Image: Famitsu/Square Enix
If you’ve been following gaming news lately, you’ve probably heard of Live A Live. You probably also belong to one of two camps: someone who knows what Live A Live is, and someone who can’t really tell it apart from all the other HD-2D Square Enix games like Triangle Strategy and Octopath Traveler.
Well, whether you’re one of those people who know about Live A Live or not, we hope you can learn something from us as we take you through everything we know and everything you need to know. And probably some things you don’t know, too.
On this page:
- All your Live A Live questions answered
All your Live A Live questions answered
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What is?
Live A Live is a 1994 Super Famicom role-playing game previously only released in Japan that is coming to Nintendo Switch on July 22, 2022. The remake will be in Square Enix’s now iconic HD-2D style, such as Triangle Strategy and Octopath A traveler.
Who did that?
Square, which eventually became Square Enix (the Final Fantasy people). They’ve published it too, and that means Square Enix is publishing the 2022 version — but only in Japan. Nintendo publishes Live A Live everywhere else.
“Live A Live” or “Live A Live”? Or is it “Live A Live”?
It’s not a good question for the written form, but if you read the original katakana, it’s “Live A Live”. Like live music.
Images: Famitsu / Square Enix
What is the plot?
Live A Live is a story divided into seven chapters, eight main characters and nine scenarios, all of which are set in a different time period. In each time period, there is an evil force called (some version of) Odio that you will need to kill to complete the chapter. Although you can play the chapters in any order, they range from a prehistoric time period to the far future, each with its own character from the period in question.
What game is this?
It’s a turn-based RPG similar to other JRPGs of the era like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. Each of the time periods and scenarios also has different mechanics — sometimes you’ll focus on dungeon crawling, other times you’ll need to use stealth to get by.
How is the battle going?
Well, it’s turn-based and presented much like a typical JRPG: two parties, one you control and one you fight, face off against each other. You have a bunch of moves to choose from, including attacks and skills, some of which can give special effects like healing or protecting a tile when you stand on it. You can also move around the tile grid, with different moves requiring different distances and stances.
Enemies also have an action indicator on top of their heads that tells you how ready they are to make a move. If you are out of range when their action meter reaches the end, then the meter will reset. A good strategy to avoid danger!
It’s worth noting that some characters’ stories will prioritize combat, others will discourage it, and some won’t have it at all.
Who are all the characters?
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Note: These names may change in the remake.
Pogo (Prehistoric Times) A caveman who hopes to save his lover from human sacrifice.
Kung Fu Master and Disciple (Imperial China) An old Sin Shan Kung Fu master and his best student who hopes to succeed him, who must avenge the deaths of his classmates.
Oboro-maru (Feudal Japan) A ninja on a mission to rescue a prisoner.
The Sundown Kid (Wild West) An outlaw who is about to face off against his rival, Mad Dog, in an old west town in America.
Masaru Takahara (Modern day Japan) A fighter who hopes to become the strongest in the world.
Akira Tadokoro (Near Future, Japan) A mental orphan who learns of a kidnapping ring run by bikers.
Cube (far future, space) A spherical robot on a spaceship called the Cogito Ergosum.
Why is it coming out now?
Square Enix seems to be reviving much of its back catalogue, with great success – think the slick Final Fantasy VII remake, the recently announced Front Mission remakes, the HD-2D remake of Dragon Quest 3, and even just the nostalgia-adjacent HD-2D style of their newer games. Square know they have some gold in their archives and are happy to roll it out with their newer IPs.
It turns out that Takashi Tokita, the original director of Live A Live, worked on the team that developed Octopath Traveler and was inspired to use the HD-2D style to resurrect his own game.
Is Live A Live a Big Deal?
Images: Famitsu / Square Enix
Yes and no. It didn’t sell particularly well in 1994—only 270,000 copies, according to Wikipedia, which doesn’t cite its sources for that figure—but it’s an important historical gaming relic.
This was the first game that Takashi Tokita would work on as a director, and his next would be… Chrono Trigger. So it’s basically a precursor to Chrono Trigger, which isn’t surprising given its time travel plot.
One of the game’s designers, Nobuyuki Inoue, will continue to direct Mother 3.
The composer, Yoko Shimomura, would eventually be the composer of Legend of Mana, Super Mario RPG, the Mario & Luigi series, and the Kingdom Hearts games. She is a big deal!
And of course, despite its low sales, Live A Live is a beloved early RPG with enough of a cult following after the fan translation done by Aeon Genesis in 2001, which describes it this way:
Live A Live is truly unique when it comes to RPGs. Instead of having one long continuous storyline, LAL throws you a whole bunch of fairly short (but good) stories. Each chapter takes place in a different time period and each has unique gameplay aspects… The story is pretty generic, but it’s told very well and a few of the chapters throw you some real curve balls. Suffice to say, the game is well worth your time. Just don’t spoil it with instructions!
Is it actually good?
Yes! While it’s no Chrono Trigger, it has its fans and its place in the JRPG canon. It got a 29/40 on Famitsu when it came out, which isn’t too shabby, and while a few reviews obviously criticized the brevity and final chapters, the general consensus seems to be that the game is unique, interesting, and well-written.
Is the music good?
With Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura at the helm, you can bet it’s good. Looks like Shimomura is back to orchestrate and arrange the soundtrack too!
Expect bombastic battle themes, epic organ pieces and megalomania, the theme after which Toby Fox’s Megalomania is named.
Any new stuff for the remake?
Yes
- Voice acting of main and important characters
- Re-recorded soundtrack
- Physical and Collector’s Edition of the game
- User interface updates
- Updated sound effects
- Rebalanced gameplay
- Added radars and maps
- Redrawn character designs (by Naoki Ikushima)
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Why did it take so long to come to the West?
Tokita told Famitsu that he tried several times but it just didn’t work out. It wasn’t until he joined the team behind Octopath Traveler that he realized the HD-2D style would work perfectly. In particular, he said, the Edo and prehistoric chapters were difficult to complete because the team had a much higher bar for the remake than the original!
Image: Famitsu/Square Enix
How long is it?
About 30-40 hours according to Tokita. How Long To Beat says somewhere between 18-30 hours, depending on whether you’re a completist or casual gamer, and the ways you choose to play some of the chapters.
Image: Famitsu/Square Enix
Is it related to Chrono Trigger?
In a way, yes. Director Takashi Tokita went on to direct Chrono Trigger. You can see from the original design that it looks quite similar to Chrono Trigger!
will i like it
Do you like JRPGs? Did you like Chrono Trigger? Want to experience an older, cult favorite game without having to play it in Japanese on the Super Famicom? Want to listen to absolute bops? Do you have about 18-30 free hours? Then yes, probably.
There’s a demo available on the Switch eShop, and you can check out our hands-on review for some early impressions ahead of our review, which will arrive in due course.
Can I switch between old and new graphics/music?
We don’t know! That would be nice though.
When is it coming out?
July 22, 2022
Is it on other consoles/PC?
No! Well, it’s on the Super Famicom, so technically yes. But it won’t be on PC, Xbox or PlayStation.
Any other details?
- That’s 4.6GB
- It costs $64.99 / £34.99
- You can preload it if you like
- Tomokazu Sugita (aka Joseph Joestar in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and Chrom in Fire Emblem) will appear in multiple voice roles
- “Cube” is obviously a reference to Stanley Kubrick (who is also not a cube)
- Influences range from 2001: A Space Odyssey to SaGa and Final Fantasy games
- Different manga artists designed each of the main characters:
- Yoshihide Fujiwara
- Yoshinori Kobayashi
- Osamu Ishiwata
- Yumi Tamura
- Ryoji Minagawa
- Gosho Aoyama
- Kazuhiko Shimamoto
That’s a lot to know about Live A Live! Let us know if you have any more questions in the comments below!
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