Live A Live Reviews
Live A Live feels like it shouldn’t exist, or was destined to remain hidden away with only a few fortunate fans stumbling upon it in the midst of online forums hosting fan translations of forgotten classics. I’m not sure what inspired Nintendo and Square Enix to bring this game back from the dead for a whole generation, but the fact they went through with it is a miracle. Whether you’re a JRPG fan or simply keen to play something completely different, Live A Live manages to surprise and delight in equal measure while refusing to show its full hand until the last possible moment. I’d argue it was almost worth the decades we spent waiting.
Live a Live feels like a natural fit within Square Enix’s focus on bringing older titles to newer audiences. As the blueprint for other potential titles to come, it’s clear why the 1994 SNES title was chosen as the first remaster to receive the “HD-2D” treatment. Even with a shallow learning curve, there’s plenty to enjoy in this unique omnibus. Fans of classic JRPGs won’t want to miss this reimagining with plenty to enjoy for newcomers to role-playing games.
An excellent remaster of an excellent game, Live A Live influence can be spotted in many titles to this day, and most people may have never even heard of it. After 30 years, consumers can finally enjoy one of the most unique and compelling JRPGS from the SNES area.
Live A Live is an incredibly interesting and unique JRPG experience. With lovely HD-2D graphics and numerous main characters, it's hard not to compare it to the likes of Octopath Traveler, but it really is a completely different kettle of fish. Live A Live is a varied thrill ride that still impresses all these years later, and while the combat does struggle to live up to the rest of the adventure, the game does a fantastic job of tying all of its intriguing, individual stories together. It's a history-hopping journey we'll be thinking about for quite some time.
Live A Live is an interesting game that will most likely excite some players while losing others. The unique stories are great for short bursts but the lack of investment may turn off some. Still I love that we live in an era when lost games can once again make a return. Live A Live is certainly not for everyone, but for those that it does hit it is sure to please. Maybe it would have been wise though to release this game a little further away from Nintendo’s biggest RPG franchise to give it some room to breathe.
Live A Live is a fascinating lost piece of gaming history that offers up an impressively-varied cinematic saga well ahead of its time, although a slide into more traditional JRPG tropes in its third act diminishes some of what makes the game special. Live A Live is an unpredictable journey worth experiencing, but like life itself, it may leave you feeling a bit worn down by the end.
Live A Live is a masterclass in how to remake a classic title that is being released in other territories for the first time.
Live A Live tries to do many things, but not all of them live up to the same standard. The overall narrative is satisfying, but the stylistic discrepancy between its various adventures, combined with a certain underlying simplicity, makes the game a short adventure lacking depth, but admittedly exciting when it gets into the right gear.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Although these are fairly bite-sized adventures, each one packs a remarkable punch. Every chapter works to distinguish itself from the rest of the pack, and it shows. While I can’t recommend each story with equal vigor, I am impressed with the total package. Sure, I would prefer fewer chances to soft-lock yourself. I’d also love to leave behind some of the level grinding. But the core gameplay loop is still fun. Between the wild stories, the engaging combat, and the incredible voice acting, Live A Live feels like much more than the sum of its parts. If you’re any kind of fan of classic JRPGs, you owe it to yourself to check out this game.
Live A Live delivers where a remaster should. The visuals feel like a modern but faithful reinterpretation of classic pixel art, the music is as essential as ever, and the combat still holds weight. Elements of the storytelling and presentation are dated, and I would have liked to have seen some new content or bonus behind-the-scenes features, but despite all that, Live A Live remains a fun JRPG that is essential for fans of the old classics and their retro trappings.
Seeing the rebirth of a video game as important and influential as it is unknown to most (at least here in the West) is a feeling difficult to describe. Live A Live is a remake made almost impeccably and, above all, with great taste, between the magical touch of HD-2D and the original soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura appropriately rearranged for the occasion.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Live A Live has been well worth the long wait. This remake reintroduces an influential, unique JRPG to the wider world with aplomb, with a cacophony of different gameplay styles, music, and visuals that somehow hang together beautifully. Despite looking like Octopath Traveler and perfecting the HD-2D visual style, you'd do well to remember that this is still a Super Famicom RPG, with many of the frustrations that come with ‘90s RPGs still intact in this remake. Still, we admire that Square Enix decided not to change too much with this remake, instead delivering an authentic and faithful update to the game that the majority of players outside Japan missed nearly three decades ago. This is a piece of gaming history we have loved getting to experience for the first time.
Live A Live aims to tell nine different stories, with very different protagonists and settings, all within a short period of time. The jack of all trades approach means that some chapters are fantastic and others can drag. It tries to do a lot of things at once, some of which work and some that don't. Luckily, the good parts outweigh the bad, and Live A Live is a great pick for fans of classic JRPGs, so long as they expect an occasionally bumpy ride.
As a love letter to JRPGs, Live a Live is a game that no fan of this genre should miss. The remake makes masterful use of HD-2D, bringing new life to a game from almost 30 years ago.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
I implore anyone who enjoyed JRPGs of the 90s, especially the ones by Square itself, to give Live A Live a try. It’s filled to the brim with variety, humor, and interesting narratives. It may not be perfect or surpass your childhood favorites, but fans of the genre will find a place in their hearts for it nonetheless.
Live A Live delivers a gem of a JRPG from a lost generation. It's a nostalgic blast from the past with enough modern innovations to keep the experience fresh and engaging.
Live A Live is a high-effort remake from the presentation side, though the base game remains an uneven RPG experience.
With fantastic art, beautiful music, and a wildly experimental concept, LIVE A LIVE is a wonderful remake that feels like taking a time machine back to the golden era of RPGs.
Live A Live still has it. Takashi Tokita led a young team of fans at Historia, Inc. to create a version of a classic as vibrant and exciting and crucially unique in Square’s catalog today as it was in 1994. Released between Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger and passed over for translation due to its technically less impressive sprite work compared to its flagship siblings, it shines today as the celebration of a cult classic, with a worldwide legacy and influence as an important milestone in an entire alternate history of RPGs. Live A Live is the exact opposite of the unique masterpiece that’s so good it ruins other games: it is a heartfelt tribute to everything there is to love about the RPG format, and will leave you invigorated and excited not just to play more RPGs, but to watch more Kung Fu movies, more Westerns, more classic Sci-Fi. If you’ve even a passing interest in the genre, it is simply a must play.
LIVE A LIVE is a classic that deserves to be played and admired. Don’t sleep on something special.