Despite having a cult following and arguably influencing the RPG scene significantly, as it's considered a precursor to games like Chrono Trigger, for example, Live A Live was originally exclusively released in Japan. Japanese RPGs were already a rarity in Europe, and it never enjoyed the popularity of its 16-bit era siblings in North America. Thankfully, the remake has rectified this, and I'm very glad to see a title like Live A Live receive the treatment it deserves while being available on several modern platforms, giving the opportunity to myself and others to play this hidden gem for the first time. Furthermore, it’s another addition to the HD-2D series of Square Enix, which has been gaining more members in recent years.
A big aspect of Live A Live’s identity is that it consists of several smaller stories, each one themed after a specific historical era, spanning from prehistory to the distant future. Moreover, each one features narrative and gameplay gimmicks, including genre shifts. For instance, while one chapter may resemble a traditional RPG with a party, stats, and leveling up, another chapter completely disregards those mechanics and instead is all about exploration and stealth. A chapter may be a long journey with multiple side objectives, while another one is just a series of fights. And the genres can go from a standard fantasy story to a sci-fi drama with horror elements. A standout for me is the Edo Japan chapter, where you infiltrate a castle to rescue a political prisoner and kill the lord, and you can freely choose your approach for this mission, focusing on combat or stealth to complete your task.
In each chapter, you’ll certainly discover something new, presentation is king in this game, and while not each one of them is equally interesting, they all felt very unique because of both their stories and their gameplay peculiarities. Although the stories aren’t connected, you’re bound to notice some common threads, which eventually have a pay off in the game’s final chapter, which brings every main character together. It’s a very ambitious game for its time, and while that kind of setup might not be mind blowing these days, I really enjoyed it. It’s a game that certainly doesn’t lack charm, even if characters encounters are brief.
As for the combat throughout the game, it’s one of the elements that understandably haven’t aged that well. There are some very interesting ideas, like actively using the battle grid tiles in fights for elemental damage or the bosses occupying more space in the limited area of the fight, but for the most part it features all the expected RPG elements. The fact it’s sort of a hybrid of action and turn based gameplay is nice though. The game also blends random encounters and overworld encounters, though at some point the former become much more common than the latter, unfortunately. Some quality of life options for battle speed and random encounters would have been appreciated, as they could become quite tiresome at times.
Another consequence of the game’s inherent simplicity is the overall difficulty. The primary challenge for most people is likely to be understanding the gimmicks of each chapter and determining what to focus on or to avoid. Once you’re aware of all that, the mob or the boss fights are surprisingly easy, especially when you deviate from the critical path and get more levels or equipment through other activities.
Regarding the visuals, this is one of the high points of the title for me. I’m generally a fan of most of Team Asano’s HD-2D works, and I thought this game in particular was really nice looking. The art retains a lot of its ‘90s personality, but the new look revitalizes it. This is especially apparent in battles, where the boss sprites look very detailed, or some scenic views, where the lighting makes colors a lot more vibrant and everything feels like it pops out of a story book. A lot of work has been done to the UI as well, which feels both modernized and very clear, either you’re going through the settings or the various battle menus.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning how this is one of the first works of Yoko Shimomura in Square Enix, famous as the composer of the Kingdom Hearts series. The soundtrack of the game exudes personality, capturing the essence and the atmosphere of each chapter and its respective era perfectly. Tracks that are present in every chapter are no exception, I especially loved the theme of the boss fights, which really pumps you up and feels like an all-time classic. The work done for the rearrangements in the remake is truly top-notch.
Overall, Live A Live may show its age and might not appeal to everyone in terms of gameplay, but it offers a delightful experience worth playing through. Its length, roughly 20-30 hours of content, along with the way it’s broken up into chapters make it perfect to play in short sessions, while there is also enough variety to make up for its simplicity. There was a lot of effort in this remake, and the PS5 version is also an excellent way to experience it. I highly recommend giving it a try!
A big aspect of Live A Live’s identity is that it consists of several smaller stories, each one themed after a specific historical era, spanning from prehistory to the distant future. Moreover, each one features narrative and gameplay gimmicks, including genre shifts. For instance, while one chapter may resemble a traditional RPG with a party, stats, and leveling up, another chapter completely disregards those mechanics and instead is all about exploration and stealth. A chapter may be a long journey with multiple side objectives, while another one is just a series of fights. And the genres can go from a standard fantasy story to a sci-fi drama with horror elements. A standout for me is the Edo Japan chapter, where you infiltrate a castle to rescue a political prisoner and kill the lord, and you can freely choose your approach for this mission, focusing on combat or stealth to complete your task.
In each chapter, you’ll certainly discover something new, presentation is king in this game, and while not each one of them is equally interesting, they all felt very unique because of both their stories and their gameplay peculiarities. Although the stories aren’t connected, you’re bound to notice some common threads, which eventually have a pay off in the game’s final chapter, which brings every main character together. It’s a very ambitious game for its time, and while that kind of setup might not be mind blowing these days, I really enjoyed it. It’s a game that certainly doesn’t lack charm, even if characters encounters are brief.
As for the combat throughout the game, it’s one of the elements that understandably haven’t aged that well. There are some very interesting ideas, like actively using the battle grid tiles in fights for elemental damage or the bosses occupying more space in the limited area of the fight, but for the most part it features all the expected RPG elements. The fact it’s sort of a hybrid of action and turn based gameplay is nice though. The game also blends random encounters and overworld encounters, though at some point the former become much more common than the latter, unfortunately. Some quality of life options for battle speed and random encounters would have been appreciated, as they could become quite tiresome at times.
Another consequence of the game’s inherent simplicity is the overall difficulty. The primary challenge for most people is likely to be understanding the gimmicks of each chapter and determining what to focus on or to avoid. Once you’re aware of all that, the mob or the boss fights are surprisingly easy, especially when you deviate from the critical path and get more levels or equipment through other activities.
Regarding the visuals, this is one of the high points of the title for me. I’m generally a fan of most of Team Asano’s HD-2D works, and I thought this game in particular was really nice looking. The art retains a lot of its ‘90s personality, but the new look revitalizes it. This is especially apparent in battles, where the boss sprites look very detailed, or some scenic views, where the lighting makes colors a lot more vibrant and everything feels like it pops out of a story book. A lot of work has been done to the UI as well, which feels both modernized and very clear, either you’re going through the settings or the various battle menus.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning how this is one of the first works of Yoko Shimomura in Square Enix, famous as the composer of the Kingdom Hearts series. The soundtrack of the game exudes personality, capturing the essence and the atmosphere of each chapter and its respective era perfectly. Tracks that are present in every chapter are no exception, I especially loved the theme of the boss fights, which really pumps you up and feels like an all-time classic. The work done for the rearrangements in the remake is truly top-notch.
Overall, Live A Live may show its age and might not appeal to everyone in terms of gameplay, but it offers a delightful experience worth playing through. Its length, roughly 20-30 hours of content, along with the way it’s broken up into chapters make it perfect to play in short sessions, while there is also enough variety to make up for its simplicity. There was a lot of effort in this remake, and the PS5 version is also an excellent way to experience it. I highly recommend giving it a try!