Muv-Luv (マブラヴ)
One of the most highly-acclaimed visual novel series arrives on Steam, newly revamped and officially in English! An interdimensional love story that takes high school romance on a roller-coaster ride through the depths of despair, culminating in a sci-fi grand finale of epic proportions.
Muv-Luv (マブラヴ) is a visual novel, anime and romance game
developed and published by aNCHOR Inc..
Released on February 28th 2018 is available only on Windows
in 3 languages: English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.
It has received 1,541 reviews of which 1,454 were positive and 87 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. 😎
The game is currently priced at 11.59€ on Steam and has a 60% discount.
The Steam community has classified Muv-Luv (マブラヴ) into these genres:
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at Muv-Luv (マブラヴ) through various videos and screenshots.
Requirements
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Windows
- OS *: Windows 7
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1024x768
- Storage: 3 GB available space
Reviews
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
Listed as one of the best visual novels of all time, or at least the first part of it. I decided to dive into a genre of game I've never venture into. Well now I'm hooked! The characters designs and writing make me feel really reminiscent of early 90's harem Animes. Now if your not informed this series did begin as a hentai game however I'm glad to say that the writing has elevated it above that, and all of that particular content has been removed or masked, but there is some awkward jank from a narrative stand point where it feels like a scene is missing or a that something was skipped, but it not enough to ruin the experience. Pros: - Writing, your going to be emotionally connected with these characters. - Fun romantic antics. Cons: - Sumika and Takeru have a couple brief scenes of physical violence that's played out as comedy that feels, well very dated and inappropriate. I don't think it has any malicious or fetishes intent, more of there's always a character beating up the male protagonist in anime. But the first time I seen it, well makes you immediately hate Takeru. But other then these few scenes the story is light hearted and fun. You'll just have to get through these first few scenes to find the gold. - Chizuru (Class Rep) and Ayamine, even though their not really ment to be the main love interest of Takeru actually have more dramatic backstories with some serious content. The fact that most play throughs for regular players will only ever romance Sumika and Mei then move on is sort of sad. If you do end up buying this and your not the type to replay the game over to watch the multiple endings your really selling your experience with this game short. In fact I ended up having more of an attachment to Chizuru then Sumkia by the end of it. With Sumika and Mei it feels very much the rom/com writing of an antics filled romance anime. But with Chizuru and Ayamine they hit a lot harder emotionally, are darker, and are filled with more drama. So far I'd say its worth the price if you can get it, the third not included till I can grind that. But from a guy who just started with VN and never usually could be bothered to replay games once their technically finished once. This game made me replay it 5 times with no struggle. Worth the purchase and the lost hours!
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This is like the "Better Call Saul" of visual novels. It starts off on a really odd note and just makes no sense and seems a bit mundane. In time though it pays off and things start coming together and the story gets more interesting. Highly recommended!
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I'm a grown man who hasn't completed a visual novel in almost 15 years. I believed I'd long since seen the best of what the genre had to offer, and frankly I was bored when I bounced off newer titles like Somnium Files. Then, about a month ago I purchased Muv-Luv on a whim. In the time since, I've logged 40+ hours and thoroughly 100%'d the game. It's hard for me to put into words why this game captivated me. It's like packing up a bunch of old books, and finding a note a girl wrote to you 20 years ago that you used as a bookmark. I implore you to welcome Muv-Luv into your heart, as I have.
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Preface Cut content Muv-Luv has cut h content, which can be restored via the Directors cut, which can be found online. Upscaler I highly recommend using the the 4k upscaler I found it thanks to Graciaus recommending it in his Muv-Luv photonmelodies♮ review. "Upscaler: Magpie - https://github.com/Z-Dante/Magpie/releases/tag/v0.8.0 https://www.reddit.com/r/visualnovels/comments/qgf20m/upscaling_vns_in_realtime_and_why_and_how_you/" Scaling Mode Anime4k and Capture Method Graphics Capture is enough to improve the experience from a visual standpoint. And I personally will be using it moving forward, for older VNs. Just a caveat, in my experience it primarily upscaled the characters which were the focus in any given scene, meaning other characters remained blurred. However that did enhance the focusing effect for me and I liked it quite a lot, even if it seemed odd at first. Now I only used it in photonmelodies♮, but if I could go back and do it all over again, I would do it with the upscaler this time around. Time of the review I am reviewing this game after I finished it, Alternative and photonmelodies♮. It has been 2 months since I have finished this game. However, I will not spoil anything, no plot points, etc. And only talk about what is in the game's store page description. Extra Review Before I will begin, I want to mention that this part differs from other Moege VNs in it's route structure. This could be a slight spoiler, so read at your own discretion. I will only mention the route structure here. Particularly because the Moege/Romance aspect is by far the weakest part of the mainline games. I'd even argue, that this is NOT a Moege, due to how it differs from the usual Moege VN structure. In a standard Moege VN, you get the prologue, the fun common route, then you get a choice which ends in a confession which starts the route/relationship with the heroine of your choice. Followed by 3 - 4 h scenes. Muv-Luv differs from this structure, because the "route" does not mean, the "being in a relationship with the heroine" part, it means GETTING TO THE CONFESSION. After the confession, kiss and H scene, the route ends. Which is honestly too bad, considering how lovely the heroines are.. Now that that is out of the way, let me tell you, this is some of the funniest shit I have read in a very long time! 100 minutes in and I was almost falling out of my chair laughing! This part has exceeded my expectations in how, over the top, just plain ridiculous and awesome it was! This was the best VN I have read, I have enjoyed this more than The Song of Saya, which was my previous #1 VN. And this is just part one of something so much bigger and better! Now get this, the backgrounds in Muv-Luv... ARE POPULATED BY PEOPLE!! Its not just a barren concrete jungle, with nobody else, besides the cast of characters, like in any other VN! The writing Extra was my first taste of the godly writing of Muv-Luv, which really resonated with me. The common route in particular was an absolute blast, lots of fun and downright ridiculous moments, straight from the get go. The pacing of Muv-Luv is possibly the best, maybe in all of entertainment media that I have consumed, definitely in VNs, not sure about the other media. My god, I have never appreciated pacing in an entertainment product to such a degree. It wasn't too fast, it wasn't too slow, it was just perfect. Hell, even when there were times where I was like "okay that's enough, let's move on now", I just finished the thought and the arc I was on moved on. While the common route was an absolute blast, the routes were, very very serious. Not only that, I think this is the only route based VN that I have read, where the other girls.... actually get closure... It does get dramatic here and there, however it serves as a good way to get to know the heroines. All the characters are well written, even if they first appear like the typical stereotypes that show up in all anime media. I could really relate to basically all the characters, in one way or another. Unfortunately, there aren't all that many romantic moments here, due to the different route structure. However, the crazy stories and lovable characters, more than make up for it. And so does the music. Which is shockingly good at times. For me, Meiya ended up being best girl, even though I resisted at first, thinking that Sakaki or Ayamine would be better. She certainly made the whole game way more enjoyable for me! I'd almost say, that Meiya's and Sumika's routes are mandatory , as per the achievemnt "ready for unlimited" , however I'd also highly recommend Sakaki's and Ayamine's routes, for reasons I cannot really get into unfortunately. EXTRA alone, was so good that I marathoned it in around 9 days and heck, I marathoned this, Alternative and photonmelodies♮ in 2 months! Just because of how awesome they were. I put all anime I was watching and games I was playing on hold when I started this too, that is how engrossed I got with Muv-Luv! Just for comparison, it usually takes me multiple months before I finish a VN, because I am playing other games and watch anime to boot. And life happens too ofc. Unlimited Review Okay, the kid gloves are off now. While EXTRA served to introduce the characters as individuals and who they are... this is where the real meat of Muv-Luv begins. It hits the ground running and only ever escalates from there. The writing gets even better.. heck there are around 8 plot threads in just this part alone! Despite the new add-ons of complexity. The immersion is off the scale The immersion here is... so insane, that I just plain forgot, that I was merely reading a visual novel, I litereally felt like I was there and part of that world. Feeling what the MC feels having similar reactions as him to events too. This isn't really a spoiler, since it is in this part's description on the store page "he awakens one morning in a world not his own.", but just in case I will not mention anything beyond what is already written here. That scene alone... the very beginning of Unlimited gave me shivers and goosebumbs. It was so immersive, that I just stared at the screen for a while taking it all in... Heck, it got to the point that I nearly labeled this part as a horror game! I really would like to gush about the immersion more, but I do not want to spoil it for you. So let me just reiterate this, I kept forgetting that I was merely reading a visual novel, like a lot. Heck I got so immersed in the story and writing, that I no longer even perceived my own room! There are very few entertainment media that managed to make me feel this immersed. And me at the edge of my seat for as long as it did! The music gets better too! Beyond that, Unlimited sets a new standard for VNs, at least for me. The quality was off the charts! Here I also realized, that besides Meiya, I don't really like any of the other girls in that way. Like, they just don't appeal to me as waifus, I love them as characters, not as love interests. I couldn't wait to get into Alternative after this! Hope you will finish both EXTRA and Unlimited and feel the same way. Because THE BEST is yet to come! In Conclusion I HIGHLY recommend Muv-Luv to ANYONE, even remotely intriqued or interested in it. If the MC seems too annoying to you... then worry not, he will be forced to grow , to survive and protect what he holds dear and those who help him accomplish that. Now, if you are still not convinced, or the idea of going through EXTRA just doesn't sit well with you, then I recommend watching the Muv-Luv Alternative or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Pain YouTube video by ProtoZash. Now if you are just here for the Moege part.. reconsider the story and lore.. if that is not for you, then Muv-Luv isn't either.
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"When you get to the point where you can laugh at your mistakes, you'll find new things to replace what you lost." Muv-Luv... ah yes, that's another cult classic visual novel (VN) scratched off the list. Now, here's the thing: when it comes to VN, It's a no-brainer for me to go for romance or slice of life. However, thousands of VN use that genre, so what makes this one stand out from the rest of the pack? The mechas! That's right, it's them mechas! They made some of the sickest plastic models from this VN. But for real, my love for Mechas aside, what makes this one stand out from the pack is how the developer decided to approach the storytelling; it's different from the usual troupe, which somehow works, and it is brilliant! *chef's kiss. From the gameplay standpoint, Muv-luv is hardly any different from most VN. It follows a linear plot line with differing scenarios based on your interaction with the heroines. It's a relatively straightforward approach, but hey! It's a working formula, and you know what they say: "If it ain't broke, then don't fix it." Plus, the VN has a reasonably lengthy story if you combine Extra and Unlimited, totalling around 45 hours of average completion time. Took me around 48 hours to clear all the routes and gather all the achievements, but that's because I love taking my time when reading through a story, especially when one is this good. But here's the thing: while I have no qualms with the gameplay and story, the visual, on the other hand, is another thing. Do note that Muv-Luv was initially released for PC back in 2003 with no Western localization, so unless you have some understanding of basic Japanese, you probably won't be able to read through the story, let alone enjoy it. So yeah, you guessed it right. Muv-Luv is a considerably old VN with a pretty old visual to boot. Those who just started their VN journey might have an issue with it. Heck! Even my first impression was, "Dang, it's old." It took some time to get used to, but in the end, it didn't stop me from reading through it. And I'm glad it didn't. Muv-Luv is made of two parts: Muv-Luv Extra and Muv-Luv Unlimited. While interconnected, each has an entirely different setting and genre – it's unique; that's a fact! But can be confusing at the same time. The first one, Extra, took the slice-of-life, lighthearted romantic comedy approach. The MC's story begins when he wakes up and finds himself in bed with the heiress of one of the world's largest conglomerates. Despite never having met him before, for some reason, she is convinced that they are meant to be together. But of course, there's also the childhood friend element, who lives next door and always has feelings for him. In the end, he will have to choose between the girls. As interesting as the story is, I find Extra to be a bit stale. Since it's a romcom with a high school setting, things can get boring quickly, and the slow-paced cliche troupe definitely isn't helping it. So yeah, it's best to play through Extra with low expectations, as it's a pure romcom through and through. On the other hand, Unlimited took the coming-of-age story in an alternate timeline in a world ravaged by aliens invading the Earth. The story's beginning is pretty similar to the Extra setting; however, instead of waking up by the rich conglomerate and childhood friend, he wakes up alone. As he leaves his house, he is shocked when he sees that his neighborhood is in total ruin and his childhood friend's house is crushed beneath a gigantic mecha. Later on, he discovers that he is on a parallel planet where aliens called BETA ( Beings of Extra Terrestrials origin which are Adversary of the human race) have invaded the remaining humans are desperately fighting back with the mechas he saw before. Quite the leap between the two settings, no? And the only thing connecting the two stories is the main character, Takeru Shirogane. Muv-Luv is somewhat different in storytelling, and of course, you'll find some plot holes as you progress through the stories. But the overall experience of reading through it was a blast; Extra and Unlimited did a great job setting up the groundwork for the final part of the Muv-Luv trilogy, Muv-Luv: Alternative. Looking forward to trying that one and having all my questions answered. I recommend going through Extra before jumping into Unlimited; things make more sense that way. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3005294989 Found this review interesting? Consider following [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44414963/] Jeev's Selection for some other fine picks I reviewed.
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Last Updates
| Steam data | 06 December 2024 00:34 |
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| SteamSpy data | 19 January 2025 08:07 |
| Steam price | 22 January 2025 20:41 |
| Steam reviews | 22 January 2025 11:47 |
Online players
29
Developer
aNCHOR Inc.
Publisher
aNCHOR Inc.
Release
28 Feb 2018
Platforms