Operation Backlog Completion 2026

Muv-Luv Is Back on Steam!

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,
Feb 282018
 

Last month, we discussed the disappearance of the Muv-Luv visual novels from Steam, an unexpected consequence of the transfer from Degica to Ixtl.

Now they’re back!

Muv-Luv (Extra and Unlimited) and Muv-Luv Alternative now have new Steam pages, thanks to the help of Sekai Project.

Muv-Luv is now being sold at a lower price, and both are on sale for 30% off until March 15. Muv-Luv Alternative has also been updated with improved scripts, most likely the changes that were never implemented in the previous versions.

So, what if you already had them before the change and you want to switch to the new versions?

According to the official announcement, backers (like me) will be able to get new keys from BackerKit. Valve and Ixtl are working on a solution for users who bought the old versions from Steam.

This has certainly been a strange situation, but at least the Muv-Luv visual novels are available again! If you’re curious about the Muv-Luv series, I reviewed Muv-Luv Extra and Unlimited here and Muv-Luv Alternative here.

Nekopara? What Did I Get Myself Into?

 Video games  2 Responses »  Tagged with: , ,
Feb 052018
 

On my birthday, I decided to 1) complete something from my backlog, 2) play something relaxing because it was my birthday, and 3) do research for my freelance work.

All of these things would be accomplished if I played the visual novel Nekopara Vol. 1.

(You know you’re at a strange point in your career when you’re playing Nekopara for research purposes.)

I knew very little about Nekopara going in, but I had Volume 0, 1, and 2 from the visual novel Humble Bundle, so I decided to give it a try.

Nekopara is set in a world with catgirls, which are basically what you’d get if cats could speak and behave like humans but still keep a lot of their feline tendencies. It’s actually a kinetic novel, so there are no choices to make or routes to follow, just a story to enjoy.

Well, it’s not the deepest story. The main character starts up a bakery, and two catgirls from his home follow him and end up working there. In the all-ages version, it’s pretty much just silly hijinks and awkward sexual situations the entire way through.

There’s something endearing about it, though. If you don’t think too hard about it, it’s a silly, cute story. If you do think too hard about it, it starts to feel a little creepy… but if you accept everything at face value, Nekopara is a fine way to enjoy a few hours.

Except for Shigure. Shigure is always creepy.

It also has really good production values. I was a little surprised at how nice everything looked, with lovely art and even animated characters.

After I finished Vol. 1, I played Vol. 0, which has even less story and just exists to show the characters in some additional silly situations. Since I have Vol. 2, I’ll probably go through that eventually, and then we’ll see if I’m interested enough to pick up Vol. 3 and the eventual fourth volume.

In short, Nekopara is silly and a little embarrassing to play, but it was an amusing way to spend the afternoon.

Muv-Luv Vanished from Steam (Returning in February)

 Video games  No Responses »  Tagged with: , , ,
Jan 292018
 

As you know, I enjoyed Muv-Luv (Extra and Unlimited) and loved Muv-Luv Alternative, enough to recommend these visual novels to any fans of the genre.

A couple weeks ago, I saw they had been removed from the Steam store, but it was just temporary, the result of Degica transferring everything to Ixtl (the parent company of Muv-Luv).

Well, they’re still gone.

In the latest Kickstarter update, the team apologized for the delay and said they need to recreate the Steam store pages because of the transfer.

This doesn’t seem like the greatest situation – right now no one can buy them, and it sounds like all the reviews will be gone if they’re making new pages. I’m not entirely sure what this means for those of us who already have Muv-Luv installed, either. They’re still there now, but will the new store pages cause a problem?

The good news is that they plan to have the store pages re-launched in February. If you’ve been hoping to get Muv-Luv or Muv-Luv Alternative, they should be available again soon.

 Older Entries  Newer Entries