This review contains spoilers
Genuinely one of the finest, most unique, and simply spectacular JRPGs I have ever played. Live A Live feels so incredibly ahead of its time in story, scope, and even how it tackles gameplay tropes from the 90s. Every chapter, while varying in overall quality, feels wholly unique in its presentation, scope, story, and gameplay.
Before I go into my thoughts on each individual chapter, here's some more general thoughts on the more consistent elements in Live A Live. The biggest similarity that all the chapters have is the combat. Combat is a bit different than what you see in most JRPGs from this era. Everything is played out on a grid, where the player will have to move around and get the right spacing for their turn. Everyone, including enemies, have a timer for when they can use their moves. Think of it like the ATB system from older Final Fantasy games. Timers progress through player movements and moves, as well as the enemy's moves and movements. Its a very simple, yet satisfying system that rewards experimentation.
The game is also stunning graphically. This HD-2D style is like crack for me, I just want more and more of it. The environments are beautifully done here, as are the redone character sprites for both the main characters and enemies. Music is also masterpiece quality from the legendary Yoko Shimomura, one of my personal favorite composers. Everything here looks and sounds beautiful, even on a weaker hardware system like the Switch.
Now to move forward into my thoughts on the specific chapters, as they all take place during different time periods, and act as a sort of anthology of stories all centering around the main villain of the game. I'll be going in the order that I played them in, which was actually chronologically (until I unlocked the two hidden chapters, of course):
Prehistoric Era: This was mostly a meh chapter for me, and honestly wasn't the best to start out on in terms of seeing this game's overall quality. I did love the setting of this chapter a lot. Having an RPG set in the caveman era is such an intriguing idea. This chapter did show off the HD-2D style really well with its environments and creatures. However, the story itself is rather basic and shallow. The narrative gimmick here is that there is no dialogue, you infer what's happening and what characters are saying/thinking through their grunts and body movements. While this was interesting, some of the noises got a bit annoying. While I loved Pogo's gameplay (especially in the final chapter), I just couldn't get invested in him as a character. And the ending? God, it was laughable and honestly borderline creepy, since I was certain that Pogo was just a kid and his love interest...isn't. The gameplay gimmick of having to sniff out items and enemies was a bit strange too. I think its clever for finding hidden items to use and craft with, but having to find enemies this way was bothersome as you try to level up and gain more moves. This chapter isn't bad by any means, but definitely the weakest one imo. I do appreciate the risks it took both gameplay wise and narratively, but it just missed the mark. 6/10.
Imperial China: I really loved the setup for this chapter. Being an aging kung-fu master and having to pick and train a disciple is so cool and interesting. I loved all 3 of the disciples that you get to choose from. I ended up picking Lei due to her speed, but I also just wanted a female protag and she's the only opportunity for one. The story with the rivaling kung-fu school was a little weak though. While I loved the run up to the final boss, I hated the random gauntlet of enemies that were thrown at you right as you get there. Story wise, the pacing is really good, but gameplay wise, definitely takes a nose dive at the end. Still, this was a solid chapter that left a much better taste in my mouth than the Prehistoric chapter did. All the characters were likeable, it had a satisfying conclusion, and it felt like you really had influence over what happens with your disciples. 7.5/10
Twilight of Edo Japan: This is where the game really took off for me. This story consists of one, giant, Metroidvania-esc level where you play as a shinobi infiltrating an enemy castle. The game gives you a lot of freedom to go where you want and tackle the mission the way you want. Want to slaughter everyone and everything inside? Go for it, there's 100 people to find and kill. Want to go in without taking a single (human) life? That's also entirely possible, although very easy to mess up. There's even a secret boss here to tackle if you so choose. There's lots of rewards for going the extra mile of slaughter or pacifism. Though the game does show a bit of its age in this chapter as well. It is easy to go down a path that will ruin a pacifist run due to the player simply not knowing that a certain room will force them into engaging into a fight. For a player who isn't going for that run or simply doesn't care, its not a big deal, but it can be frustrating at times. Pacifist runs also force you to farm demon enemies in order to gain levels for the final boss, which can be a bit bothersome. Still, its rare to find an RPG, especially one from the 90s, that gives you this level of freedom in how you tackle the mission at hand. This chapter is probably the most visually beautiful as well, as many have mentioned. It is the best chapter up to this point for sure, even with its age and faults. 8/10.
Wild West: This chapter just rocks. It nails pretty much everything you'd want in a Western: badass protagonist, a rival-turned-friend, a gang of evil ruffians, and atmosphere up the wazoo. This chapter is just so satisfying to complete. After a great opening segment, the player is tasked with finding items to use as traps against a gang who is fast approaching. With the help of the local townsfolk, you and your rival reluctantly team up to find and set traps before sunrise. Once you complete this, the sun comes up, and the gang begins to invade, you get to watch all of your traps in action. It is so damn satisfying to see how well you did setting the traps, with gang members being decimated by all of your hard work. Its thrilling, and genuinely satisfying to see. This chapter is pretty short, but absolutely fantastic. This was the point where I truly started to fall in love with this game. 8.5/10.
Present Day: If prehistoric wasn't as "meh" as it was, this would be my least favorite chapter in the game. It does have some cool stuff going for it, though. For starters, I absolutely love the Street Fighter II style that this chapter goes for. The protag here is basically a Ryu clone, and they really don't try to hide it. This chapter essentially operates like a boss rush. There's five bosses that you can tackle in any order. You can also revisit fights before defeating the last foe. The big gimmick here is having the bosses use some of their moves on you so that you can copy them and use them as well. This was a good concept, but it can be pretty frustrating as it all relies on RNG. Also, the player does not know how these moves operate in terms of where on the grid they can hit. This can leave the player moving all around, trying to guess where they can be hit by the boss's move(s). After beating the last of the 5 bosses, you get to fight the final boss with all of the moves you learned. There isn't much story here other than the generic "I want to be the strongest person ever." I liked that the chapter basically spoofed Street Fighter, and I'm sure it was especially poignant at the time, but it just didn't really land for me. This felt like a case of either not enough development time or lack of resources for this chapter, making it a very underwhelming experience overall. 6.5/10.
Near Future: If you are really big into anime, this chapter will most likely be one of, if not, your favorite. I really enjoyed this chapter and its play on anime tropes. You got a psychic-powered orphan (named Akira, no less), a robot turtle companion, evil corporations, a demon god, and a very melodramatic story about gangs, psychic powers, and family. This isn't a knock on the chapter by the way, I actually liked it quite a lot. This chapter probably feels the most 90s JRPG out of them all with its setting and tropes. But its also very heartwarming and entertaining. Akira is a great protagonist, and his supporting cast is well written and likeable. I genuinely cared for the characters. The plot is also pretty good, though it can be a little confusing at times. The different twists and turns the story goes in are genuinely interesting and well thought out. And being able to control and play as a giant mech to kill a god was so damn cool and satisfying. While I can't say its my personal favorite chapter, I can see why many consider it to be one of the best. 8.5/10.
Distant Future: This may be a controversial opinion, but this was my favorite of the main 7 chapters that start out the game. While it is extremely light on combat (only 1 required fight, the rest optional through an arcade game), the atmosphere and writing are unmatched when compared to the previous 6 chapters of the game. While Cube isn't exactly talkative by any means, the supporting cast is incredibly interesting. Their relationships are much deeper than they appear on the surface. The dialogue is superbly written, and the voice acting is really well done too. The monster that chases you is also threatening as hell, and actually made me jump a few times. There's hardly any music in this chapter, and I really loved that. The game just lets the atmosphere and sound effects draw you in and immerse you. This, in turn, makes the moment you hear the iconic Odio boss fight music kick in that much harder. It really feels like one of those pixel horror games, or a horror VN, and I loved it for that. It isn't everyone's cup of tea, I know. But I think the Distant Future chapter is truly special. 9/10.
The Middle Ages: The first of the unlockable chapters is the middle ages. Many have commented on how it brings more traditional JRPG tropes to the table: the setting, a mute protag, random encounters, building a party of stereotypical JRPG roles, and its premise being a story thats been told a thousand times. Yet, this is simply the best chapter in the game. This is due to two major factors: the plot, and the dialogue. The gameplay is the same excellent gameplay as I have described already, but the writing elevates this section so much. Dialogue is written like a medieval poem. It may be hard for some to understand at times (it was for me on occasion for sure) but its beautifully written. It really sets it apart from other JRPGs set in a medieval era that either have normal sounding dialogue or try too hard to have the language of back then. The plot is also marvelous. The twists and turns that this chapter contains is stunning. In particular, the ending where Oersted (the protag) actually speaks and decides to become Odio, The Lord of Darkness, gave me goosebumps. The music swelled as this hero became a villain. While on the surface, Oersted seems like a generic protagonist, you learn so much from his supporting players about his true nature. Why is he doing what he's doing? Why did he betray his friend? It's very subtle, but the game is able to build up his character through the plot and his actions so well. The only issue I really had here was some of the gameplay pacing. The game makes you revisit locations and go through them all over again several times, which did start to grate on me a bit. But I hardly cared since the quality of the chapter was so damn great. An absolutely fantastic prologue to the end. 9.5/10.
The Finale: This felt so much like an Avengers moment. All of our protags from the previous chapters are brought to Oersted's domain. Here, after picking your main character for the chapter, you build up a team, go through dungeons, and finally learn the truth of Odio, Oersted, and get everyone back to their timelines. While this chapter's satisfaction is up to the player and how much time they're willing to spend finding the other protags, building a team, and going through dungeons for their best weapons, it is still an incredibly satisfying conclusion to the game. The game's themes of letting nihilism control you and using hope as your weapon come to a head as the various protagonists meet and fight side-by-side. You can even choose to play as Oersted and kill all of the other protags. Though this ending is not very satisfying and doesn't highlight the game's central messages nearly as much. It is honestly difficult to describe this chapter in full detail without going too spoilery, but just know that the conclusion is fantastic and highlights everything both narratively and gameplay wise that you have come to know and love about this game. 9/10.
With all those thoughts, I want to come back around and just express how unique of an experience Live A Live is. There is truly nothing else like it (Octopath tried, but isn't nearly the same). It feels so incredibly ahead of its time and was a blast to play from start to end. Sure, some chapters are better than others. But the overall package is stellar and satisfying from all angles. I very highly recommend that you try the game out for yourself. There's a demo on the EShop, so you don't even have to risk buying the game first. An absolutely incredible experience that I am sure will become one of my all time favorites with time.
And finally, here is how I would rank the chapters from favorite to least favorite:
Middle Ages
Finale
Distant Future
Wild West
Near Future
Twilight of Edo Japan
Imperial China
Present Day
Prehistoric Era
Before I go into my thoughts on each individual chapter, here's some more general thoughts on the more consistent elements in Live A Live. The biggest similarity that all the chapters have is the combat. Combat is a bit different than what you see in most JRPGs from this era. Everything is played out on a grid, where the player will have to move around and get the right spacing for their turn. Everyone, including enemies, have a timer for when they can use their moves. Think of it like the ATB system from older Final Fantasy games. Timers progress through player movements and moves, as well as the enemy's moves and movements. Its a very simple, yet satisfying system that rewards experimentation.
The game is also stunning graphically. This HD-2D style is like crack for me, I just want more and more of it. The environments are beautifully done here, as are the redone character sprites for both the main characters and enemies. Music is also masterpiece quality from the legendary Yoko Shimomura, one of my personal favorite composers. Everything here looks and sounds beautiful, even on a weaker hardware system like the Switch.
Now to move forward into my thoughts on the specific chapters, as they all take place during different time periods, and act as a sort of anthology of stories all centering around the main villain of the game. I'll be going in the order that I played them in, which was actually chronologically (until I unlocked the two hidden chapters, of course):
Prehistoric Era: This was mostly a meh chapter for me, and honestly wasn't the best to start out on in terms of seeing this game's overall quality. I did love the setting of this chapter a lot. Having an RPG set in the caveman era is such an intriguing idea. This chapter did show off the HD-2D style really well with its environments and creatures. However, the story itself is rather basic and shallow. The narrative gimmick here is that there is no dialogue, you infer what's happening and what characters are saying/thinking through their grunts and body movements. While this was interesting, some of the noises got a bit annoying. While I loved Pogo's gameplay (especially in the final chapter), I just couldn't get invested in him as a character. And the ending? God, it was laughable and honestly borderline creepy, since I was certain that Pogo was just a kid and his love interest...isn't. The gameplay gimmick of having to sniff out items and enemies was a bit strange too. I think its clever for finding hidden items to use and craft with, but having to find enemies this way was bothersome as you try to level up and gain more moves. This chapter isn't bad by any means, but definitely the weakest one imo. I do appreciate the risks it took both gameplay wise and narratively, but it just missed the mark. 6/10.
Imperial China: I really loved the setup for this chapter. Being an aging kung-fu master and having to pick and train a disciple is so cool and interesting. I loved all 3 of the disciples that you get to choose from. I ended up picking Lei due to her speed, but I also just wanted a female protag and she's the only opportunity for one. The story with the rivaling kung-fu school was a little weak though. While I loved the run up to the final boss, I hated the random gauntlet of enemies that were thrown at you right as you get there. Story wise, the pacing is really good, but gameplay wise, definitely takes a nose dive at the end. Still, this was a solid chapter that left a much better taste in my mouth than the Prehistoric chapter did. All the characters were likeable, it had a satisfying conclusion, and it felt like you really had influence over what happens with your disciples. 7.5/10
Twilight of Edo Japan: This is where the game really took off for me. This story consists of one, giant, Metroidvania-esc level where you play as a shinobi infiltrating an enemy castle. The game gives you a lot of freedom to go where you want and tackle the mission the way you want. Want to slaughter everyone and everything inside? Go for it, there's 100 people to find and kill. Want to go in without taking a single (human) life? That's also entirely possible, although very easy to mess up. There's even a secret boss here to tackle if you so choose. There's lots of rewards for going the extra mile of slaughter or pacifism. Though the game does show a bit of its age in this chapter as well. It is easy to go down a path that will ruin a pacifist run due to the player simply not knowing that a certain room will force them into engaging into a fight. For a player who isn't going for that run or simply doesn't care, its not a big deal, but it can be frustrating at times. Pacifist runs also force you to farm demon enemies in order to gain levels for the final boss, which can be a bit bothersome. Still, its rare to find an RPG, especially one from the 90s, that gives you this level of freedom in how you tackle the mission at hand. This chapter is probably the most visually beautiful as well, as many have mentioned. It is the best chapter up to this point for sure, even with its age and faults. 8/10.
Wild West: This chapter just rocks. It nails pretty much everything you'd want in a Western: badass protagonist, a rival-turned-friend, a gang of evil ruffians, and atmosphere up the wazoo. This chapter is just so satisfying to complete. After a great opening segment, the player is tasked with finding items to use as traps against a gang who is fast approaching. With the help of the local townsfolk, you and your rival reluctantly team up to find and set traps before sunrise. Once you complete this, the sun comes up, and the gang begins to invade, you get to watch all of your traps in action. It is so damn satisfying to see how well you did setting the traps, with gang members being decimated by all of your hard work. Its thrilling, and genuinely satisfying to see. This chapter is pretty short, but absolutely fantastic. This was the point where I truly started to fall in love with this game. 8.5/10.
Present Day: If prehistoric wasn't as "meh" as it was, this would be my least favorite chapter in the game. It does have some cool stuff going for it, though. For starters, I absolutely love the Street Fighter II style that this chapter goes for. The protag here is basically a Ryu clone, and they really don't try to hide it. This chapter essentially operates like a boss rush. There's five bosses that you can tackle in any order. You can also revisit fights before defeating the last foe. The big gimmick here is having the bosses use some of their moves on you so that you can copy them and use them as well. This was a good concept, but it can be pretty frustrating as it all relies on RNG. Also, the player does not know how these moves operate in terms of where on the grid they can hit. This can leave the player moving all around, trying to guess where they can be hit by the boss's move(s). After beating the last of the 5 bosses, you get to fight the final boss with all of the moves you learned. There isn't much story here other than the generic "I want to be the strongest person ever." I liked that the chapter basically spoofed Street Fighter, and I'm sure it was especially poignant at the time, but it just didn't really land for me. This felt like a case of either not enough development time or lack of resources for this chapter, making it a very underwhelming experience overall. 6.5/10.
Near Future: If you are really big into anime, this chapter will most likely be one of, if not, your favorite. I really enjoyed this chapter and its play on anime tropes. You got a psychic-powered orphan (named Akira, no less), a robot turtle companion, evil corporations, a demon god, and a very melodramatic story about gangs, psychic powers, and family. This isn't a knock on the chapter by the way, I actually liked it quite a lot. This chapter probably feels the most 90s JRPG out of them all with its setting and tropes. But its also very heartwarming and entertaining. Akira is a great protagonist, and his supporting cast is well written and likeable. I genuinely cared for the characters. The plot is also pretty good, though it can be a little confusing at times. The different twists and turns the story goes in are genuinely interesting and well thought out. And being able to control and play as a giant mech to kill a god was so damn cool and satisfying. While I can't say its my personal favorite chapter, I can see why many consider it to be one of the best. 8.5/10.
Distant Future: This may be a controversial opinion, but this was my favorite of the main 7 chapters that start out the game. While it is extremely light on combat (only 1 required fight, the rest optional through an arcade game), the atmosphere and writing are unmatched when compared to the previous 6 chapters of the game. While Cube isn't exactly talkative by any means, the supporting cast is incredibly interesting. Their relationships are much deeper than they appear on the surface. The dialogue is superbly written, and the voice acting is really well done too. The monster that chases you is also threatening as hell, and actually made me jump a few times. There's hardly any music in this chapter, and I really loved that. The game just lets the atmosphere and sound effects draw you in and immerse you. This, in turn, makes the moment you hear the iconic Odio boss fight music kick in that much harder. It really feels like one of those pixel horror games, or a horror VN, and I loved it for that. It isn't everyone's cup of tea, I know. But I think the Distant Future chapter is truly special. 9/10.
The Middle Ages: The first of the unlockable chapters is the middle ages. Many have commented on how it brings more traditional JRPG tropes to the table: the setting, a mute protag, random encounters, building a party of stereotypical JRPG roles, and its premise being a story thats been told a thousand times. Yet, this is simply the best chapter in the game. This is due to two major factors: the plot, and the dialogue. The gameplay is the same excellent gameplay as I have described already, but the writing elevates this section so much. Dialogue is written like a medieval poem. It may be hard for some to understand at times (it was for me on occasion for sure) but its beautifully written. It really sets it apart from other JRPGs set in a medieval era that either have normal sounding dialogue or try too hard to have the language of back then. The plot is also marvelous. The twists and turns that this chapter contains is stunning. In particular, the ending where Oersted (the protag) actually speaks and decides to become Odio, The Lord of Darkness, gave me goosebumps. The music swelled as this hero became a villain. While on the surface, Oersted seems like a generic protagonist, you learn so much from his supporting players about his true nature. Why is he doing what he's doing? Why did he betray his friend? It's very subtle, but the game is able to build up his character through the plot and his actions so well. The only issue I really had here was some of the gameplay pacing. The game makes you revisit locations and go through them all over again several times, which did start to grate on me a bit. But I hardly cared since the quality of the chapter was so damn great. An absolutely fantastic prologue to the end. 9.5/10.
The Finale: This felt so much like an Avengers moment. All of our protags from the previous chapters are brought to Oersted's domain. Here, after picking your main character for the chapter, you build up a team, go through dungeons, and finally learn the truth of Odio, Oersted, and get everyone back to their timelines. While this chapter's satisfaction is up to the player and how much time they're willing to spend finding the other protags, building a team, and going through dungeons for their best weapons, it is still an incredibly satisfying conclusion to the game. The game's themes of letting nihilism control you and using hope as your weapon come to a head as the various protagonists meet and fight side-by-side. You can even choose to play as Oersted and kill all of the other protags. Though this ending is not very satisfying and doesn't highlight the game's central messages nearly as much. It is honestly difficult to describe this chapter in full detail without going too spoilery, but just know that the conclusion is fantastic and highlights everything both narratively and gameplay wise that you have come to know and love about this game. 9/10.
With all those thoughts, I want to come back around and just express how unique of an experience Live A Live is. There is truly nothing else like it (Octopath tried, but isn't nearly the same). It feels so incredibly ahead of its time and was a blast to play from start to end. Sure, some chapters are better than others. But the overall package is stellar and satisfying from all angles. I very highly recommend that you try the game out for yourself. There's a demo on the EShop, so you don't even have to risk buying the game first. An absolutely incredible experience that I am sure will become one of my all time favorites with time.
And finally, here is how I would rank the chapters from favorite to least favorite:
Middle Ages
Finale
Distant Future
Wild West
Near Future
Twilight of Edo Japan
Imperial China
Present Day
Prehistoric Era