Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse Remastered Review

The story of Total Eclipse is set in the Muv-Luv Alternative universe and focuses on the soldiers that are based at the Yukon Base in Alaska, as they work on the UN-led Project PROMINENCE. They are there to test the newest prototypes and experimental Tactical Surface Fighters (TSFs), which are large bipedal machines. They are the primary weapons used to fight back against the BETA — “Beings of Extra Terrestrial origin which is Adversary to the human race”.

There are three different groups of Muv-Luv stories; Extra, Unlimited, and Alternative. They all take place in the same universe as the others but as prequels, sequels, or events. Sometimes the same characters will appear in each game, or sometimes it will take place at the same time with different characters. This visual novel is a spinoff to the Muv-Luv Alternative anime. So it takes place at the same time, but Total Eclipse focuses on totally new characters that we have not been introduced to before in the previous Muv-Luv games.

The game is split up into chapters and in each one you will be introduced to new characters. There is tension between some of them, and romance between others, like you would expect. The parts with romance are pretty over the top and cheesy, but it’s kind of what I expected anyway from a story based on an anime. The story was actually a lot more political and serious than I had originally expected, especially when you get to the parts where you see the tension between the different countries that are supposed to be working together. During Operation Lucifer, the United States decided to drop an experimental bomb on one of the Hives in Yokohama located on Honshu island in Japan. This led to the recapture of the island, but they didn’t give enough advanced warning, and because of this a lot of civilians were killed alongside the enemy. 

Through a news broadcast, the scene is set, and we are filled-in on Earth’s BETA invasion that occurred many years ago. Most of the human population has been wiped out, but the survivors around the world are trying to use their collective resources to fight back against this alien enemy. In 1958, the unmanned probe, Viking 1, discovered various lifeforms on Mars. Scientists and politicians were especially excited for this monumental discovery; we weren’t alone in this universe. Everyone was excited for the first manned mission to Mars. Fast-forward nine years and that excitement is gone. Humankind has built a research station called Plateau One on the Moon and the extraterrestrials from Mars appeared, not only killing the geological research team but devouring all of them. The Earth was not prepared for this kind of attack, so time and time again they were defeated by the BETA. 

The main protagonist of the story is Yui Takamura. Her family are weapon makers and have created the TSFs that the Japanese military is using to fight off the alien enemy. She herself is a First Lieutenant and a pilot in the force that is trying to take down the Hive’s that house the alien forces. The BETA are strong and have already killed large numbers of the population and Yui’s fellow pilots. She feels responsible and thinks that there is more that she can do to help. So when her commander tells her that she is going to be sent to Alaska, to work within the UN forces as the Empires lead developer on a new TSF to help with the war against the enemy, she realises this is how she can help her friends, family, and the rest of the human race.

The characters you meet in the game feel like they have been pulled right out of the anime. The people on screen blink and move their mouths but there is no other movement until you see a battle. Some of the elements like BETAs or the TSF move around to show action but the sprites themselves do not move. At the beginning of the game I saw no cleavage which was actually a big surprise! Instead you see skin tight flight uniforms showing off lots of boobs. That is unless you are patient and get to the end of the third chapter of the game, then you will start seeing cleavage when you meet Stella. 

Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse is a visual novel that fans of the series will enjoy. I went into the game not knowing much about it, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a story full of action, drama, and characters that I really became attached to. The full novel takes about 17 hours to get through, but it felt like it went by fast because I was really excited to find out what would happen next, and if the humans would be able to defeat the vicious extraterrestrials. I just wish there was some kind of interaction from the player other than clicking the mouse to move onto the next screen. I would love to feel like part of the story, if I would be able to fire the weapon during the battles or something like that, it would have been great.