Live A Live Review

When I think about JRPGs, I often envision sprawling worlds, convoluted stories, and complex gameplay mechanics. Put simply, everything I love about the genre. However, all these exciting details come with a significant caveat: time. Time is the enemy of gamers everywhere. Whilst I still love a meaty JRPG, I find myself gravitating toward smaller, more refined experiences. Live A Live surprised me by being exactly what I was looking for. A classic JRPG that doesn’t stretch for too long, with an interesting structure to boot.

Live A Live initially follows seven different stories, each separated into their own chapters, playable in whichever order you like. From Prehistory to Imperial China, and even the Distant Future, Live A Live tells distinct stories that span the ages. Each has its own protagonist and eclectic cast of characters, with stories containing all the twists and turns you’d expect from any decent JRPG.

Live A Live’s structure is what makes it so interesting. So often in games of this type, you’re forced to follow a linear path, and while this is certainly true of each individual story, it’s great to have the option to jump out of them at any point to try something else. For instance, I found myself stuck in a section of the Prehistory era due to being under-levelled, and subsequently became more and more frustrated. Wanting to continue playing but to leave that particular moment behind, I was simply able to select a different chapter to play to curb my frustration. This freedom to choose how to tackle the story is all the more surprising given this is a remake of a game from the 90s, where that kind of freedom wasn’t really par for the course yet.

It’s not the 90s anymore, however, and Live A Live is the latest game from that era to receive a new lease of life. What makes it even more special is that this is the first time Live A Live has been officially available outside of Japan. A localised port of the original, released on the eShop, would have likely made fans happy but, instead, Square Enix has put the time and effort into this remake, and it truly shows. What stands out most of course are the visuals. Square’s gorgeous HD-2D graphics make a return and they’re as stunning as ever. Each world pops off the screen, brimming with colour and warmth. Even the drabber scenarios, such as Prehistory and Imperial China, while not as visually interesting, display a certain charm to them through the lighting and particle effects.

Most impressive, however, is the updated sprite work. Looking at screenshots of the original game, Live A Live already had some impressive character work going for it. But combined with the updated visuals, this art finally gets its due. It’s incredibly detailed, and each character feels unique. Even when you’re faced with the same type of enemy through a chapter, you never really get bored of seeing them, as there’s always some little detail you may have missed before to keep things interesting. This is only elevated when paired with the new addition of voice acting to the game. I was impressed with how well this was done. Though it may feel over the top at times, I think each voice fits each character well, effectively conveying the surprising array of emotions on display.

That emotion is all thanks to the writing and Live A Live boasts some of the most effective localisation I’ve seen to date. Jokes are genuinely funny, and the game isn’t one to shy away from its subject matter. It does, however, vary wildly in tone. One moment could be filled with toilet humour, while the next proposes some very suggestive actions on the character’s part. The resulting dichotomy does call into question exactly what audience Live A Live is aiming for. Too immature at times for adults but then far too explicit at others for children. It eventually balances out, but certainly could have benefited from some more focus.

The gameplay in Live A Live is much the same as you’d expect from any classic JRPG, albeit with a few interesting twists. Battles are turn-based but occur on a grid that adds an interesting layer of strategy. Your moves have different areas of effect, so positioning yourself properly is key to victory. An energy meter fills up to determine when you or an enemy can strike and, again, utilising this to your advantage will yield greater results. There’s a stunning array of different move types, each with their own specific effects, all combined to provide a combat experience that is much deeper and more involved than you might expect.

Live A Live is a breath of fresh air among a dizzying array of JRPGs that seem to live by the mantra that bigger is better. Its shorter, more contained stories are a treat to play through, some offering more than others, and the game rarely falters in its presentation. This is a JRPG done right, in everything from its visuals to its sound, and most importantly, its gameplay. We can only hope that with this worldwide release, future JRPGs can learn from it.