evolution comes off as sincere and steady, rather than a slapdash contrived epiphany. It's a testament to how the human condition is modified by duress, and the final two hours of Muv-Luv Unlimited showcase some of the best VN storytelling, period. There are some great (and strange) meta moments to Unlimited, which delicately plays with the parallel worlds theory, going so far as to hint at the true nature of all those Extra routes. Speaking of routes, they work differently this time around. Choices matter less throughout the game, with Takeru more or less "choosing" a partner at the end. Is it a cop-out, or is this somehow consistent with the overall Muv-Luv mystery, to finally be revealed in Alternative? As of now, I certainly don't know.
With all routes considered, the entire Muv-Luv experience takes about forty hours to traverse. If I were to play a random isolated twenty-minute demo of Muv-Luv, I'm not sure I'd be taken by it. But experienced as a whole, I'm pretty stunned. Not just by how the story unfolds, but by how it ultimately "ends." There's no contrived "cliffhanger" seen at the tail end of Unlimited, but I've never seen a game that demands the player invest in the sequel like Muv-Luv does. It's pretty much impossible to stop at this point. Sure, I played the game but my God was I played as well.
(P.S. Sumika = best girl.)
