Operation Backlog Completion 2026
Jul 032020
 

When the translation of Muv-Luv was successfully crowdfunded, the campaign also met its goals to translate two side story collections.

The first, Muv-Luv photonflowers*, was released last year. Now, the second collection finally has a release date. Muv-Luv photonmelodies will be out on July 30 for $29.99.

This collection contains three stories:

  • Altered Fable: A Shimmering Shard of Spacetime – an epilogue story set after the events of Muv-Luv Alternative
  • Adoration – a story set in Europe, following a Japanese cadet who visits England to join a TSF battalion
  • Resurrection – a story set ahead of Muv-Luv Alternative, following a spy

Although the Steam page isn’t up yet, a short teaser trailer has been released.

Kickstarter backers received photonflowers* ahead of the public release, but I don’t know if the same will happen for photonmelodies. Either way, I’ve heard a lot of praise for this collection, so I’m excited that we don’t have much longer to wait!

That should be the last of the content included in the Kickstarter. There are still some Muv-Luv spin-offs we don’t have available in English (there was a Steam Greenlight page for Schwarzesmarken, but it’s been four years since they said anything about it) and of course the new sequel and spin-offs coming soon. I’ll be looking forward to them as well.

If you’re a Muv-Luv fan, are you looking forward to photonmelodies?

May 062020
 

Muv-Luv developer âge is holding an online web event this week, and that means we’ve had a lot of Muv-Luv news.

First, Muv-Luv Unlimited: The Day After is coming to Steam, with a potential mobile version as well. The Day After is a series of short stories set after the events of Muv-Luv Unlimited, and a fourth chapter is also in development.

No mention was made of an English version, but the developer bringing The Day After to Steam feels like a good step in that direction.

Next, the PC and mobile spin-off Project Mikhail, which will let you pilot a TSF, was shown during the event and revealed TSF customization and other features. It will be out in 2021.

Then there’s the other mobile spin-off, Project Immortal. This one is an action RPG. Interestingly, it will include an offline mode, so that has my attention more than it did at first, since most mobile RPGs end up requiring an Internet connection to play. Project Immortal is also set for 2021 and might see a PC version as well.

Finally, a short teaser was shown of the upcoming Muv-Luv Alternative anime adaptation.

(I don’t think there was an anime adaptation of Extra/Unlimited, though, so jumping straight to Alternative might be confusing unless they cover everything at once.)

Keep in mind, we’re also still awaiting the Muv-Luv Photonmelodies collection from the Kickstarter, the English translation of Schwarzesmarken that went through Steam Greenlight, and the full-fledged sequel Muv-Luv Integrate, so this has really been a busy time for the Muv-Luv series.

While I’m most interested in seeing English version of the visual novels, I’m at least somewhat intrigued by the mobile spin-offs. What do you think of the recent rush of Muv-Luv news, and what do you think will be revealed next?

May 172019
 

Muv-Luv photonflowers title screenThe Kickstarter campaign for the localization of Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative also included a couple collections of side stories.

The first of these is Muv-Luv photonflowers*, which became available for Kickstarter backers in March.

Just like the main Muv-Luv series is split across two universes, the short stories here are also divided, with some stories from the Extra universe and others from the Alternative universe.

The Extra stories feature an extended epilogue following the Sumika ending, as well as six short stories (roughly 15 minutes each) set before Extra, from the points of view of each of the five main heroines. There are six stories because Meiya’s story is told in two parts.

Alternative’s stories are two prequels featuring characters from Alternative, along with three short stories giving additional perspectives on the war.

As you might expect if you’ve read the Muv-Luv visual novels, the Extra stories are cute and funny, while the Alternative stories are bleaker but also more interesting.

It took me about 9 hours to go through all of Muv-Luv photonflowers*, and it was definitely worth it. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Muv-Luv and Muv-Luv Alternative and wants more from their universes. (If you haven’t read them, though, you shouldn’t start with this. You can find my review of Muv-Luv Extra and Unlimited here and my review of Alternative here.)

I especially enjoyed the Sumika epilogue from the Extra half and the Alternative prequel about Marimo. It disappointed me a little bit that there wasn’t an epilogue following Meiya’s ending, but the two-part story about Meiya was probably the best of the other Extra stories.

I don’t know when Muv-Luv photonflowers* will be released to the public, but it shouldn’t be much longer. If you’re a Muv-Luv fan, keep an eye out for it.