Operation Backlog Completion 2025
Jun 242022
 

It didn’t quite make the winter release window that was announced last year, but Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse Remastered is almost here!

Total Eclipse will be out in English for the first time on July 20. The release date was announced yesterday.

It is a Muv-Luv spin-off set during the events of Alternative that follows a test pilot named Yuuya who is assigned to a top-secret project and deals with conflicts with his new team members as well as international intrigue.

This remastered version is only the main story of Total Eclipse and does not include “Burning of the Imperial Capital,” or Teito Moyu, a prequel story that was part of the original Total Eclipse release.

However, all the way back in 2016, the Muv-Luv localization Kickstarter campaign announced that the extra funds would go toward translating Teito Moyu as well as another project. Here’s hoping those plans haven’t changed!

I’ve enjoyed the previous Muv-Luv releases, so I’m looking forward to Total Eclipse and whatever else they have in store for the future.

Dec 292021
 

Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After was translated this year, and after picking up the bundle in a sale, I’ve now finished it.

(It will be impossible to discuss The Day After without alluding to Muv-Luv Unlimited spoilers, so keep that in mind if you haven’t played.)

The Day After is an episodic release currently consisting of Episode 00, which serves as a prologue to the main story, and then a main story split into Episodes 01-03.

Instead of being set in the Alternative timeline, it takes place after Muv-Luv Unlimited, following the aftermath of Alternative V. This plan proves disastrous and results in catastrophic changes to the Earth, leaving the survivors to struggle to adapt to life in this bleak new world.

It is the darkest Muv-Luv timeline. Only four nations have survived, and they begin fighting amongst themselves and vying for power, while everyone suffers from food shortages and uninhabitable land.

Click for The Day After Episode 00 spoilers
And surprise! It didn’t even wipe out the BETA completely. They’re still around!

The main story follows Hibiki, a TSF pilot who survived a trek across the ravaged continent and now finds himself the leader of a new team trying to help Japan (and humanity) survive.

It’s a kinetic novel, so there aren’t any choices to make. Each episode is of moderate length; I’d say the main three episodes are each around 5-10 hours long depending on how fast you read, with Episode 00 being a little shorter. All together, therefore, The Day After ends up being a moderate length.

There are some little oddities (for example, the log wouldn’t work properly the first time I started an episode, only after I quit and reloaded once), but overall I found it to be a fine experience.

And the story is well worth reading.

The premise is bleak as can be, but The Day After isn’t without its lighter moments. Little moments of humor helped me grow to love the new cast of characters as I followed them through traumatic experiences, political scheming, and everything else we expect from a Muv-Luv story. There are some good twists and turns, too.

But it’s not over yet! Episode 03 doesn’t actually conclude the story, even though it’s been 8 years since it first came out in Japan. Muv-Luv Resonative, aka The Day After Episode 04, was announced around the same time they confirmed the localization of Episodes 00-03.

Resonative is intended to be the conclusion of The Day After, and there are enough mysteries that I’m looking forward to how it all wraps up – especially when it comes to certain returning characters.

Click for The Day After spoilers
They seem to be strongly implying that Yuuhi is really Meiya. And why is Takeru seemingly on Ikaruga’s side? He’s gotta be doing that for a reason, but what could it be? Is he a spy? Is he being coerced? I need answers!

So the wait for Resonative begins! Muv-Luv news has been announced for December 30, so here’s hoping we get a release date. Meanwhile, if you enjoy the Muv-Luv series and want to see how things play out in the dark timeline following Unlimited’s ending, you definitely should check out Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After.

Nov 262021
 

Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse was announced for an English release earlier this year, although we were somewhat distracted by other localization news at the time, and it sounds like it’s on track!

The official Muv-Luv Twitter account announced late Wednesday night that the Total Eclipse translation is complete.

It is still on track for a release this winter, as originally announced.

(“Winter” could still mean early next year, but that’s fine.)

Total Eclipse is a spin-off set in the Muv-Luv Alternative universe. It follows a team in Alaska and is one of the most well-known Muv-Luv spin-offs.

I’m looking forward to Total Eclipse, so I hope we’ll get more news about the release date soon! In the meantime, I still need to finish reading Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After, which came out this year. Are you looking forward to Total Eclipse?

(Hey, I know it’s Black Friday, but we already discussed Black Friday deals last week when they started early, so check that out if you haven’t already!)