es un JRPG muy divertido y hermoso, excede carisma un monton y el plot twist + como todo se une al final lo encontre muy goated. Es una experiencia inolvidable y muy entretenida de principio a fin 10/10
Really unique for a jrpg, especially for the SNES era. The chapter system makes it easy to pick up and put down for busy folks. You can get an entire story in and be satisfied in a nice little hour sitting. I think it’s ahead of its time in this regard.
This review contains spoilers
"Anyone can become the King of Demons... As long as hatred still exists, in any world, at any time..."
I'll never be able to hate again.
I'll never be able to hate again.
As a player who likes to play JRPG, I feel ridiculed. After playing through 7 unique plots, a rough and stereotyped JRPG appeared.
Bu oyun çok güzel. Pek bilinmiyor ama baya güzel bana bitirmek FE'deki gibi nasip olmadı ama hep aklımda.
After painting a fresco of personal conflicts with FFVI, Square's character-driven approach would then reach its logical conclusion: A project entirely devoted to side stories. Live A Live was that final stage. Inspired by Dragon Quest IV, it expands Chunsoft's 'omnibus' format into eight individual tales playable in almost any order, each taking place across different locations and eras before merging into a full party near the end. That feeling of re-interpretation could also apply to combat, a turn-based grid system where enemies gradually move/act in response to the player, as if Mystery Dungeon's semi-tactics migrated to a standalone battle screen (albeit without the item diversity). However, what truly stands out is the variety; not only in regards to setting, themes and scenarios but also in the flexible ways one can progress within each route. The latter quality - in particular, outlines their best chapters: Namely the pupil stat-training of Shifu, the humorous & elaborate ambush setup of Sundown, and especially the complex, stealth-leaning dungeon-crawling of Oboro (allowing for and rewarding both lethal and non-lethal methods of play).
While not every chapter succeeds (some of which boil down to standard JRPG fare, and the final episode gets rather tedious), these mini-journeys are nevertheless products of gifted storytellers, capable of sneaking in bits of tragedy and comedy without losing the general tone, with peaks of drama in the Alien imitation of Cube's route.
While not every chapter succeeds (some of which boil down to standard JRPG fare, and the final episode gets rather tedious), these mini-journeys are nevertheless products of gifted storytellers, capable of sneaking in bits of tragedy and comedy without losing the general tone, with peaks of drama in the Alien imitation of Cube's route.
Game Review - originally written by (wraith)
Live A Live is an odd sort of game. At base, it's an RPG. What makes it different is it's separated into chapters. One has you playing as a cowboy, another as ninja, a third as martial arts master and his disciples, and so on. All the chapters are quite different. The ninja chapter, for instance, involves being a stealthy sneak and assissinating your rival without killing anyone else, or being a killing machine and cutting a swath through all the guards. The wrestler's chapter plays almost like a fighting game, as he faces off against his opponents one-on-one until he is the champ. All the characters join up at the end for the final chapter. I know, it sounds like Saga Frontier, but trust me, this game is actually good.
Live A Live is an odd sort of game. At base, it's an RPG. What makes it different is it's separated into chapters. One has you playing as a cowboy, another as ninja, a third as martial arts master and his disciples, and so on. All the chapters are quite different. The ninja chapter, for instance, involves being a stealthy sneak and assissinating your rival without killing anyone else, or being a killing machine and cutting a swath through all the guards. The wrestler's chapter plays almost like a fighting game, as he faces off against his opponents one-on-one until he is the champ. All the characters join up at the end for the final chapter. I know, it sounds like Saga Frontier, but trust me, this game is actually good.
absolute peak of rpg and a must play.
This game makes me want to Die A Die
This review contains spoilers
Este juego ha sido sin duda la mayor sorpresa del 2023 (Al menos para mi)
Adoro el concepto de manejar a distintos personajes en distintas líneas de tiempo, las cuales se toman como capítulos que cuentan su propia historia, pero no solo eso, cada uno se siente distinto de otro, por lo que no encontraras un capitulo que se parezca tanto al otro, además se podrán jugar en el orden que uno quiera (Exceptuando claro los dos últimos que se deben desbloquear completando los 7 primeros), pero no acaba aquí la cosa, cada capitulo además, presenta sus propias mecánicas de juego, por dar ejemplos, el capitulo de Pogo dependeremos del olfato de el y su compañero ya que este capitulo carece de diálogos, además nos permitirá crear armas y demás objetos equipables con otros objetos que nos darán los enemigos al derrotarlos. El cap de Oboro-maru tiene distintas rutas, de las cuales una te permite o ir asesinando a todos las personas con las que te cruces o también puedes tomar la ruta pacifista donde solo tendrás que vencer a los enemigos no humanos (Menos a los jefes), el cap de Masaru es como una especie de RPG Fighting Game en el cual no podremos explorar el mundo ni subir de nivel, por lo cual dependeremos de nuestra estrategia y además, de intentar aprender las técnicas de los rivales, podrá ser algo difícil este capitulo, pero una vez le agarres la mano ya no sera tanto problema. Podría seguir, pero seria alargarme mas, pero ya para terminar y hablando del sistema de combate del juego en general, este desarrolla en un tablero donde podremos movernos libremente en cualquier dirección, muy parecido a un RPG táctico y dependiendo del ataque, este estará en cierta dirección, lo que puede facilitar el esquivar ciertos ataques, pero a su vez puede dejarnos abiertos a otros ataques, es bastante fácil de aprender, resulta muy divertido e invita al jugador a saber donde pocisionar al personaje.
Las historias que muestran cada capitulo me gustan bastante, unas mas que otras, entre las cuales mis favoritas son las de Sundown Kid, la de Masaru, el capitulo de Cube y el penúltimo capitulo que pese a que inicia como una historia típica de rescatar a la princesa, esta misma toma un giro argumental y básicamente se puede considerar, como el opuesto al arco de redención de Cecil de FF4 (Si jugaron esta entrega sabrán a lo que me refiero) y es en este preciso capitulo donde se hace la conexión con los demás capítulos.
Este titulo gráficamente se ve casi igual que el FF5, pero pese a ello no se ve nada mal el apartado grafico y en lo combates los sprites de los personajes tendrán bastante animación (Unos mas que otros claro), además los fondos en ciertos escenarios tienen bastante detalle.
La banda sonora como era de esperarse en un juego de Square, es bastante buena.
Me resulta casi imposible encontrarle un defecto significativo, fuera de que a veces la dificultad puede ser medio jodida en ciertas partes, qué el juego puede ser algo críptico por momentos y la tasa de aparición puede llegar a cansar a veces, aunque a diferencia de juegos como Mother 1 en su version de Famicom/NES o los primeros 2 Phantasy Stars no lo sufres tanto en este titulo.
Es junto con Xenogears y Suikoden 2, de mis RPG's favoritos, sin duda me dejo mas que satisfecho, me encanto jugarlo de principio a fin.
Altamente recomendable.
Adoro el concepto de manejar a distintos personajes en distintas líneas de tiempo, las cuales se toman como capítulos que cuentan su propia historia, pero no solo eso, cada uno se siente distinto de otro, por lo que no encontraras un capitulo que se parezca tanto al otro, además se podrán jugar en el orden que uno quiera (Exceptuando claro los dos últimos que se deben desbloquear completando los 7 primeros), pero no acaba aquí la cosa, cada capitulo además, presenta sus propias mecánicas de juego, por dar ejemplos, el capitulo de Pogo dependeremos del olfato de el y su compañero ya que este capitulo carece de diálogos, además nos permitirá crear armas y demás objetos equipables con otros objetos que nos darán los enemigos al derrotarlos. El cap de Oboro-maru tiene distintas rutas, de las cuales una te permite o ir asesinando a todos las personas con las que te cruces o también puedes tomar la ruta pacifista donde solo tendrás que vencer a los enemigos no humanos (Menos a los jefes), el cap de Masaru es como una especie de RPG Fighting Game en el cual no podremos explorar el mundo ni subir de nivel, por lo cual dependeremos de nuestra estrategia y además, de intentar aprender las técnicas de los rivales, podrá ser algo difícil este capitulo, pero una vez le agarres la mano ya no sera tanto problema. Podría seguir, pero seria alargarme mas, pero ya para terminar y hablando del sistema de combate del juego en general, este desarrolla en un tablero donde podremos movernos libremente en cualquier dirección, muy parecido a un RPG táctico y dependiendo del ataque, este estará en cierta dirección, lo que puede facilitar el esquivar ciertos ataques, pero a su vez puede dejarnos abiertos a otros ataques, es bastante fácil de aprender, resulta muy divertido e invita al jugador a saber donde pocisionar al personaje.
Las historias que muestran cada capitulo me gustan bastante, unas mas que otras, entre las cuales mis favoritas son las de Sundown Kid, la de Masaru, el capitulo de Cube y el penúltimo capitulo que pese a que inicia como una historia típica de rescatar a la princesa, esta misma toma un giro argumental y básicamente se puede considerar, como el opuesto al arco de redención de Cecil de FF4 (Si jugaron esta entrega sabrán a lo que me refiero) y es en este preciso capitulo donde se hace la conexión con los demás capítulos.
Este titulo gráficamente se ve casi igual que el FF5, pero pese a ello no se ve nada mal el apartado grafico y en lo combates los sprites de los personajes tendrán bastante animación (Unos mas que otros claro), además los fondos en ciertos escenarios tienen bastante detalle.
La banda sonora como era de esperarse en un juego de Square, es bastante buena.
Me resulta casi imposible encontrarle un defecto significativo, fuera de que a veces la dificultad puede ser medio jodida en ciertas partes, qué el juego puede ser algo críptico por momentos y la tasa de aparición puede llegar a cansar a veces, aunque a diferencia de juegos como Mother 1 en su version de Famicom/NES o los primeros 2 Phantasy Stars no lo sufres tanto en este titulo.
Es junto con Xenogears y Suikoden 2, de mis RPG's favoritos, sin duda me dejo mas que satisfecho, me encanto jugarlo de principio a fin.
Altamente recomendable.
Live A Live is a once-underrated, but now rightly beloved cult classic RPG. I think a lot has been said about why it's so beloved but it is genuinely deserving of all of that, every one of its episodes is filled with love for what it's homaging and a sharp knowledge of its genre and how to use all of its elements to make an amazing experience. Very little holds this game back, and all of it gets fixed and improved in the remake.
one of the freshest SNES-era JRPGs you can pick up. the genre switches and snappy, fun grid-based combat make for a game that i swear was at least a decade ahead of everything else.
Man, this is a fun game, I tell you. Though I'd also tell you to go and play the remastered version, cause honestly this game doesn't hold your hand, and by that mean it really doesn't. I was lost for almost 4–5 chapters, and that to the frustrating kinda lost, lol. Though apart from my skill issue, if we talk about the game alone, it's been a pleasant experience. Really inspirational, in fact, one of the chapters helped out with my drama script for an IRL competition. Must play title, definitely one of its own kind.
Live a Life.Live life and enjoy the games.
peak fiction
In absolute awe of the nearly raw, undercooked nature of this game. It's weird, it's ambitious, it fails on multiple fronts. It's an RPG Maker game before RPG Maker existed, a borderline avant-garde experiment from a time when you had to call a factory and physically manufacture cartridges to get a game on the shelf.
More than anything: the combat. It's different, that's for sure. It's easy to see what they were going for, the positioning, unit facing, action delays. And… most of it doesn't matter? Combat is trivial until the final chapter, moderately challenging at best from then on. Status effects are plentiful but largely irrelevant, action timing is so very odd. Sometimes opening a menu allows another character to go, sometimes a unit will take 7 active turns to unleash an underwhelming move. Opponents need to spend time to reorient, but you do not, despite the numerous enemy moves that change your facing. You have a plethora of abilities on each character, most of them meaningless. The non-linear nature means everything before the finale is the exact same difficulty. Everything is just… there. A pile of ideas.
So it's a good thing the rest works. Yasunori Mitsuda's boss theme rips right out of the speakers, gets you hyped every time even though you know you're in virtually no danger. Every character has their own musical identity, each era is sonically unique. The themes slowly reveal themselves, the plot hook setting in as the chapters move on. The different genres have different mechanics, the dialogue has different fonts. Different artists for every scenario, different takes on the same message, an ending that pulls it all together. You see the credits no less than nine separate times, and they never let you skip them, treating each as a proper endroll.
It's uneven, a mess, and a reminder that Squaresoft's RPGs were almost always full of the same odd choices and missteps. More so here, but it's easy to point out in almost every title of theirs from the era. They took risks and then polished the results, the flaws harder to see in the resultant sheen.
More than anything: the combat. It's different, that's for sure. It's easy to see what they were going for, the positioning, unit facing, action delays. And… most of it doesn't matter? Combat is trivial until the final chapter, moderately challenging at best from then on. Status effects are plentiful but largely irrelevant, action timing is so very odd. Sometimes opening a menu allows another character to go, sometimes a unit will take 7 active turns to unleash an underwhelming move. Opponents need to spend time to reorient, but you do not, despite the numerous enemy moves that change your facing. You have a plethora of abilities on each character, most of them meaningless. The non-linear nature means everything before the finale is the exact same difficulty. Everything is just… there. A pile of ideas.
So it's a good thing the rest works. Yasunori Mitsuda's boss theme rips right out of the speakers, gets you hyped every time even though you know you're in virtually no danger. Every character has their own musical identity, each era is sonically unique. The themes slowly reveal themselves, the plot hook setting in as the chapters move on. The different genres have different mechanics, the dialogue has different fonts. Different artists for every scenario, different takes on the same message, an ending that pulls it all together. You see the credits no less than nine separate times, and they never let you skip them, treating each as a proper endroll.
It's uneven, a mess, and a reminder that Squaresoft's RPGs were almost always full of the same odd choices and missteps. More so here, but it's easy to point out in almost every title of theirs from the era. They took risks and then polished the results, the flaws harder to see in the resultant sheen.
Played for about 4 hrs and "died" a few times so had to start over on two characters. Not for me.
Played the fan translation. Then the remake!!! I nearly shat myself when I saw that on the nintendo direct!!!
Normally not a big fan of JRPGs, but Live A Live's grid based combat and variety of design won me over. The amazing soundtrack helps too.
this game is why i'm called Captain Cube!
If you didn't at least get sad during the ancient China chapter you probably don't have a soul. Go seek a doctor or a priest.
No me gusto la parte final
The translated rom for this is the sole reason I love searching for games that are hidden gems.
Pretty conflicted on this one on one hand some stuff in here is out of this world good but then on the other you got atleast 40 percent of the game that is just nothing never been a fan of anthologies even if this one does tie them all together quite well but most these chapters are just weightless even the ones I love (Wild West , Imperial China) do just amount to very solid genre pieces I walk away from this game more respecting it then liking it overall though I think it’s worth the price of admission for the (SPOILER!!) Middle Ages chapter (even if it apes Devilman a little too much) which probably is the only thing in this game that even come close to its reputation (random encounters haters do not interact) think my core issue is I just for the life of me could not connect with this game. All timer final boss though
P.S Yoko Shimomura killed it here but I think everyone knows that already
P.S Yoko Shimomura killed it here but I think everyone knows that already
masterpiece
final fantasy 6 who
elite video game 4.5 stars
It's not exactly the best JRPG ever what with its flaws in certain routes and its archaic JRPG convention that holds it back, but it's one that resonate with me the most. Its unique format of multiple short stories is smth i've never seen in JRPGs before and they pull off the concept with flying colors. It's a game brimming with innovation in each part of its storytelling, capped off with a final route that manages to tie all its other routes together and deliver its own beautiful story. And all this was done in a 90s JRPG released on the Super Famicom. Incredible. It's a must-play to anyone who considers themselves JRPG fan and want to see smth new in this genre
man
fuck the japan chapter
i was gonna give this 5 stars until i played that shit
final chapter was also pretty damn tedious when the game just randomly decides it wants random battles despite NONE OF THE OTHER CHAPTERS DOING THAT and turning the game into a grindfest with obtuse shit
im just gonna give my quick mini takes on each chapter in the order i played them
prehistoric: a fun little chapter that introduces you to the mechanics of the game perfectly. theres no dialogue and youre eased into the world with a simplistic and charming story. the sniffing gimmick was kinda lame, but most of this game tries to do something new and unique in how it handles encounters, so its commendable
far future: extremely slow start, maybe too slow. but once it gets going, it becomes probably the best chapter in this game. theres next to no combat, and any enemy encounter before the end WILL be an instant game over, but having this chapter just be alien mixed with 2001 where you play as a lil round robot, thats just the best
china: EASILY my second favorite chapter in the game. you play as a kung fu master in his twilight years looking for pupils to teach. since youre already a master, you dont level up, experience means nothing to you. instead you train and level your students, who become your party members and i think thats a really cool idea. with my only real complaint is that there wasnt more of it, and we didnt get to spend more time with some of the characters. i feel like some side quests for your pupils to pad and flesh things out would very easily help this chapter. theres even a cool mechanic where the game recognizes the pupil you spend the most time with and you fight a boss with them and use them more later on
wild west: over too soon, there are only 3-4 fights in this chapter, and only one of them is a challenge. you spend half the chapter looking around town for items, then telling townsfolk to put em in spots, and then the other half in a boss fight and then thats it, its over. theres another "boss fight" or 2 but all the other fights in this chapter are against your rival and hes piss easy to win against. its great while it lasts but it could have been a bit longer
present: its a few boss fights and then its over. the gimmick is its like street fighter, but eh, theres not much to it
near future: where every other chapter felt too short, this is one of the few ones (others being japan and final) that felt like they overstayed their welcome. storywise its cool, but gameplaywise its a chore, getting into battles every 2 steps and your attacks just arent that fun and then the game just fucks with you and makes you do extremely tedious bs and ugh its not good... but then you get in a giant robot and it gets fun
japan: they remade this whole ass game just so this chapter wouldnt suck as much
medieval: this is basically the start of the end of the game and this chapter decides to start like a traditional dragon quest or final fantasy styled jrpg, and its the only one with random battles too, and i think thats kinda neat. i wish the story in this section could have been a helluva lot better though. without spoiling it, i can really only describe it as an idiot plot and the villain is if like in dragon ball, krillin decided that he would ruin gokus life after goku beat him in the tournament and then goku (SPOILER)goes evil(SPOILER
finale: bro what if we make you backtrack for this entire chapter and also its full of multiple mazes and obtuse shit wouldnt that be so funny and epic hahah. this chapter actually gets malicious. its cool having a party of your favorite characters in this game but its just ruined by being forced to backtrack through these fucking mazes and i fucking swear that it amps up the random battle rate to 11 at some random point (yeah they kept that from the medieval chapter) and you gotta do all this obtuse shit to find all the main characters and their special super equipment. youre gonna be so overleveled from the all the random battles that the final boss will be a joke, along with all the optional bosses in this chapter
live a live is a great game but man it falls apart in the end
i dont want to disregard this game by saying "oh just play the remake" (particularly because i'm appalled by the remakes visuals) but man
theres some crust on this game that needed fixing
and it seems like the remake mostly did that
fuck the japan chapter
i was gonna give this 5 stars until i played that shit
final chapter was also pretty damn tedious when the game just randomly decides it wants random battles despite NONE OF THE OTHER CHAPTERS DOING THAT and turning the game into a grindfest with obtuse shit
im just gonna give my quick mini takes on each chapter in the order i played them
prehistoric: a fun little chapter that introduces you to the mechanics of the game perfectly. theres no dialogue and youre eased into the world with a simplistic and charming story. the sniffing gimmick was kinda lame, but most of this game tries to do something new and unique in how it handles encounters, so its commendable
far future: extremely slow start, maybe too slow. but once it gets going, it becomes probably the best chapter in this game. theres next to no combat, and any enemy encounter before the end WILL be an instant game over, but having this chapter just be alien mixed with 2001 where you play as a lil round robot, thats just the best
china: EASILY my second favorite chapter in the game. you play as a kung fu master in his twilight years looking for pupils to teach. since youre already a master, you dont level up, experience means nothing to you. instead you train and level your students, who become your party members and i think thats a really cool idea. with my only real complaint is that there wasnt more of it, and we didnt get to spend more time with some of the characters. i feel like some side quests for your pupils to pad and flesh things out would very easily help this chapter. theres even a cool mechanic where the game recognizes the pupil you spend the most time with and you fight a boss with them and use them more later on
wild west: over too soon, there are only 3-4 fights in this chapter, and only one of them is a challenge. you spend half the chapter looking around town for items, then telling townsfolk to put em in spots, and then the other half in a boss fight and then thats it, its over. theres another "boss fight" or 2 but all the other fights in this chapter are against your rival and hes piss easy to win against. its great while it lasts but it could have been a bit longer
present: its a few boss fights and then its over. the gimmick is its like street fighter, but eh, theres not much to it
near future: where every other chapter felt too short, this is one of the few ones (others being japan and final) that felt like they overstayed their welcome. storywise its cool, but gameplaywise its a chore, getting into battles every 2 steps and your attacks just arent that fun and then the game just fucks with you and makes you do extremely tedious bs and ugh its not good... but then you get in a giant robot and it gets fun
japan: they remade this whole ass game just so this chapter wouldnt suck as much
medieval: this is basically the start of the end of the game and this chapter decides to start like a traditional dragon quest or final fantasy styled jrpg, and its the only one with random battles too, and i think thats kinda neat. i wish the story in this section could have been a helluva lot better though. without spoiling it, i can really only describe it as an idiot plot and the villain is if like in dragon ball, krillin decided that he would ruin gokus life after goku beat him in the tournament and then goku (SPOILER)goes evil(SPOILER
finale: bro what if we make you backtrack for this entire chapter and also its full of multiple mazes and obtuse shit wouldnt that be so funny and epic hahah. this chapter actually gets malicious. its cool having a party of your favorite characters in this game but its just ruined by being forced to backtrack through these fucking mazes and i fucking swear that it amps up the random battle rate to 11 at some random point (yeah they kept that from the medieval chapter) and you gotta do all this obtuse shit to find all the main characters and their special super equipment. youre gonna be so overleveled from the all the random battles that the final boss will be a joke, along with all the optional bosses in this chapter
live a live is a great game but man it falls apart in the end
i dont want to disregard this game by saying "oh just play the remake" (particularly because i'm appalled by the remakes visuals) but man
theres some crust on this game that needed fixing
and it seems like the remake mostly did that
This review contains spoilers
It feels impossible to discuss Live A Live without making references to the many other JRPGs it's part of the lineage of, so I won't even try. I'll start with a simple statement: I somehow love this game so much even though it's the mirror image (or in some ways the diametric opposite) of my two favorite Squaresoft RPGs.
Before I explain myself I'll have to take a step back. Using a rough and arbitrary scoring system:
FFV: 10/10 gameplay + 5/10 story = 15/20
FFIX: 7/10 gameplay + 9/10 story = 16/20
But I'd argue (well aware that I'm in the minority and will die on this hill) that FFV is a stronger game experience... because combat, exploration and levelling up takes up so much of the focus of any RPG that if the meat and potatoes is even slightly underwhelming or tedious (in the case of IX) it can undermine the effectiveness of the product as a whole. On the other hand, sufficiently compelling mechanics and a rewarding gameplay loop (as can be found in V) make up for a lackluster story because in keeping and holding the player's interest they serve the exact same role that a good story would.
Well, Live A Live is the mirror image of FFV: a JRPG with exceptionally effective storytelling and lackluster combat elements...that somehow manages to pull it off. I'm aware the remake fixes most of these issues, but the game seems to emphasize strategy and positioning (a 7x7 combat grid, moves with varying charge times and ranges, a robust system of elemental strengths and weaknesses) but gives almost no information in this regard, reducing the strategic elements to almost nil and turning a lot of the combat into (thankfully very forgiving) trial and error.
Why does it work then? Well, Live A Live pares down every nonessential gameplay element in a way that not only keeps the focus on the stellar storytelling, but actually enhances it! The lack of dialogue in the prehistoric chapter allows the slapstick humor to shine brighter, but also emphasizes the fact that this is a story of love and cooperation and that transcends language itself. The present day chapter - a tournament arc - completely eschews exploration, instead being a series of duel boss battles separated by a Street-Fighter-esque choose-your-enemy screen. Two of the chapters feature minimal combat outside of a boss encounter at the end, and the future chapter shines brightest in this regard - the near-total lack of both combat encounters and music enhances the survival horror feel and adds to the utter sense of isolation you feel. It also deserves a shout-out for capturing more of the Star Trek ethos in an hour of gameplay than possibly the entirely of the Star Ocean series.
Each chapter has its fair share of memorably cinematic moments that range from the subtle (the saloon doors in the Old West chapter swinging open and shut) to the bombastic (the way you kick your rival across the room into a gong in slow-motion in the Imperial China chapter), but features some of the most memorable character moments as well. And whether it's the shifu watching his disciples grow in strength of body and character or witnessing the abject dysfunction of a starship crew, the relatively 'minimalist' approach to gameplay helps these subtle character scenes ring true in a way that IMO compares favorably with even excellent games like FF6, where the character writing is also strong but can get diluted within the sheer epic scale of the game and its big setpieces.
All of this talk and I haven't even mentioned the game's big twist, and I don't think I need to mention it here; whether you are familiar with it or not, it's something I can't do justice to with words. You simply have to experience it for yourself. And this is where the contrast with my other favorite Squaresoft RPG comes in. The other game that features heroes from across time banding together against a common foe is a celebration of RPGs; unapologetically and masterfully meeting all the player's expectations. Live A Live is much more thoughtful in its approach towards the RPG medium as a whole, both in the way it wrings out the excess mechanics and subverts the player's expectations, and the end result is something slightly less refined but no less compelling.
As someone who engages with media primarily as entertainment rather than art, this is one game whose identity as art I simply cannot ignore. It's not just that it tackles heavy themes or is thought-provoking; it's that it demonstrates an understanding of the traditions and tropes of its genre (and in some cases a prescience of its later developments!) and masterfully manipulates them in service of the story and themes. Even though the individual story beats are so derivate and the game as a whole wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve, Live A Live is never anything but shockingly fresh.
Before I explain myself I'll have to take a step back. Using a rough and arbitrary scoring system:
FFV: 10/10 gameplay + 5/10 story = 15/20
FFIX: 7/10 gameplay + 9/10 story = 16/20
But I'd argue (well aware that I'm in the minority and will die on this hill) that FFV is a stronger game experience... because combat, exploration and levelling up takes up so much of the focus of any RPG that if the meat and potatoes is even slightly underwhelming or tedious (in the case of IX) it can undermine the effectiveness of the product as a whole. On the other hand, sufficiently compelling mechanics and a rewarding gameplay loop (as can be found in V) make up for a lackluster story because in keeping and holding the player's interest they serve the exact same role that a good story would.
Well, Live A Live is the mirror image of FFV: a JRPG with exceptionally effective storytelling and lackluster combat elements...that somehow manages to pull it off. I'm aware the remake fixes most of these issues, but the game seems to emphasize strategy and positioning (a 7x7 combat grid, moves with varying charge times and ranges, a robust system of elemental strengths and weaknesses) but gives almost no information in this regard, reducing the strategic elements to almost nil and turning a lot of the combat into (thankfully very forgiving) trial and error.
Why does it work then? Well, Live A Live pares down every nonessential gameplay element in a way that not only keeps the focus on the stellar storytelling, but actually enhances it! The lack of dialogue in the prehistoric chapter allows the slapstick humor to shine brighter, but also emphasizes the fact that this is a story of love and cooperation and that transcends language itself. The present day chapter - a tournament arc - completely eschews exploration, instead being a series of duel boss battles separated by a Street-Fighter-esque choose-your-enemy screen. Two of the chapters feature minimal combat outside of a boss encounter at the end, and the future chapter shines brightest in this regard - the near-total lack of both combat encounters and music enhances the survival horror feel and adds to the utter sense of isolation you feel. It also deserves a shout-out for capturing more of the Star Trek ethos in an hour of gameplay than possibly the entirely of the Star Ocean series.
Each chapter has its fair share of memorably cinematic moments that range from the subtle (the saloon doors in the Old West chapter swinging open and shut) to the bombastic (the way you kick your rival across the room into a gong in slow-motion in the Imperial China chapter), but features some of the most memorable character moments as well. And whether it's the shifu watching his disciples grow in strength of body and character or witnessing the abject dysfunction of a starship crew, the relatively 'minimalist' approach to gameplay helps these subtle character scenes ring true in a way that IMO compares favorably with even excellent games like FF6, where the character writing is also strong but can get diluted within the sheer epic scale of the game and its big setpieces.
All of this talk and I haven't even mentioned the game's big twist, and I don't think I need to mention it here; whether you are familiar with it or not, it's something I can't do justice to with words. You simply have to experience it for yourself. And this is where the contrast with my other favorite Squaresoft RPG comes in. The other game that features heroes from across time banding together against a common foe is a celebration of RPGs; unapologetically and masterfully meeting all the player's expectations. Live A Live is much more thoughtful in its approach towards the RPG medium as a whole, both in the way it wrings out the excess mechanics and subverts the player's expectations, and the end result is something slightly less refined but no less compelling.
As someone who engages with media primarily as entertainment rather than art, this is one game whose identity as art I simply cannot ignore. It's not just that it tackles heavy themes or is thought-provoking; it's that it demonstrates an understanding of the traditions and tropes of its genre (and in some cases a prescience of its later developments!) and masterfully manipulates them in service of the story and themes. Even though the individual story beats are so derivate and the game as a whole wears its inspirations proudly on its sleeve, Live A Live is never anything but shockingly fresh.