If you've been following game news lately, you've probably heard about 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 the type of person who knows about Live A Live or not, you can hopefully learn something from us, as we walk you through everything we know, and everything you need to know. And probably also some things you don't.
All Your Live A Live Questions, answered
What is it?
Live A Live is a 1994 Super Famicom RPG, previously released only in Japan, that is coming to the Nintendo Switch on the 22nd July, 2022. The remake will be in Square Enix's now-iconic HD-2D style, like Triangle Strategy and Octopath Traveler.
Who made it?
Square, which eventually became Square Enix (the Final Fantasy folks). They also published it, and that means that Square Enix are publishing the 2022 version — but only in Japan. Nintendo is publishing Live A Live everywhere else.
Is it "Live A Live" or "Live A Live"? Or is it "Live A Live"?
This is not a good question for the written form, but if you read the original katakana, it's "Live A Live". As in, live music.
What is the plot?
Live A Live is a story split across seven chapters, eight protagonists, and nine scenarios, all of which are in a different time period. There is an evil force called (some version of) Odio in each time period, who you will have to kill in order to complete the chapter. Although you can play the chapters in any order, they range from a prehistorical time period through to the far future, each with their own protagonist from the period in question.
What kind of game is it?
It's a role-playing game with turn-based combat, much like other JRPGs of the era like Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger. Each of the time periods and scenarios has different mechanics, too — sometimes you'll be focusing on dungeon-crawling, other times you'll have to use stealth to get by.
How does the combat work?
Well, it's turn-based, and it's presented much like a typical JRPG: two parties, one that you control, and one that you fight, stand facing one another. You have a bunch of moves to select from, including attacks and skills, some of which can give special effects like healing or defense to a single tile when you stand in it. You can also move around the tile grid, with different moves requiring different distances and stances.
Enemies also have an action meter on top of their heads, which tells you how ready they are to make a move. If you're not within range when their action meter reaches the end, then the meter will reset. A good strategy for staying out of danger!
It's worth noting that some characters' stories will prioritise combat, others will discourage it, and some will have none altogether.
Who are all the characters?
Pogo (Prehistoric times)
A caveman who hopes to save his crush from being a human sacrifice.
Earthen Heart Shifu (Imperial China)
An old master of Xin Shan Quan Kung Fu, and his best student, who he hopes to succeed him, who have to avenge the deaths of their fellow students.
Oboromaru (Feudal Japan)
A ninja on a mission to rescue a prisoner.
The Sundown Kid (Wild West)
An outlaw about to have a showdown with his rival, Mad Dog, in an old west town in America.
Masaru Takahara (Present day Japan)
A fighter hoping to become the strongest in the world.
Akira Tadokoro (Near future, Japan)
A psychic orphan who learns of a kidnapping ring run by bikers.
Cube (Distant future, space)
A spherical robot on a spaceship called the Cogito Ergosum.
Why is it coming out now?
Square Enix seems to be reviving a lot of their old catalogue, with great success — consider the glossy remake of Final Fantasy VII, 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 that they've got some gold in their archives, and they're happy to trot it all out alongside their newer IPs.
It turns out that Takashi Tokita, the original director of Live A Live, was working on the team developing Octopath Traveler, and he was inspired to use the HD-2D style to resurrect his own game.
Is Live A Live a big deal?
Yes, and no. It didn't sell particularly well in 1994 — only 270,000 copies, according to Wikipedia, which doesn't name its sources on that figure — but it's an important historical gaming relic.
It was the first game that Takashi Tokita would work on as a director, and his next one would be... Chrono Trigger. So it's basically the precursor to Chrono Trigger, which isn't surprising, given its time travelling plot.
One of the game's designers, Nobuyuki Inoue, would go on to be the director of Mother 3.
The composer, Yoko Shimomura, would eventually be the composer for Legend of Mana, Super Mario RPG, the Mario & Luigi series, and the Kingdom Hearts games. She's a big deal!
And, of course, despite its low sales, Live A Live is a beloved early RPG with enough of a cult following that a fan translation was made by Aeon Genesis in 2001, who describe it thusly:
Live A Live is truly unique when it comes to RPGs. Rather than have one long continuous storyline, LAL throws a whole bunch of rather short (but good) stories at you. Each chapter is set in a different time period, and each has unique gameplay aspects... The story is fairly generic, but it's told very well, and a couple of the chapters throw you some real curve-balls. Suffice to say, the game is really worth your time. Just don't spoil it for yourself with a walkthrough!
Is it actually good?
Yeah! Although it's no Chrono Trigger, it has its fans and its place in the JRPG canon. It got a 29/40 in Famitsu when it came out, which is not too shabby, and although several reviews apparently criticised its shortness and its final chapters, the overall consensus seems to be that the game was unique, interesting, and well-written.
Is the music good?
With Kingdom Hearts composer Yoko Shimomura at the helm, you BET it's good. It looks like Shimomura has returned to orchestrate and arrange the soundtrack, too!
Expect bombastic fight themes, epic organ pieces, and Megalomania, the theme that Toby Fox's "Megalovania" was named for.
Is there new stuff for the remake?
Yes!
- Voice acting for main and important characters
- Re-recorded soundtrack
- A physical and collector's edition of the game
- UI updates
- Sound effects updated
- Rebalanced gameplay
- Radars and maps added
- Redrawn character designs (by Naoki Ikushima)
Why did it take so long to come to the West?
Tokita told Famitsu that he had tried multiple times, but it just didn't work out. It wasn't until he joined the team behind Octopath Traveler that he realised that the HD-2D style would work perfectly. In particular, he said, the Edo and prehistoric chapters were hard to finish, because the team had a much higher bar for the remake than the original!
How long is it?
About 30-40 hours, according to Tokita. How Long To Beat says anywhere between 18-30 hours, depending on whether you're a completionist or whether you play games leisurely, as well as the ways you choose to play some of the chapters.
Is it related to Chrono Trigger?
In a sense, yes. The director, Takashi Tokita, went on to direct Chrono Trigger. You can see from the original designs that it's quite similar-looking to Chrono Trigger, too!
Will I enjoy it?
Do you like JRPGs? Did you like Chrono Trigger? Do you want to experience an older, cult-favourite game without having to play it in Japanese on a Super Famicom? Do you want to listen to some absolute bops? Do you have about 18-30 hours to spare? Then yes, probably.
There's a demo available on Switch eShop, and you can check out our hands-on preview 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 out?
July 22nd, 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?
- It's 4.6GB
- It costs $49.99 / £34.99
- You can pre-load it right now, if you want
- Tomokazu Sugita (AKA Joseph Joestar in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Chrom in Fire Emblem) will appear in multiple voice over roles
- "Cube" is apparently a reference to Stanley Kubrick (who is also not a cube)
- Influences range from 2001: A Space Odyssey to the 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 of things to know about Live A Live! Let us know if you have any more questions in the comments below!
Comments 34
$65? Weird, thought it would go cheaper than normal, not more expensive for just a remake.
As much as I love RPGs, going back to 20 year old mechanics just isn't that enjoyable anymore so I'll Pass A Pass on this.
Is $65 a typo? Seems strange the UK version would be nearly half the price. Usually there is close to parity after tax.
I didn't really enjoy the demo that much. Going to wait for reviews and possible a sale.
$65? Yikes. I'll wait on a sale.
What does the name mean though?
it is listed for $49 bucks .... in ny stores...and in one store $40 bucks maybe the digital download cost a lil cheaper then the cart..
I finished the demo with mixed feelings. The Shinobi Chapter was quite fun, although I felt the stealth mechanic was a bit half-baked. The other two chapters seemed trivially easy and uninteresting, especially the future one.
Cogito ergo sum (the name of the spaceship) is Descartes' "I think therefore I am." I love Easter eggs like that, and finding out the best movie ever made is an influence (2001) has me pretty stoked for this.
Quick question for anyone that’s played this game: do the stories connect to each other or are they separate? I don’t want any spoilers beyond that, I’m just curious.
why is no one saying it's Live a Evil. the words are backwards
@JakedaArbok
For the most part, the stories are completely separate, however they are all connected by a common thread, which is seen in the final parts of the game.
The plots of each story are entirely self-contained though.
I played the original. It was just OK. Some of it was a little annoying. Some people love it and some people hate it. If you love JRPGs like me. It’s a classic, but one of the chapters was whatever cuz you just talk to people. There is a demo. If you like the demo, get it.
Closely related, but why has Nintendo been publishing Square Enix games outside of Japan and not, well, Square Enix themselves? It's not like they're some small indie company that needs their financial support and Nintendo has to be getting a huge cut; they can't be doing it out of the kindness of their hearts. I feel like there's another reason besides those.
All I know is that I was on the fence about this game. The demo changed my mind from mabey to a day 1 pick up. I pre-ordered after playing the demo for probably 30 minutes if that! Come on Friday!
It is 49.99 US for me everywhere. Not sure where the 65 dollars is coming from. Might be a typo.
Removed - unconstructive
@Grawbad @abbyhitter @Jey887 @SteamEngenius It’s probably $65 Canadian, because games are more expensive here (Kate lives in Canada). @KateGray You might want to specify/fix that.
I’m sorry, the Cogito Ergosum?
Well, just call me Ven Ividivici.
@AlexanderDaniels The US versions of FF X/X-2 and FF XII are published by Square Enix, as is the Asian (non-Japan) FF VII/FF VIII twin pack. Square Enix also published the US versions of Collection of Mana and Trials of Mana.
Although publishing rights could be something that's negotiated on an individual basis, the trend suggests that Nintendo gets to publish the Square Enix games that it feels would sell better than others (e.g., Dragon Quest XI, Octopath Traveler, Triangle Strategy, Live A Live) for a bigger cut of the profits, with Square Enix retaining unilateral rights on the rest.
I don't have any special knowledge of the process; that's what seems to make sense to me.
@BabyYoda71 @KateGray Deku Deals shows its price as $49.99 for US retailers, while Amazon.ca has it as $64.99 CAD.
This is one I've wanted to play for a while, remember seeing ads for it in the import page in EGM, as well as enjoying SNESDrunk's video on it. Debating whether I want to shell out for this when I haven't completed the SaGa remasters yet though.
@Magitek_Knight if it helps any, this is a considerably shorter game and a lot easier to take bit by bit
@ZZalapski Yeah so it is the Canadian price. I thought so, because $80 is the equivalent of $60US, so 65 seems about right.
This game really had nothing to do with Chrono Trigger and I really wish you people would stop trying to make it sound as if it was some kind of progenitor to Trigger. Live A Live was only a “precursor” in the most literal sense in that it released a few months ahead of Trigger. That’s all. Both games were actually developed concurrently (at the same time) by different teams, but Trigger started in development several months BEFORE Live A Live started. Also, Tokashi Tokita was only one of several directors on Trigger. Regardless, Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Horii, and Akira Toriyama, were the “Dream Team” who brought CT to life. Trigger was their brainchild, not Tokita’s.
All I know is that my friend Luke aka The Chive would prefer if it were called Chive a Chive 😂
I regret so so SO much to have watched the region locked video about this game years ago. I always thought this wasn't coming. I mean, it's great it's coming, but they took too damn long. They should have at least added a new chapter or something for us who spoiled ourselves the story
the English voice over for the cowboy sounded a lot like Matthew Mercer, who incidentally also voiced Chrom in the dub of FE: awakening
So what is the title of this game supposed to mean? Does it even have a meaning?
Played the demo for a bit today. Really enjoying it so far!
Now I actually got stuck in the demo, lol (can’t seem to find a key for a door in the Japan story).
I wonder how many people clicked this article because it mentioned JoJo.
I'm actually already interested in this, but the JoJo mention itself is worth looking through to find.
Apologies for the pricing error! It was, as many people have pointed out, the Canadian dollar price. The article has been updated to reflect the USD price, which is $49.99.
I'm usually quite good at double-checking this, since I live in Canada and it usually defaults to CAD with no indication 😅
Wow, i didn't realize it only got 29/40 in famitsu. That's horrible, isn't it. I thought they gave everything almost perfect scores?
@Koxen or saying it in reverse, would be evil alive 😮😂
if you go by the katakana writing it is Ra-i - Bu - A - Ra -i -Bu. "a" sounds like the "a" of Apple and the " i" sounds like the english "e"
Tap here to load 34 comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...