Live A Live is an almost mandatory JRPG for lovers of the genre, and at the same time an experimental work of almost 30 years. Will it take place today? We tried it on the Switch and we tell you next!
live a liveis the latest release from Square Enix, the house that houses Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, among other great games. This lost experiment almost three decades ago shows the new path that the company began to travel with the successful Octopath Traveler, years ago. We play it on its exclusive console, the Nintendo Switch, and we tell you everything in this note.
One life many lives
With Live A Live, Square Enix presents a JRPG game never before released in the West with a renewed technical section (it had come out in 1994 in Japan and now its remake is being released worldwide). In addition, it should be noted that as it has been demonstrated in Octopath Traveler (Square Enix Acquire) Y Triangle Strategy (Square Enix-Artdink) HD-2D seems to be the company’s unbeatable formula to employ in its remakes.
The combination of modern lighting and other visual effects with sprites inherited from the golden age of pixel-art of the Super Famicon (Super Nintendo) results in a perfect marriage with which Square Enix seems to have found its holy grail of nostalgia. And in case it wasn’t clear until now with other examples of the artistic contribution of this style, Live a live makes it very clear… It’s around here and Square Enix knows it.
As if this were not enough, Live a live is an almost unique piece due to its level of experimentation and that already in its original release in 1994 served to re-interpret the genre. Today, this continues even though we have vast examples of games that stoically stick to their modes, such as dragon quest.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0oOta9Lfts&ab_channel=Nintendo
Live a Live was the debut at the helm of the project for a certain Takashi Tokita. The Japanese director director also in works as remembered as chrono trigger (SNES) and Parasite Eve (PSOne) along with multiple other projects for Square Enix.
What is Live A Live about?
In its experimental character, Live A Live poses not a story through the journey of a great hero but a kind of anthology that will take us on a walk through time. From prehistory to the distant future, with a tour that will also include Imperial China or the Far West, among others.
Although we can find references among his stories; the game will allow us to start each chapter separately and experience each story and its characters in the order that we like the most.
So, in a simplified comparison, it reminds us more of Octopath Traveler than Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, to name examples.
However, Live A Live does not stop at walks through different historical stages but, starting from the premise of having different settings and therefore characters for our adventures, he ventures to propose different narratives. From a brave caveman who will risk everything for love to an outlaw with unshakable morals who shows us kindness in a cruel and heartless world.
If we take these two adventures, not to gut Live A Live completely, we will see that in the case of the chapter called “Prehistory” we will not have an oral language system as we know it today and the interactions will take place rather through a set of stone age emojis and growling sounds on a quest to rescue a prehistoric damsel. Special mention of this chapter for the dynamics between its protagonist and his faithful companion and for a final boss that with his design will remind us of characters that we have saved in our retina, without even noticing it.
The case of the chapter “The Wild West” is quite the opposite in the development of history and characters, since it leaves aside the sympathy and ingenuity of our heroes for a much more dramatic tone. An outlaw through the desert who is pursued by a bounty hunter turned eventual ally to overcome the challenge of this story in a typical narrative of “the enemies of my enemies, are my friends”, shows loyalty to the archetypal records of the best Serge Leone. We cannot help but highlight the soundtrack’s tremendous tribute to the legendary Ennio Morricone.
How to play?
While in its narrative it opts for small additions that include: mini-games, collaboration with NPCs, exploration and even stealth, in the field of confrontations the game is inclined towards a much more content development.
A grid scenario, a set of enemies and turn-based actions with which to deploy our skills and tactical choices, such as the location of our characters on the battlefield. It is true that despite the great differences between characters and their combat skills, the battles feel extremely simple and similar between one story and another, at least from a mechanical point of view.
With the exception of some final bosses, the difficulty will not present major drawbacks; so if you are one of those who are looking for a challenge, it may leave you somewhat indifferent in this regard.
Although some players appreciate the absence of grinding extreme (the repetitive action of eliminating enemies to level up) to which the JRPG has accustomed us, with rare exceptions like this case, the truth is that we might miss greater depth in their confrontations.
It is that almost as in a reaction contrary to its narrative experimentation, on the ring, Live A Live seems to be subject to very basic rules and that do not seek to challenge the player but rather accompany him in every little story he wants to tell us.
lack of grinding and more challenging challenges in turn influence the duration. The game will last us about 25 hours at most, if we intend to complete all its content. This brand is tiny if we compare it, for example, with the recent Xenoblade Chronicles 3 or hundreds of exponents of the current JRPG and its time.
How does it feel?
It is clear that this is a remake of a lost work among the Square Enix catalog at the height of the times, and without the intention of sounding repetitive, yes, the HD-2D is a superb example of how to modernize works without taking away their original charm.
This technology, so well mastered by Square Enix and its development studios, displays a level of care and revitalization for works from older generations that allow us to revive classics or hidden gems like never before.
Before ending and not to leave aside (something we would never forgive ourselves) we must mention the superb work of the soundtrack that accompanies each of the stories signed by Yoko Shimomura. The Japanese composer created an epic soundtrack in her first job at Square Enix after her time with Capcom. There he worked on Breath of Fire or Street Fighter II (yes, what a resume I already had back then). Today we can find it behind the notes in Kingdom Hearts III or the next Mario Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Without a doubt, her contribution to the industry did not go unnoticed and in this remake we can enjoy it again.
In case there are no doubts… we love this game
Live A Live is not a game for everyone and at the same time it is. It is a game that allows us to experiment with the JRPG and at the same time delve into the genre. If what we want is a retrospective or a look at a golden age of the genre, this is the game.
Although the game is guilty of being oversimplified in some aspects; It’s also forgiving to novice players and those who want to enjoy simpler but frank stories, and without the need to throw themselves into a well of hours.
We cannot stop recommending this title for those who want an excerpt from the 16-bit JRPG or for those who want to concisely relive the adventurous afternoons of our childhood. Besides, what is good and brief is twice as good.
RELEASE DATE | July 22, 2020 |
DEVELOPER | Square Enix |
DISTRIBUTOR | Nintendo |
PLATAFORMS | Nintendo Switch |