Live A Live Reviews
It’s great to see Square Enix reach into their past and allow a new generation to experience some of its best titles. While there are some negatives to Live A Live, such as weak combat and bite-size adventures, these quirks work in portable versions favors. This version loads slightly faster, so many performance quirks are part of the software. Since this isn’t quite a complete remake, the differences are marginal at best.
If you’ve been salivating for a new old-school RPG on modern consoles, Live A Live is a proper treat. The selection of stories you play are lovely and varied, the beautifully upscaled look of the game brings details to vibrant new life, and there is a lot of retro arcadey goodness in here to bask in. Furthermore, the shortness of each individual story makes each of them easy to play without feeling overloaded or that you’re missing something. Live A Live can get tricky, its grid-based battle system is a little passe, and it isn’t the most awe-inspiring remake you ever saw, but it’s a lovingly crafted revitalization that will please anybody with a fondness for old-school JRPGs.
Live A Live is a testament to creativity, perseverance and preservation. To see a giant company like Square-Enix spare the time for a game released nearly 30 years ago on one platform in one region? We need to shout from the rooftops about it. Seeing a team revisit such a hidden gem all these years later and knock it out of the park in nearly every way? We need to be celebrating. Live A Live is such a unique experience that even its era-specific missteps are worth forgiving. RPG fans of all levels, walks of life, and interests: Live A Live will transport you through time, in more ways than you'd expect.
Live A Live makes an impressive case as to why classic RPGs are not to be forgotten in time. The vignette style of storytelling brings an epic scale to an otherwise modest and sometimes unevenly paced narrative. The HD-2D visuals and recomposed soundtrack are standouts in what is already a stellar package that all RPG fans need to play.
Live A Live is an incredibly fun turn-based RPG that holds up well after nearly three decades. The Octopath Traveler type HD-2D graphics look superb, but it's the eight heroes with different mechanics that really hooked me. Whether on PlayStation, Nintendo Switch or PC, anyone with even a cursory interest in RPGs needs to check out this game.
Live A Live uses creativity and courage to build an RPG like no other. Instead of a single plot, the game is made up of numerous mini-stories, each with its own ideas and concepts. The variety of themes is one of the highlights, making it difficult not to appreciate at least some of the tales. Furthermore, the battle system is inventive and unique. The retro atmosphere oozes charm with the HD-2D visuals and the excellent soundtrack. The remake of the title released for the SNES in 1994 is technically impeccable, but perhaps too stuck in the past. The stories lack depth, the chapter structure is too basic and the RPG systems could be better worked on. Other than that, combat is unbalanced, sometimes being trivial, sometimes being too difficult. At least the pace is agile, with a modest length compared to other RPGs. Furthermore, Live A Live is worth checking out, mainly for its bold attempt to experiment and try to be different.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Live A Live is a timeless classic in my eyes. It’s as innovative and interesting as many of the genre juggernauts. Get sucked in and invested in stories that span generations and genres. An awesome premise is tied together with fun gameplay and the wonderful HD-2D art style. Personal taste can determine whether or not you enjoy a certain chapter’s gimmicks, however the bite-size of the chapters guarantee you won’t be unsatisfied for long. The PS5 version is the best console version of the game featuring high-resolution visuals and smooth 60fps gameplay. Yes, that makes a stark difference as everything looks crisp and feels sublime. The PC port is of course variable depending on your hardware, meaning that it could fall in line with the Nintendo Switch version or exceed the PS5 version. The PS4 version still boasts superior framerates and resolution to the Switch version, as well.
Overall, Live A Live emerges as a must-play title, feeling both wonderfully part of the golden era of Square RPGs, and as modern as other similar titles released today. There were some chapters that weren't quite as impactful as others, and the lack of a strong and continuous narrative might turn some players away, but Live A Live is a fantastic overall package that leaves you hungry for more at each turn. For both seasoned JRPG fans and players new to the genre alike, you won't want to miss Live A Live, as its comparatively short 20-hour playtime is always giving you something new, having you wishing that you had the chance to play it when it first came out.
While Live A Live wouldn’t have been the first game I would have picked to get the HD-2D treatment, I am certainly glad to see this underappreciated gem finally get the respect it deserves, while full 3D remakes certainly have their place some games are just better conveyed it that old school art style and Live A Live is no exception.
Live a Live is just the right dose for those looking to escape the extensive RPG standards and live 8 different and relatively short experiences, to go along with the enhanced and most beautiful HD-2D visuals used in a video game to date. A Nintendo Switch exclusive title not to be missed!
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Don’t let its 30-year absence from the global market deceive you, Live A Live is a hidden gem on the Nintendo Switch.
Back in the 90s it wasn’t an unusual sight to see a title region locked to its country of origin. Across both the US and Japan there were often titles released that never made their way to UK shores. However, there were also titles that never made it outside of Japan. This was primarily seen with an abundance of JRPG titles – with the biggest culprit being the then named SquareSoft. To be fair you can’t rest the blame onto the developer’s shoulders. Back in the day, the genre was seen as somewhat niche to Western markets, and it wouldn’t be until the arrival of Final Fantasy VII that the developer/publisher got its foot in the door with Western gamers.
It is always to be celebrated that we have access to releases that never left Japan. Also, despite being originally released in 1994, it is still able to show fresh and original gameplay mechanics today.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The remake of LIVE A LIVE is a triumph. This second life of the classic JRPG offers a varied, visually delightful, aurally flawless and narratively stunning experience. Despite stories with slightly different longevity and quality levels, this is a consistently excellent experience. Whether you're longtime fans of this genre or you're complete newbies, this is an easily recommended game, one of the best experiences Switch has to offer this year. Life is worth living with LIVE A LIVE!
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Live A Live for Nintendo Switch is a testimony of game design that can withstand the test of time. Even though it may have taken 28 years to make the leap overseas in an official capacity, the game feels brand new and with so much to experience and the hidden gems that connects the dots to find, you will be won over time and time again.
Square Enix’s remake of Live A Live shows that even nearly thirty-year-old games can use narrative tricks to have a game shine brilliantly. Modern sensibilities, such as easier quest tracking and voice acting help widen its appeal, but the core experience remains outstanding after all these years.
Live A Live is a Turn-Based tactical JRPG in which several small stories together form a larger whole. Each character comes from a different era with different weapons and skills. The style in combination with the gameplay makes this a must-play for the Nintendo Switch.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
The attention to detail in this game is a brilliant display of confidence. Every little bit of it triangulates and octagulates (100% accidental reference to the other Square Enix games mentioned above) and enchants the mind. Every bit of the experience is worth it. The question is often asked, ‘Are games art?’ Well, of course, they are—and 32 years ago this great example was released. Now, love and passion—by all those in Square Enix responsible—have given us a remake to be savoured. Live A Live gets the Thumb Culture Platinum Award.
Live A Live has been successfully adapted to today's consoles, both visually and in terms of gameplay, and has not lost any of its original spirit.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Even today, Live A Live feels fresh and different due to its unique story structure and it passes the test of time.
Review in Slovak | Read full review