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Live A Live was finally brought to the rest of the world decades after its initial release. Made for the Nintendo Switch, this unique RPG brings together stories across various eras of human history. This multi-ending game offers several endings and gameplay styles from pre-history to the far future.
Each tale plays a little differently, but it all leads towards one ultimate battle in the Middle Ages and beyond. There are teases throughout the story that things are all tied together in some manner, but each story also plays differently from the others. Some might think it makes the game disjointed, but I think it offers value and variety.
Regardless, each game still features a unique turn-based combat system and gorgeous visuals. Not to mention a song written and performed by Hironobu Kageyama, of Dragon Ball Z fame.
Live A Live, originally released in 1994, finally comes to the rest of the world
Live A Live is a game that was only available in Japan for decades, except for those who may have found a fan translation some years ago. It was so interesting that it took place on Earth and featured seven stories across various eras of human history. Each of these stories is connected in some manner or another, but I cannot stress enough how important it is to avoid story spoilers.
Now that these main seven stories have been finished, a few more chapters await. It’s not simply “complete these short stories, then that’s it.” Live A Live is also non-linear, so players can tackle the various stories in whatever order they want. It genuinely does not matter. That said, some of them are easier or harder than others.
It’s a wonderful experience, and it got a lot of people talking. It’s not hard to see why, either. The Octopath Traveller-style visuals all come together in a beautiful way, with a fresh approach to turn-based RPGs and plenty of variety.
The protagonists all have different experiences
Each story in Live A Live is also different in how they are designed. For example, Modern Day gameplay resembles a combination of Mega Man and Street Fighter, stuffed into a turn-based RPG. The character can learn special attacks from the other fighters as he moves from battle to battle.
On the other hand, the Far-Future story has only one real battle, and the rest is just pure storytelling. It can feel prolonged because of that. It’s a great story with genuine character growth, but it is still prolonged compared to the other stories.
In Edo-era Japan, you can either play the chapter in a stealth mode, where you avoid killing any humans, in a regular playthrough, or a massacre mode, where you murder every man and woman in the castle. Each has pros and cons and makes the game easier or harder, depending on what you do.
That’s what makes this game so wonderful. The Wild West experience has almost no time to grind, but players can make it easier by knowing which trap to give to which townsfolk to slow down and kill the gang trying to ransack the town.
While not all these stories are action-packed, each is worth experiencing and tells a story worth sharing. Each story is unique, and each character does a great deal to endear themselves to the audience, but at the end of the day, they all connect through the story and the combat system.
Live A Live’s turn-based system is exceptional
In Live A Live, combat is held on a large grid, where your party and the enemy party are all placed, with the party of heroes typically grouped and the enemies surrounding them. Instead of players taking turns ordering all their characters at once, it has some sort of stamina or speed system.
When a character’s turn comes up, it advances all other combatants' meters any time they move on the grid. This is a yellow meter above their HP bar, so it’s easy to see. If an opponent’s meter fills up before the player can take action, it becomes the enemy's turn to attack.
Many attacks are instant, though some have charge timers and extraordinary, awkward ranges. Take the time to learn what the various abilities can do and where they can hit. Positive and negative status effects are commonplace and tend to work more often than not.
Players will also notice that enemies come in several sizes. There are tiny enemies, large enemies, and massive enemies. Tiny enemies are essentially minions. Larger enemies are the main enemies in a battle. The enormous ones are typically bosses, but here’s where things get interesting.
In a battle with a large foe and then smaller foes, be they boss or regular encounter, you can win fights without ever dealing with weaker foes. It’s called an Overpower system, where defeating the main monsters makes the other enemies fall too.
However, this led me to think that combat is far too easy, except when fighting the game's various Superbosses. They are all optional, but they are where all the challenge for the game seem to go. Once you learn about this combat system, it becomes easy to take advantage of it.
Many enemies have weaknesses and can be one-shot, making exp grinding easy. That’s a good thing, though. In addition, players are fully healed after a battle, so it’s not hard to get exp if a party member is lacking. It’s also generous when it comes to player deaths.
If a player gets knocked out, they can be healed and brought back to their feet with any healing ability that can target them. But if a foe hits them before that time, they’re dead for the rest of the battle. If a character is passed out and has a halo over their head, they still get exp, too.
Another thing that makes the system a bit broken. Some attacks disorient an opponent and turn them around. In many instances, players can spam these attacks to prevent even the most powerful foes from ever getting an attack in. It’s an easy system to exploit with time and practice but sure makes combat interesting.
The visuals and music for Live A Live are beautiful
The Octopath Traveller style visuals are just stellar. It’s a 2D-HD style remake, and each period looks special and stands out in its way. From the tumbleweeds of the Wild West to the night-time shrouded castle in the Edo era, each area is stunning in what the artists can do with this visual style.
Each character was designed by a different manga artist, making each character feel special. In addition, Yoko Shimomura, the original game’s composer, came back to create gorgeous music.
Shimomura had to completely redo the entire soundtrack by listening to it since the original files were barely usable. Each era of time has music tailored to where and when it was in human history. Perhaps the best piece of music in the game is the Steel Titan theme of the near future.
Composed by Shimomura, Hironobu Kageyama sang it. He’s perhaps best known for his work in Dragon Ball Z and several Super Sentai/anime programs over the decades.
In conclusion
I adore Live A Live. I never did complete this game as a younger man when the fan translation/ROM hacks came to light. I was immediately excited when this was announced, and it certainly did not let me down.
It has a bit of replay value thanks to multiple endings, including a bad ending. In Live A Live, the stories are typically only a few hours long, making the game around 20-30 hours.
This depends on how much grinding the players do. It can be gritty in the late game, but it didn’t bother me. The amazing stories and inventive characters have already hooked me, and I could not have cared less.
It’s a game that should have been remade far earlier than this, but now that I’ve played this version, I don’t know if another method would have been as good. Plus, having Yoko Shimomura of Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter II, and so many other games come back to compose is a blessing. Her music is truly phenomenal in Live A Live. This is a must-own RPG for any Switch owner.
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Nintendo
Release Date: July 22, 2022
