Визуальная новелла с самым высоким рейтингом за всю историю жанра (по данным VNDB) наконец добралась до Стима!

Но несмотря на то, что она считается сильно лучше первой части, я всё же рекомендую начать с неё (с первой части). А ещё лучше начать с Kimi ga Nozomu Eien, которую, к сожалению, пока не перевели с японского, но зато по ней есть анимешка.

Рекомендуемый порядок просмотра/чтения:

1. Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (в оф. русской локализации - Беспокойные сердца) - аниме сериал
   
2. Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Next Season~ - OVA с альтернативной концовкой
   
3. Akane Maniax - OVA являющаяся одновременно побочной историей к KGNE и приквелом к серии Muv-Luv
   
4. Muv-Luv Extra - первая половина оригинальной Muv-Luv
   
5. Muv-Luv Unlimited - вторая половина оригинальной Muv-Luv
   
6. Muv-Luv Alternative - собственно сама эта игра.

В принципе, для понимания сюжета Alternative достаточно пройти Extra и Unlimited, но анимешки помогут вам лучше понять некоторых персонажей второго плана. Так что если не хочется всё это смотреть, то нужно как минимум знать что произошло в оригинальной Muv-Luv, иначе вы ничего не поймёте. Ну или хотя бы прочитайте пересказ событий Extra и Unlimited.

Осень - сезон грусти и тоски. Подстать этому настроению у нас появилась Muv-Luv Alternative - визуальная новелла с наивысшим рейтингом VNDB за все время. Это тяжелая игра. Она бросит вас в такую бездну отчаяния, выбираться из которой предстоит очень долго.

Сюжет о безнадежной борьбе человечества за выживание катком проедет по вашим чувствам. Здесь героев нет, а если вы думаете, что сможете стать им - получите очень жестокий урок. Когда кажется, что хуже уже быть не может, выясняется - еще как может.
Это уникальное, не ограничиенное жанровыми клише произведение, которое не боится показывать всю правду. Война жестока, и вы на своей шкуре, без всякой пощады, перенесете это снова и снова.

Атмосферу игры в высокой мере определяют полностью озвученные диалоги и просто шедевральный саундтрек, который написали гениальные люди. Такой глубины и разнообразия музыкальных композиций я нигде прежде не встречал. И вот уже спустя год после прочтения я до сих пор ими заслушиваюсь.

Я рекомендую серию Muv-Luv. Но нужно для себя решить - готовы ли вы к этому. Если да - то не пожалеете об этом.

Needless to say, this visual novel's legendary reputation precedes it, and a lot of hype has been built around it. It's the #1 rated VN of all time on VNDB and people recommend this as a must-read even though the mandatory prequel (Muv-Luv) is generally seen as fairly mediocre.

My impression after reading Alternative is that it's quite excellent, but also has its fair share of problems. Here is a list of my pros and cons with the game:

Pros:
+ Alternative has a strong cast of several returning characters as well as many new favorites that are introduced. For the most part they all have a layer of depth to them, even if some of them didn't get that much screen time. If you liked Meiya from Muv-Luv, Alternative will be right up your alley, and even if you didn't, there are still several great supporting characters.
+ I've never been a huge fan of action in visual novels because you can't really show it all that well with just images, but Alternative did a great job of keeping me on the edge of my seat despite that.
+ The plot gets quite complex and interesting, and weaves the individual characters' stories with the overall narrative very well.
+ Alternative gets you emotionally involved with what's going on. Don't be surprised if you start crying or stare at the screen in utter shock.

Cons:
- I don't really care for the protagonist, Takeru Shirogane. His irritating personality traits from Muv-Luv continue well into Alternative.
- At times the story drags on with unnecessary drama, rehashed conversations and overuse of flashbacks.
- The ending was a bit of a letdown for me.
- Reading Muv-Luv Alternative's prequel, Muv-Luv, is mandatory. Unfortunately, Muv-Luv is in my opinion a really big mixed bag of some good stuff and some straight-up bad and cringe-worthy stuff. But it lays the background and character development you need in order to know what's going on in Alternative.

Overall I can definitely recommend Muv-Luv Alternative and while it wasn't the end-all-be-all of visual novels for me, it was still excellent and gets a spot on my list of favorites.

TL;DR: Get it. Also, Meiya is best girl.

I can see why this game is regarded as being somewhere around God-tier. This game completely erases the tones set up in the previous two games in the series, Muv Luv and Muv Luv Extra. The original Muv Luv, as you should know by now, was more like your typical dating sim visual novel, where a good majority of the girls are attracted to you and you have the choice of dating whichever one you choose. Extra took this a bit further, and added a more deep tone to it, while having that dating sim aspect still present. But then you have this game. Muv Luv Alternative. They took the design of the other two novels and literally threw them out of the TSF straight into the mouths of a Fort-class BETA. The carefree attitude of the MC Shirogane Takeru is annihilated, as he suffers similarly to Okabe Rintarou in Steins;Gate. The suffering never ends, and you get dragged through the mud and blood right along with Takeru as he stumbles and falls, but also while he learns to accept reality and face what he's been running away from this whole time. Of course, this is already along the lines of being spoiler, so I'll leave it at that.

This game in particular completely threw me off. I was expecting to be able to have some fun and lighthearted adventures as Takeru comes back for his 3rd installment in the series. Of course, if you read the store description, you immediately know that something went very wrong this time around. You have to watch the suffering, watch the pain and despair, and you can't do anything to help as you are merely the observer. It's painful. It may give you borderline PTSD for a while. Every happy moment seems like it could very well break any moment, it's actually rather stressful as well. You get enveloped in the chaotic world of humans being at war with the aliens known as BETA and it pulls your attention even stronger the deeper you dive into it. The science is real, the reality is actually rather realistic. There's no magical powers, no plot armor. Every threat is real, nobody is safe. That's war. The tech is more advanced sure, but you get explanations for nearly everything that is used, and it all makes sense. This visual novel is Legendary. Truly God-tier. You do need to walk through the first two games to get that deeper connection with the characters, but it's worth it. Play this game, you seriously need to experience this story. It's on a level of its own.

Muv Luv Alternative is something special to me. It is the most I've cried since being older than 8, made me dream of being a writer, and is my favorite story in any form of media (movies, TV shows, anime, books, etc.)

It is the only thing I can call a master piece, despite how cringey in a way that sounds.

It is hard to really put the respect I have for this, so yeah...think it is worth the buy if you don't mind trudging through the first game.

I think this is greatest epic ever told in Visual novels, and one of the best stories ever written about alien invasions.

The premise of the story is actually rather simple, a high-schooler living a happy life in the peaceful modern world, suddenly gets teleported to a world ravaged by aliens, with humanity on its last legs.

What makes the story astounding, is you actually live out every part of the experience across the two games, from the cheesy rom-com in the peaceful world, to the initial amazement and tourist-like detachment of getting teleported, to the terror of realising that you probably will die in this alien world, of the cruel fate that stripped away your peaceful life for a certani death.

Many stories make conflict and wars feel exicting and enjoyable, but this story makes you yearn for the peaceful days that you were once bored of. The titanic human-BETA struggle depicted in this story will awe you with its scale, and the steeled resolve and determination it demands from its soldiers.

You will laugh, grow, rage, despair and cry along with the protagonist's journey, the immersion you feel will make the 40 hour read pass like a breeze.

On the other front, MLA has an extremely high production value, from the moving and dynamic sprites allowing simulation of action scenes, to the HUD interfaces that make you feel like being in a mech, to the orchestral music that pumps with tension and grandeur.

The military side of the story also bustles with tremendous realism. The battles in Muv-Luv are not about the hero wiping out the enemies which is so typical in other stories, the battles in Muv Luv alternative are massive military campaigns, with intricate planning and co-operation across many military branches, with the dynamism and unpredictability you would expect from an actual warfare.

If you like any of those things, buy the two games and read them, it will be an unforgettable experience. However, do note that you HAVE to read the first Muv-Luv game, it lays the emotional foundations of Muv-Luv Alternative, skipping it will ruin the pinnacle achievement of the visual-novel genre.

People ask, If you could experience one thing for the first time again, what would it be?
My answer: The Muv Luv Trilogy. MLA is by far the best fictional story I've ever experienced, and nothing has topped it since I first read it about 3 years ago. I discovered this series because it is the highest rated VN on VNDB. I had only read a few other VNs before, so, I instantly got interested and dove into it practically blind. I would highly encourage you to do so too.

Despite my high praise for this series, Muv Luv is not perfect. Far from it in fact. However, one thing it does better than anything else is a subversion of expectations. After reading through the happy-go-lucky Extra and Unlimited, I was beginning to have my doubts that this VN was going to be the masterpiece that it was hyped up to be. And ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, I've never been so glad to be wrong. Parts of this VN have some of the best writing, character development, and plot twists I've ever seen. But other parts are extremely sloppy and rushed. I have some mixed feelings about parts of Muv Luv, but overall I would still consider it to be my favorite work of fiction.

With that, I'll go over some good, bad, and neutral points about MLA with minimal spoilers.

Good:
-MLA has the best story I've ever read. It gives one of the most emotionally powerful experinces I've ever had. Takeru's character developement is nothing short of a masterpiece. The story sheds light on many different topics, including military strategy, PTSD, quantum causality, politics, nationalism, philosophy, traumatic psychology, time loops, etc. The characters, old as well as new, are great, each with their own views on the world and the ongoing war.
-Muv Luv has an amazingly well written multiverse. The logic is consistent and key points make sense within the world's perameters. Nearly every part of the military operations are explained in great detail, all the way down to squad formations, technical specs of the TSF's, and strategic countermeasures for each type of BETA.
-There in a incredible use of foreshadowing, with later major events being traced back to even the opening scenes of Extra. The payoff for reading Extra and Unlimited is truely amazing.
-The action sequences are a fantastic, as Muv Luv Alternative has one of the highest production values out of any VN.
-MLA features an amazing soundtrack.
-The mecha design is amazing. Each TSF is based on a real life fighter jet counterpart, and the weaponry is conventional, unlike something you would see from Gundam or any other mecha show.

Neutral:
-You have to sit through about ~30 hours of a non-action, slice of life, slapstick comedy VN trilogy before you get to the "good part." This could be a plus or minus for some. I was one of the weird ones who really enjoyed the first two VNs in the trilogy. However many do not, especially if you're coming for the action and mecha aspect. DON'T be that guy, please. It's extremely important to read the first two VN's before Alternative. It's called a trilogy for a reason.
-There are points in this VN where its visuals might be too much for squeamish people. There is a heavy use of gore and nudity during some key story points.

Bad:
-The ending arc was obviously rushed. I feel like there could have been a much more comprehensive and well thought out ending, since the one we got felt a bit cheap. Some people argue that an ending is what really makes a story good or bad, and this might be one of the biggest complaints from readers.
-If you don't get emotionally invested in the story from reading through Extra and Unlimited, the story will be very ineffective. It relies on the reader to experience emotions similar to that of the main character.
-With such a big cast of characters, I feel like we did not get to see each one's development as well as we should have. Many new characters are introduced about half way into the story, and once they show up, many of the old characters lose any and all focus and dialogue.
-The best songs in the sountrack are usually only played in a few specific parts, and most of the time it uses songs from Extra for background noise during conversation.

Visual Novels tell the reader the story through the eyes of the protagonist. This might be the most important aspect of MLA, and the reason why it is so successful at telling a compelling and emotional story. Not being able to know what Takeru was thinking all the time would have made this VN significantly less impactful. MLA's intense action sequences, soundtrack, and excellent production value elevate the story to a new level. For these reasons, MLA could never do well translated into any other medium, and only really works as good as it does as a Visual Novel.

TL;DR: The Muv Luv Trilogy is absolutely amazing. If you're willing to sit through quite a bit of set up, the payoff is incredibly rewarding, giving you one of the best and most emotionally gripping stories ever written.

My rule is simple:

1. Beat Muv-Luv Extra

2. Beat Muv-Luv Unlimited

3. Now you can play Muv-Luv Alternative and enjoy the full story.

I beat Muv Luv Alternative and all I got was crippling depression and Complex PTSD.

10/10!

I had very mixed feelings about both backing and playing Muv-Luv, especially Alternative. Through a combination of my own curosity and hubris, and various discussion forums posting open spoilers, I had several major plot points of Alternative ruined for me. This included virtually all of the revelations from the final hour or so of the novel.

As a result, I believed I was somewhat prepared for what awaited me, and charged headlong into what has been one of the most emotional experiences of my life. Rather ironic, really, considering what happens through the course of Takeru's journey.

Maybe 20 minutes ago, the credits for Alternative scrolled past my screen. Rather than try to piece my psyche back together enough to write a coherent review, I'll just say this:

The last time I openly cried, not counting the occasional sob, was when my parents died nearly 20 years ago. The events leading up to the finale of Muv-Luv Alternative brought me to the brink, and the final scenes let loose a torrent comparable to that horrible day all those years ago.

A true masterwork of the medium. I cannot recommend it enough.