Live A Live Reviews
LIVE A LIVE is a classic that deserves to be played and admired. Don’t sleep on something special.
Although it is more than 25 years old, Live A Live delights with charming narratives, solid gameplay, and a well-remastered presentation.
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 an RPG that was reborn with new life and vigor, and it shows. It's a solid RPG that weaves all sorts of unique mechanics, stories and genres into one package that is very special indeed.
Live A Live is an incredibly unique and endearing adventure, with multiple engaging storylines and strong combat throughout. Some of its ideas are so forward-thinking and intriguing that it’s almost shocking that this was originally released almost 30 years ago. While it maintains some weird quirks reminiscent of the SNES era that it came from and the pacing can be a bit strange from chapter to chapter, the beautiful visuals and catchy soundtrack propel Live A Live into the modern era and gives everybody the opportunity to experience a classic RPG that has a whole lot of heart. I’m incredibly grateful I’ve had the opportunity to play it, and am left dreaming about what other hidden gems just like it might be waiting to be unlocked and shared with the world.
It’s been 28 years, but Live A Live finally gets its proper dues outside of Japan with an excellent remake.
Live A Live leverages a fantastic visual overhaul with an already compelling and inventive narrative structure to offer an RPG experience like no other. It's aging for sure – the slower nature of the turn-based battles and some strange logic to get the story moving – but it's such a unique experience that any RPG fan owes it to themselves to try.
The structure of this JRPG gives it its unique identity compared to many other games in the same genre, and the vast category of ideas, eras and topics that the game's stories go through help keep it feeling fresh.
Live A Live is a truly unique product of its time that still stands out in the competitive field of role-playing games today. After playing, it makes sense that it would be lauded to this day for its subversive takes on JRPG gameplay elements and its multiple narratives. What's most charming about how experimental the game is, is that it is not a subversion due to cynicism over the genre, but a love for its potential.
Repetitive combat and exploration pad out this wonderfully remastered cult JRPG experience that falls just short of a recommendation.
Live A Live is short and sweet, a surprisingly modern twist on JRPGs that Square and Nintendo luckily decided to bring back from the dead. it won't probably win any award for its narrative and surely there are far more vast and deep JRPGs out there, but this is nonetheless a very good choice for japanese role playing games lovers.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Live A Live takes too long to settle into its RPG groove, making it a missed opportunity on too many fronts.
If you’re a fan of quirky JRPGs, consider Live A Live a must-have. Each and every one of the stories offered up here is distinctive and interesting, keeping your attention held like a vice. Along with a fantastic combat system, and numerous improvements to the presentation of the overall package, we’re overjoyed that this title is finally available in the west. Only the occasional frustration brings it down a little, but they’re very much worth pushing through.
Live A Live quickly ascended to the list of some of my favourite JRPG's, and I'll be sure to recommend it to players in the future. I can see why it failed when it was originally released - it's ambitious, not in size and scope, but in creativity and imagination. Perhaps the audience wasn't ready for it back in 1994, perhaps the game was limited by the hardware it was developed for, or perhaps its creators simply needed a bit more experience before they could fully realise their vision. Having played this remake I can safely say that this time around they nailed it. I can only hope that the remake is successful because once the credits rolled I only wanted one thing - more.
Live A Live is one of the greatest RPGs ever made. Fans of Chrono Trigger will definitely want to check this out and even if you played the original, this remake offers some new additions and adjustments that make it more enjoyable than ever. It is too bad that the localization was bungled in some areas, but this will only affect those who are intimately familiar with the original intent.
If you enjoy retro and at the same time want something unique that is not quite common even nowadays, Live A Live will definitely offer you that. Some periods of the game are more fun, others less so, but overall it's still a very good game after all these years. And the PC port is successful, although the controls could have been a little more refined.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
LIVE A LIVE is an excellent example of a historical RPG that needed a remake in order to be better appreciated by the public. With a well-executed and intriguing structure, albeit relatively shallow due to its short duration, the title needs to be played by fans of the genre.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
This re-release makes Live A Live shine brilliantly on modern consoles and PC all thanks to the game's breathtaking pixel art and unique storytelling that have proven it can stand tall even after more than 28 years. It's a game that should be experienced by every turn based fan
Review in Arabic | Read full review
LIVE A LIVE is a gorgeous 2D-HD experience that combines modern with classic pixel visuals. With multiple chapters to select featuring their own story and characters, along with a variety of genres, there is so much here to keep you busy, this is a must-play RPG!
Live A Live is a gem that has been lying in Square Enix's archive for years and has finally been made available to everyone.
Review in Turkish | Read full review