Although I played Muv-Luv photonmelodies last year and even reviewed it over at VN Game Den, I waited until now to discuss it as part of our romance celebration.
It’s the second of the two short story collections translated as part of the Muv-Luv localization Kickstarter, and this one includes three stories.
Before I go any further, Muv-Luv photonmelodies is fairly dependent on you being familiar with the Muv-Luv story already, so if you’re a newcomer to the series, I suggest you stop reading this review due to the implied spoilers. (Instead, go take a look at the current contest rules to see how you could win a copy of the first Muv-Luv just by leaving comments on any blog post here!)
All right, now let’s get back to the photonmelodies review.
Unlike Muv-Luv photonflowers, which we discussed in 2019, even the stories set in the Alternative universe are on the lighter end of things (with “Adoration” being almost completely comedy while “Resurrection” has a serious start and climax with a lot of goofiness in between).
Then there is “Altered Fable: A Shimmering Shard of Spacetime,” which is set after the ending of Alternative in the new timeline.
Imagine Muv-Luv Extra, but with everything being even crazier. There’s a fair share of people who dislike Muv-Luv Extra due to it being a romantic comedy, but I found it to be pretty entertaining when I played it (and if you’re reading a “Celebrating All Things Romantic” blog post, I’m guessing you aren’t here for doom and gloom today) and enjoyed this twist on it as well.
It’s filled with silly situations, callbacks to Unlimited and Alternative, a spy story that adds a touch of seriousness to a mostly lighthearted story, and yes, romance routes.
I really enjoyed Muv-Luv photonmelodies, and while the darker parts of the series might be the most famous and beloved, it felt good to see all of these characters back in happy times for an extended story. It’s all good, silly fun, the sort of story that just makes you happy as you read it.
So if you’re wondering if Muv-Luv photonmelodies is worth playing, I’d say that depends on what you’re looking for. If the answer is lighthearted comedy and romance similar to what was in Muv-Luv Extra, then the answer is yes!
Have you played Muv-Luv photonmelodies? Share your thoughts on this lighter short story collection in the comments!
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!
