The concept of this game has always been interesting to me and the concept really is well done, if a bit uneven in places. Each of the different chapters are at least entertaining although not all of them achieve greatness.

Near the end tho? It just. All kinda comes together, there's a moment of "oh yeah NOW i get what you're going for". It all just clicks into place and I love that.

I'll rank all the chapters in the order I did them and give a little review of them

Prehistory: The lack of actual spoken dialogue is interesting and although the humour is very lowbrow, it feels appropriate for the setting. Not a favourite, but a decent chapter. B-

Wild West: Really cool concept although I think the remake makes it a little too easy as well. Up there with one of the better ones. B+

Edo Japan: There's a lot of exploration with this one which makes it feel almost like a metroidvania and that's pretty interesting. The story isn't super engaging but it's a fun setting and fun gameplay concept. B+

Imperial China: I really enjoyed the story for this one and I liked the twist they threw in near the end of it. Nothing too different gameplay wise but I enjoyed this one overall. A-

Present Day: Honestly the weakest one and it's a shame. The concept is fun as it tries to turn into like, a Street Fighter RPG, but it just means it's really short and lacking in anything other than fights. Not awful, just a missed opportunity. C

The Near Future: This one was pretty great. Longer than most of the other chapters but I liked the protagonist and the story beats. Not super deep but just very entertaining. A

The Distant Future: This one is probably the best standalone chapter. It's high in atmosphere, low on combat, and god the story is is just amazingly good. Cube is a delightful protagonist and I get why people love them now. A+

The Middle Ages: This is about when the game starts to cash everything in and it's so good. The build up is a little slow but it's worth it for the climax of this one A+

The Final Chapter: Gameplay wise I think this is the best one. You get to pick and choose how much to prepare for the final battle and all the different dungeons for each character are really cool. The final battle just so fun and it plays right into the RPG tropes I adore. A+

All in all, I think that this is an uneven experience but one that just sort of works in the end for me. The combat isn't super interesting but I think that allows things to be focused on the experience instead. Some of the stories are pretty simplistic but they feel very much like legends in that regard, tales of justice and bravery that transcend time.

All in all, Live A Live is a worthwhile experience for fans of RPGs and those looking for something a bit different.