Live A Live Reviews
Despite an undeniable simplicity and superficiality in plot and level design, Live A Live remains interesting and subversive as a JRPG in a highly accessible, varied, creative and fun way. The remake is consistent with the proposal and greatly improves the experience and the technical part. The game is recommended to any JRPG fan.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Live A Live is genuinely one of the most ambitious RPGs to have come from Square Enix. I’m truly glad that the world can now experience this gem, as it offers a unique experience that is tough to find anywhere else. If you dig RPGs but want something different and creative, I implore you to give Live A Live a shot.
The only aspect that is less in Live A Live is the combat. There is little variation in enemies outside of the bosses and the battles feel a bit monotonous. This does not detract from the fact that Live A Live as a whole is a great experience, so this Nintendo Switch game is definitely worth a try!
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Live A Live is a fantastic experience that any JRPG fan should try for at least a few chapters before writing off. It's still a unique and fresh title after nearly 2 decades and provides as much emotion in its shorter run time as some 80-plus-hour titles. While I've held back on some of the surprises the game has on offer, rest assured the game has enough diversity and allure to keep anyone engaged. Live a Live is an essential title that has finally broken through the western release barrier.
Live A Live is easily an instant classic for me, a JRPG experience that will remain memorable for a long time.
Anyone who loves the SNES era of RPGs should drop everything and play Live A Live.
Live A Live for Nintendo Switch is a structurally faithful and visually satisfying remake of one of the rarest gems of the 16-bit era JRPG landscape.
Review in Italian | Read full review
We like the basic idea of "Live a Live" with the eight characters, whose seemingly independent stories are later linked together. In combination with different settings and sometimes strongly varying game mechanics, this also results in a certain variety, but not to the extent that the title can decisively set itself apart from other JRPGs. In fact, the individual chapters are playful in themselves and sometimes too limited in the dimensions of the worlds, so that a feeling of monotony rather than a great variety arises. The bottom line is that "Live a Live" is a decent JRPG that genre fans in particular can take a look at, although for most of them, despite some special features, it will hardly have what it takes to be a must-play.
Review in German | Read full review
LIVE A LIVE is still, 20 years later, an incredibly beautiful narrative adventure, pumped full of attention to detail, nostalgic moments and a good dose of humor. Under the guise of a classic JRPG, however, it doesn't really feel like one at any point. Where the title may lack a bit of ambition and depth, LIVE A LIVE skillfully knows how to counteract with its creativity and ingenuity. The standalone chapters are excitingly staged throughout, continuously motivating thanks to the varied game design, and benefit from their entertaining episodic form on the Nintendo Switch. The short stories, which are around 3 hours long, are made to be enjoyed on the go or on the couch after work. Especially gamers who don't have much time and don't feel like getting into the next, complex 100-hour role-playing game are served easily consumable and well-tolerated content here.
Review in German | Read full review
Live A Live is a dream come true for many, finally bringing a JRPG classic overseas, that not only has an interesting and deep combat system but also a great narrative that spans over several eras, although the aging of some aspects and sudden difficulty spikes bring it down a bit, it's still a classic worth trying.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Live A Live is an absolute masterpiece, so much so that even the one chapter that frustrated me was still enjoyable once everything came together.
Live a Live puts together many of the things that put people off from playing JRPGs but makes it surprisingly accessible. It gives you several lives worth living and rewards you for really exploring every one of them.
Live A Live is a treasure of a game that still stands the test of time and gets the remake treatment it truly deserves, being playable for a new generation of gamers who need to play a game that was way ahead of its time.
The 2022 iteration of Live A Live shows how remakes for games from the early 90's should be done: a fresh coat of paint, a few quality of life improvments and Live A Live looks like a brand-new title that plays just as well. The story was, with a few minor drawbacks, so great that it still amazes today. It i is a love letter to old school RPGs and a recommendation for everybody who likes them.
Review in German | Read full review
LIVE A LIVE is a great adventure that still holds up 28 years later. With its 8 very different stories, the game delivers a wide variety of still very original gameplay. Despite offering 2 or 3 scenarios that aren't as interesting as the others, it makes up with a well-balanced rhythm of story and gameplay. In the end, it's relatively short compared to other Tactical RPGs which, in my opinion, make the genre more accessible to newcomers.
Review in French | Read full review
Live A Live transcends decades given its age but the new visuals make it feel like an entirely new video game worth playing - especially for JRPG fans.
My biggest takeaway from Live A Live is how remarkable it is considering it is a game from 1994. Sure, a lot of the fancy finishes come from the “remake” aspect here but the general package has remained the same. It goes to show that Square Enix has always been master RPG makers and Live A Live is a testament to that.