It's been almost 30 years since the original Super Famicom release of Live a Live, a game that many people (including myself) had never gotten the chance to play, and there really isn't anything else quite like it in gaming. It's a game that presents a non-linear experience through seven distinct stories set within a wide range of settings that each take inspiration from various genres such as Westerns, Space Horror, Fighting Games, Mecha, etc., and all put their own spin on JRPG conventions to the point that none of them deliver a similar experience. As one would expect this leads to a game that feels very uneven, yet I don't think any of the chapters were particularly weak even if certain ones carried their own unique frustrations. From what I've seen so far there's a lot of disagreement about which one is the best or worst and I think that's one of this game's strengths. Each chapter fully commits to what it set out to do and every player is going to enjoy some more than others.
The combat system is one of the few aspects that carries over between all of the chapters, and even though the scope of this game limits it in some ways I found myself quite impressed with it and also surprised at how fresh it still feels. Some of my enjoyment may have come in part thanks to changes in the Remake particularly in regards to rebalancing and showing enemy weaknesses but I also really like the strategy offered by the grid based movement and attack trajectories, and I even found that in certain stories it found ways to make interesting fights where you were only in control of one combatant which is rarely done well in JRPGs.
I would say that the only part of this game that felt a bit weak to me was the way in which much of the endgame plays out after getting through each of the seven stories. Part of it comes from the Middle Ages chapter's commitment to replicating the conventions of a more traditional fantasy RPG, such as being the only part of the game with random encounters, but also that when everything does come together the game doesn't really allow the different characters opportunity to interact much outside of when you recruit each one individually. I think it might have helped make that section more enjoyable to play through and also add more weight to the truly fantastic finale sequence, which I won't say too much about other than that it makes me glad that at least this game still gets to end on a high note after how strong the stories that lead up to that point are. Overall this is a very worthwhile experience, and a breath of fresh air to anyone looking for something a little different from a JRPG or even just one that they can beat in under 30 hours. This remake, with its small changes and updated presentation, breathed new life into a game many would have overlooked and even I might not have enjoyed as much without, and I am very grateful that this one was chosen to be remade in such a beautiful way.