Today Anchor released a brand new visual novel localization, and it's one that Muv-Luv fans have been awaiting for a while, the prequel of Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse titled "The Imperial Capital Burns."
It was announced a few weeks ago without a release date, and it was directly made available for PC via Steam.
The game includes voiceovers in Japanese, while subtitles are available both in English and Japanese.
Originally known as "Teito Moyu" it's the prequel of the visual novel Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse, which has been available on Steam since the summer of 2022. If you've watched the Total Eclipse anime, this chapter is summarized in the first two episodes, but the visual novel delves much deeper into the story.
It's set in 1997 and 1998 in the alternate universe of Muv-Luv Alternative, and focuses on the BETA invasion of the Japanese mainland, adding a pretty substantial piece to the puzzle of the franchise's complex and fascinating timeline.
It follows the story of Yui Takamura and her fellow novice surface pilots as they're thrown into the desperate struggle to halt the seemingly unstoppable advance of the ruthless man-eating aliens.
Having played it in Japanese (multiple times), not only you can expect a dark and tragic story of courage and sacrifice worthy of the Muv-Luv series, but both the art and mecha design are absolutely top-notch.
Below you can take a look at the opening cutscene.
If you're unfamiliar with the Muv-Luv series, it's recognized by many as one of the best visual novel franchises of all time, and it has been cited by Attack on Titan mangaka Hajime Isayama as one of his most relevant sources of inspiration.
Incidentally, most of the franchise is already available on Steam, including the original trilogy, which is also on PS Vita and is coming for Nintendo Switch next spring.
In the meanwhile, fans are waiting for a possible English localization of the recent Muv-Luv mobile game Muv-Luv Dimensions, which recently received an event dedicated to The Imperial Capital Burns and will soon get its first crossover event with Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045.
In the meanwhile, a crowdfunding campaign is ongoing to bring to Steam the beloved visual novel Kimi Ga Nozomu Eien, which is also tied to the Muv-Luv series.
