Questions about the Muv-Luv Trilogy

[sub-zer0]

So I'm starting the Trilogy right now and I have a couple of questions about it.

 

1. How long will it take to just get the two main route done? 

 

2. Are any of the other routes in Extra worth doing besides the two main routes needed to unlock unlimited. 

 

3. Is there anyway to go back and play extra once I beat the two main routes that unlocks unlimited. 

 

4. Is there anything that will be mind boggling? ( don't tell me what exactly, a yes or no will be suffice).

 

5. Is it worth it to replay it, since I hear that it does not really matter for unlimited and alternative, it is more like you choose a girl and get a scene, and the plot is the same. 

 

[Tawm]

1. Likely around 6 to 8 hours. The first time going through one of the routes will take longer as they share a looooooooooot of events and dialog.

2. No. Some will say you should play them for the foreshadowing, but I say, fuck that shit. You will die on the inside. Slowly. Move on ASAP.

3. You can swap between Extra and Unlimited whenever you want, though why anyone would want to is beyond me.

4. Yes, lots of crazy plot twists, particularly in Alternative.

5. I personally went through every route in both Unlimited and Extra. Unlimited may as well have been a kinetic novel as the choices you make all lead to the same outcome, say for the different h-scenes. The endings are identical, and the last CG is literally a palette swap based on the girl you chose. Don't bother.

[Soulless Watcher]

1. The exact amount of time escapes me but it will take awhile

 

2. Eh, it is kinda hard to say in alternative there are a few characters that appear in some of the other routes, but if you don't really care about the other heroines you could probably get away with skipping them.

 

3. Oh yeah, unlocking unlimited dosn't lock extra.

 

4. Depends on your familiarity with science fiction, if you are a hardcore science fiction fan you will probably see everything coming or at least not be very surpised by it.

 

5. In extra the side character routes have their own stories that are pretty different from the main route. Unlimited, most of the choices don't really matter and you pretty much choose which heroine you want to end up with at the end. In alternative the gal you hang out wiht the most gets like a snippit of dialogue added in about their jelousy of kagami at one point, but again the other choices don't really matter.

[LinovaA]

1. 6-10 hours I would say depending on your reading speed.

2. Yes. Yes you should. That way you can get to know the characters better.

3. Yep. You have the choice to go between the two when you choose new game again.

4. Mind boggling... maybe. I personally never found it truly mind boggling but there were a few events that came completely out of left field for me.

5. Unless you are a completionist (like me) don't bother going through all the routes in Unlimited. They really don't matter THAT much unless you want the h-scenes. However, I feel that all the Extra routes should be mandatory. 

 

On a side note... I have been REALLY itching to go through the whole thing again. 

[Deep Blue]

1. each route can take up to 10 hours (talking about muv luv extra) unlimited it's the same route but the ending will be a little different depending on the girl you pick plus some different eroge scenes, I don't remember how long it is but it is pretty long.

 

2. Do all of them because in alternative you will understand more things if you do all the routes (it's not necessary but you will get more things)

 

3. Yes, like in any other vn you can replay and chose another route.

 

4. In muv luv extra? No, nothing, none, zero, just some cheesy love comedy, in unlimited mmm yes maybe. In alternative? FUCK YES.

 

5. Depends on you but once you finish alternative there is nothing else to do..

 

BTW, it will take oround 40-50 hours or a little longer (talking about muv luv extra, unlmited and alternative) for the plot to get interesting and good, yes even alternative in the first 10-20 hours...it is really really boring but then..oh boy.

[Life]

Anything else that may or may not be answered in a not so spoilery tag.

[sub-zer0]

Thanks guys for your input, I will probably do some of the other routes in extra just to get a better back-story , and I'm prepared now that I know there might be some plot twists here and there, though I'm not a sci-fi fan, I have seen enough my share of it to predict what might happen( I have a pretty fancy imagination that can pump out some ridiculous outcomes). @Life your post really helps alot and  gives a lot of details in regards to some really helpful opinion 

[Funyarinpa]

1- Less than 10 hours in supposed playing time, but it will probably irredeemably crash before that (especially if you use W8 or above), so I'd say 6-7 hours. Decades off of your life.

 

2- It's far from being worth it, and that's provided it doesn't crash and burn halfway through. There's a small Mayumi bad end, which only requires 15 minutes of ctrl-skipping and then three choices, which is just about the only non-mandatory ending worth seeing IMHO. Don't do this to yourself, you do not deserve such a punishment.

 

3- Yes, but Unlimited is a blessing from the heavens compared to just about anything in Extra, so it's very unlikely you'd even want that sort of thing for whatever reason.

 

4- How Extra can be so annoying, bland and depressingly boring is more mind-boggling than any of the twists in the later installments.

 

5- For Alternative and Unlimited, no. The only reason you'd want to replay either of those is if you want to see a little Yuuko ending in Unlimited.

 

Yes, I love bashing Extra.