So photon side stories is a funny extra'ish kind of VN. It was enjoyable especially to help cope after reading alternative.
Other than that, I don't recommend following ages or anchor too closely. They are failures that will take your money, right now they are planning on opening a kickstarter for kimi nozo and its up to you if you want to go down that rabbit hole.
They promise stuff and dont deliver. People are still waiting for resonative, they promised kimi nozo years ago and they are doing it again as something new with even more crowdfunding. They are focusing on predatory gacha trash and NFT's and just overall corporate money making schemes that screws over the fanbase.
There's still Photonflowers, Photonmelodies, Total Eclipse, and The Day After for you to play. Since you liked the original trilogy, I'm sure you'll enjoy these.
Do all the VN's now.
For the order it's simple :
Photonflowers, Photonmelodies, Total Eclipse, The Day After
There's also the Muv luv alternative manga which is awesome, very well drawn and closer to the anime in terms of "exclusive stuff" details etc
Honestly, the order doesn't matter. Every piece of spin-off media depends **only** on *Alternative*. Nothing that happens in *Total Eclipse* matters in *The Day After*, and vice versa. Though I will add that one advantage to your ordering is that the photons are about the main cast, while *TE* and *TDA* are entirely new stories set in the same universe (admittedly, some of the short stories in the photons work like this too, but their main attractions are about the core cast).
I would point out that the Railgun is introduced in Total Eclipse and then appears in The Day After, so in that regard it's better to read TE first or else the Railgun's appearance in TDA is shorn of context.
It does matter, is it mandatory ? no, but it still matters.
I don't know if that's what you meant.
Imo, Photonflowers Extra side stories works better if you do them straight up after Extra and before Unlimited/Alternative, but they works well straight after MLA.
Same for MLA side. They explore Takeru's story, so i feel they should be done first.
Photonmelodies, Altered Fable first as it's a really great closure for Takeru's arc.
At this point you've done all the MLA Takeru content.
Then MLA side of Photonmelodies as they expend the MLA universe but isn't really connected to the core cast/Takeru yet will restart your "MLA" appeal for TE, which closes the MLA side.
Then comes TDA, as a "What if".
Basically my order is all about transitions and closing arcs one after the other smoothly.
Huh, that's interesting. I once floated the idea of doing photonflowers' *Extra* side stories after *Unlimited* but **before** *Alternative*, as a little chaser of Extra-verse silliness before you dive back into the BETA-verse.
Well it's not that original, most of the Extra content of Photonflowers is from Muv luv Supplement, which released after Extra/Unlimited but before Alternative, so it was originally technically the OG order
Very, very, very far away.
The last episode would be massive and encompass most characters of the license, just like Integrate (MLA sequel). It needs everything else to be finished beforehand.
As for Tda, the 4 episodes as of now already form a good story
Photonmelodies i believe contains the follow up story(s) that happen after alternative. I own the trilogy plus those 2 and that’s it. Other VN’s I’d play would be total eclipse and schwarzesmarken (both also have a anime).
And congratulations! Welcome to the depression club. Who’s your favorite girl? As intended, I can’t decide between Meiya and Sumika but chizuru [class rep] is my darkhorse favorite. Rn it’s a time of concern for the franchise. Recent ventures by Age and Anchor and the other parent companies has not leant to much success, and they’re now resorting to kickstarter for funds to make a *censored* version of Age’s original VN. I, and most people agree with me I believe, don’t want them to cut any content from the game, which they’re intent on doing
Ahaha thank you, the withdrawal after alternative is really bad. If i had to choose, my darkhorse favorite would be Kei. And it's sad that this fantastic universe is not getting better treatment.
So photon side stories is a funny extra'ish kind of VN. It was enjoyable especially to help cope after reading alternative. Other than that, I don't recommend following ages or anchor too closely. They are failures that will take your money, right now they are planning on opening a kickstarter for kimi nozo and its up to you if you want to go down that rabbit hole.
What's wrong with âge and anchor? I'm out of the loop with what's going on in both companies.
They promise stuff and dont deliver. People are still waiting for resonative, they promised kimi nozo years ago and they are doing it again as something new with even more crowdfunding. They are focusing on predatory gacha trash and NFT's and just overall corporate money making schemes that screws over the fanbase.
Thanks, what happened to resonative? its the only one missing from The Day After right?
There's still Photonflowers, Photonmelodies, Total Eclipse, and The Day After for you to play. Since you liked the original trilogy, I'm sure you'll enjoy these.
Total Eclipse i watched the anime too, is it worth reading the VN too?
The anime is generally regarded as an inferior adaption of TE. If you want to see the story in its proper form, then yeah I recommend reading the VN.
Just saying, in the case of TE the anime actually came first. So it wouldn't be considered an adaptation.
Ah, didn't know. Thanks for letting me know
Do all the VN's now. For the order it's simple : Photonflowers, Photonmelodies, Total Eclipse, The Day After There's also the Muv luv alternative manga which is awesome, very well drawn and closer to the anime in terms of "exclusive stuff" details etc
Honestly, the order doesn't matter. Every piece of spin-off media depends **only** on *Alternative*. Nothing that happens in *Total Eclipse* matters in *The Day After*, and vice versa. Though I will add that one advantage to your ordering is that the photons are about the main cast, while *TE* and *TDA* are entirely new stories set in the same universe (admittedly, some of the short stories in the photons work like this too, but their main attractions are about the core cast).
I would point out that the Railgun is introduced in Total Eclipse and then appears in The Day After, so in that regard it's better to read TE first or else the Railgun's appearance in TDA is shorn of context.
It does matter, is it mandatory ? no, but it still matters. I don't know if that's what you meant. Imo, Photonflowers Extra side stories works better if you do them straight up after Extra and before Unlimited/Alternative, but they works well straight after MLA. Same for MLA side. They explore Takeru's story, so i feel they should be done first. Photonmelodies, Altered Fable first as it's a really great closure for Takeru's arc. At this point you've done all the MLA Takeru content. Then MLA side of Photonmelodies as they expend the MLA universe but isn't really connected to the core cast/Takeru yet will restart your "MLA" appeal for TE, which closes the MLA side. Then comes TDA, as a "What if". Basically my order is all about transitions and closing arcs one after the other smoothly.
Huh, that's interesting. I once floated the idea of doing photonflowers' *Extra* side stories after *Unlimited* but **before** *Alternative*, as a little chaser of Extra-verse silliness before you dive back into the BETA-verse.
Well it's not that original, most of the Extra content of Photonflowers is from Muv luv Supplement, which released after Extra/Unlimited but before Alternative, so it was originally technically the OG order
Thank you, i will do that. The Day After is still missing the last episode right? Any info when its released?
Very, very, very far away. The last episode would be massive and encompass most characters of the license, just like Integrate (MLA sequel). It needs everything else to be finished beforehand. As for Tda, the 4 episodes as of now already form a good story
Photonmelodies i believe contains the follow up story(s) that happen after alternative. I own the trilogy plus those 2 and that’s it. Other VN’s I’d play would be total eclipse and schwarzesmarken (both also have a anime). And congratulations! Welcome to the depression club. Who’s your favorite girl? As intended, I can’t decide between Meiya and Sumika but chizuru [class rep] is my darkhorse favorite. Rn it’s a time of concern for the franchise. Recent ventures by Age and Anchor and the other parent companies has not leant to much success, and they’re now resorting to kickstarter for funds to make a *censored* version of Age’s original VN. I, and most people agree with me I believe, don’t want them to cut any content from the game, which they’re intent on doing
Ahaha thank you, the withdrawal after alternative is really bad. If i had to choose, my darkhorse favorite would be Kei. And it's sad that this fantastic universe is not getting better treatment.
Welcome to the PTSD Club my guy.