And the prayers of white wings.
Tenshi no Uta: Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori is the third and final game in the Tenshi no Uta franchise. It’s very loosely connected to the other two, so, if you jump in here, you won’t notice anything. At least, I think. This is my first foray into the series, so what do I know? The first two are stuck on the PC-88, for now, and game three remains a Super Famicom exclusive. But at least it has an English patch. But what is it about?
The plot mixes Celtic mythology with Christian themes. It’s probably one of the reasons it never got localized. I didn’t notice too much Celtic stuff, outside of an ultimate weapon and a few generic enemies that can be found in plenty of video games. I think the first two games lean more into that area. There’s also a heavy emphasis on love, with a strong overtone of godly love. If you’re a heretic like me, this might be cause to throw the game away. I’d advise against that because there’s also a lot of agnostic atheist touches here. It’s in the form of god working as he does in real life, which is to say he doesn’t. Humans are the real power here, which touches my long, dead heart. None of these are overt, by any means, so I might just be trying to make something deeper.
Tenshi no Uta 3 works like a Dragon Quest game. Battles are in first person, and it’s turned based. And the turn order actually makes sense, so it’s better than Dragon Quest! There are also zero descriptions in battle of what all the spells do! It also does the thing where every area has its own problems, and solving them lets you continue to another location’s issues. This isn’t a hard and stern rule, as there are plenty of locations that are just there to sleep at an inn, restock items and gear, or advance the character narrative. This helps make the game feel fast and the world huge. Another reason why it’s better than DQ! The infrequency of bosses takes this to another level!
It’s also more character driven. There is an overarching plot, but that feels like a background thing for a while. At the end, the characters even mentioned it was secondary to their personal reasons. They don’t run from the demons attacking their home, so they’re not passive characters, but saving the girl is paramount. Nothing else is important until we find this pretty singer’s parents. It’s a neat dichotomy. It’s even weirder because you can befriend the enemies. One of the battle mechanics has you parlaying with mobs. It rarely works, but when it does, you’re rewarded with more exp, money, an item, or a new friend that can help you in battle. I had a manticore, a mid game mob, attack the final boss with me! It didn’t help, but it was funny.
But the gist is, you play as Rey, the son of the village blacksmith. One day, Ray meets a pink haired girl, Callana, at a bridge, singing to birds, squirrels, and cats. So she’s a Disney princess. She’s also an orphan who wants to find her real parents. Rey discovers she’s the headlining act of the circus, as a singer, and falls madly in love. They continue to talk to each other until the circus leaves town. Despite each being in love, Ray lets her go without saying goodbye. He’s a moody teenager who’s afraid of his feelings. His friends urge him on, but it isn’t until they learn Callana has been kidnapped and is forced to marry a corrupt count that he does anything. Rey and his friends invite themselves to the ceremony, saving Callana, but getting themselves involved with demons. From there, it’s new friends, twists and turns, and legends of heroic ventures from only twenty years ago. It goes places! And I liked them!
Long story, short. Tenshi no Uta Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori is a top ten SNES RPG.
—-
Plot: underdeveloped. The story is neat, but the characters involved could have been utilized better. The playable cast is perfectly fine, but the villains are a tad too Dragon Questy. 7/10
Gameplay: best part. You can kill everything, or you can parley to get mobs to leave on friendly terms. It’s stingy, but at least it makes the chaff feel better than mindless zombies. And each mob has their own taunts and dialogue! Sadly, there are only two puzzle ish dungeons. 9/10
Music: why I came here. I knew nothing of this game until I saw who helped compose the soundtrack. This is the earliest work (that I’ll be playing) of my third favorite composer, Motoi Sakuraba. The famed Tri-ace musician started here! He wasn’t the only one, but you can tell which songs are his. The good news is the OST is amazing! 10/10
Art: uh…: It looks like a Sega Genesis game. If someone told me this was a part of the Phantasy Star franchise a month ago, I’d believe them. The overworld and town/dungeon visuals are kinda ugly. However, get into a battle, and the enemy sprites are so incredibly well detailed, it might be a PS1 title. Spells are also unique and high quality, but dungeons are just so ho-hum. TnU also leans into its PC-88 history from time to time with beautiful cutscenes. I wonder how much space the final image of Callana takes up on the disk? 8/10
Charm: solid. The world is huge and sometimes feels alive. While there are no side quests, several NPCs are important throughout. There are several reasons to go out of your way and explore. Mob dialogue is fun, and it’s the perfect length. Man, this game is rad. Doubt I’ll replay it, though. 8/10
Between the fun plot, neat characters, enemy sprites, parlay system, and Motoi Sakuraba soundtrack, Tenshi no Uta: Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori, or Song/Poem of Angels: Prayer of the White Wings, gets 42/50. It’s rough around the edges, but there’s a more than solid experience to be had here. And it turns out that I’ve played this at the perfect time. It’s recently been announced that the first two games in the franchise are getting an official localization! I think preorders are being compiled for both physical and digital, and this game isn’t a part of that bundle, but it’s something. Let me know how they play!
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Saturday, January 17, 2026
From heaven to hell.
Front Mission sucks!
Front Mission 3 was a mid game that I think I ultimately liked. Gun Hazard was a ton of fun that I know I enjoyed. I’d rather play Lufia than game one.
Full disclosure, I only played about a quarter of the way through the game before I had to tap out. And the biggest reason why is the patron devil of video game mechanics, RNGesus. The biggest annoyance I had with FM3 began in game one. There are four separate health bars on a wanzer: nody, arms, and both legs. Each has a similar chance of being hit in battle. Remember what usually happens in this situation?
The difficulty is also frustrating. Battles five and six contain so many missile launchers that it felt unfair, especially if you’re trying to keep everyone alive. I lost a potential party member because he was AI controlled, and enemy AI isn’t stupid. Paul ran in and got killed. Cool, now I’m at an even bigger disadvantage for future missions. Okay, fine, I can sacrifice one or two characters. But don’t let Lloyd die, or it’s game over. And Lloyd is always on the verge of death!
The music is just there. It’s not exciting, nor is it memorable. One of the songs is a must mute track, though, and you hear it pretty often. Front Mission was composed by Yoko Shimomura, the same composer for Live a Live. So what the hell happened?!
It’s a beautiful game, so it’s got that going for it. Most wanzer parts look different, all the weapons are unique, and there are plenty of head portraits to look at. The portraits even move! The art team popped off, but it was all for naught because…
The story goes nowhere. As I said, I only played about seven missions, less than a quarter of the game, but I spoiled myself and saw what was coming. It’s pretty damn interesting, actually! However, it takes so long to get there. Seventy percent of the game is just you being a mercenary. Why Lloyd is the field leader of a preexisting merc group is beyond me, but whatever. It takes forever to get there. And unlike FM3, it doesn’t have the backdrop of you being active participants in a war.
I’m somewhere between bored and angry with Front Mission. I hate it, and it’s tedious, so I’m done. I’ve got nearly twenty five games to get through. This game is better sacrificed, so that I can move on. 13/50. Maybe it can reach 17, but who cares?
Front Mission 3 was a mid game that I think I ultimately liked. Gun Hazard was a ton of fun that I know I enjoyed. I’d rather play Lufia than game one.
Full disclosure, I only played about a quarter of the way through the game before I had to tap out. And the biggest reason why is the patron devil of video game mechanics, RNGesus. The biggest annoyance I had with FM3 began in game one. There are four separate health bars on a wanzer: nody, arms, and both legs. Each has a similar chance of being hit in battle. Remember what usually happens in this situation?
The difficulty is also frustrating. Battles five and six contain so many missile launchers that it felt unfair, especially if you’re trying to keep everyone alive. I lost a potential party member because he was AI controlled, and enemy AI isn’t stupid. Paul ran in and got killed. Cool, now I’m at an even bigger disadvantage for future missions. Okay, fine, I can sacrifice one or two characters. But don’t let Lloyd die, or it’s game over. And Lloyd is always on the verge of death!
The music is just there. It’s not exciting, nor is it memorable. One of the songs is a must mute track, though, and you hear it pretty often. Front Mission was composed by Yoko Shimomura, the same composer for Live a Live. So what the hell happened?!
It’s a beautiful game, so it’s got that going for it. Most wanzer parts look different, all the weapons are unique, and there are plenty of head portraits to look at. The portraits even move! The art team popped off, but it was all for naught because…
The story goes nowhere. As I said, I only played about seven missions, less than a quarter of the game, but I spoiled myself and saw what was coming. It’s pretty damn interesting, actually! However, it takes so long to get there. Seventy percent of the game is just you being a mercenary. Why Lloyd is the field leader of a preexisting merc group is beyond me, but whatever. It takes forever to get there. And unlike FM3, it doesn’t have the backdrop of you being active participants in a war.
I’m somewhere between bored and angry with Front Mission. I hate it, and it’s tedious, so I’m done. I’ve got nearly twenty five games to get through. This game is better sacrificed, so that I can move on. 13/50. Maybe it can reach 17, but who cares?
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Confession/New Years Plans
I'm a terrible writer. My style hasn't evolved, I don't add anything to the zeitgeist, and I'm repetitive. I use the same words to describe everything. All I do is write terribly detailed walkthroughs, rarely touching on themes or aspects of story, characters, or anything else I like. I am banal, boring, and uninspiring.
I once won a young author's award in third grade. I remember titling it "The Special Egg," but I have zero recollection of what it was about. I had a teacher's assistant gush over my psychology homework in college, so I don't think I sucked in 2011. I didn't believe her, so I doubt it would have gone to my head. Especially since everyone hated my poem a few years later.
Can I do anything about it? In my Live a Live review, I touched on the themes of overcoming hate. It's something I want to try to do going forward. I'm not sure if that will work, since JRPG tropes like the power of friendship are a bit too common. I wish I knew music better so I could be more detailed about that. Perhaps painting better pictures of the graphics can be done? I'm nearing 1000 blog posts, so I should be getting better at some point?
And I might have ammo for all this. My plans this year are to play all the Japanese only RPGs that have translations. But only the ones I think I'll enjoy. So I'm skipping Fire Emblems, Der Landgriser, Minerva, Tactics Ogres, EVO, and Dark Half. Amongst others, probably. This isn't saying those are bad games, but I just don't think I'll vibe with them. I won't promise I'll finish all of them, but I want to experience them. And this will culminate in my Eastern vs. Western JRPG discussion one day. So I may need a few more Western titles, too. And one European! What has Japan been hiding?! Find out in, like, a year or more. And I hope all the internet scrubbing and LLM: AI slop bots tell me if I'm getting better as a writer, please.
Also, I'm writing a book loosely based on how cool my stuffed animal is.
Monday, January 12, 2026
Another game the world got too late.
Live a Live is a strange game. There are a lot of unanswered questions, but those questions don't matter. It's a game with several mechanics, all of which are swallow. But everything is fun and engaging. It's a game that tries to do everything but never strays far from the standards. It is simple and complex, broad and deep, a weird game to play yet easy to love.
Live a Live tells eight stories. In that sense, it's comparable to The 7th Saga. The difference is that those eight are entirely different. Eight stories, eight unique mechanics, and eight unrelated characters. 7th Saga was one story in one game. LaL was eight stories that could have been eight games. Would those eight have been good? Probably not, but add some depth, and who knows? One story has no dialogue, and the gimmick is smelling the air. Another is a western with little to no shooting, replaced with setting traps. A space drama, mecha anime, stealth action, foux fighter, and a scenario where choices matter. None of these should vibe together, but they do. A twenty five hour experience with bite sized Neapolitan scoops to make a giant tower ice cream cone.
The only tie is the battle system. Every story has a seven-by-seven grid, akin to Lunar. Character skills have a particular range and can only be used if the positioning is right. At first, I didn't realize how different every character was. But the final chapter showcased the seven. Between casting time, speed, tile manipulation, and damage types, everyone fills a role. That ice cream scoop is gluten free and egg free.
And the chocolate sauce on top is the music. All the songs fit the location and predicament. You'll hear songs that sound like they're from China in the kung fu chapter. The wrestling chapter has tunes that could play a New Japan wrestler to the ring. Prehistoric tracks are percussive and earthy. Clint Eastwood hears Sundown Kid's themes in his sleep. It's all memorable, great, and one of the finest displays on the system. This was far from her first composition work, but it's the first notable work by Yoko Shinomura. So it's the start of her legacy.
All chapters were drawn by a well known manga artist. I have to imagine this only works in the manual or with concept art. Sprites are different depending on the era, but they're not noticeably so. They're all well detailed, mind you. Akira having highlights in his hair was something neat. Cube is clearly an egg! And there's no pallet swaps! I don't know what part of my ice cream cone analogy this is. Maybe eating it with someone?
---
Plot: all the ice cream. All eight main characters could deserve their own full game. Even their secondary allies get time to show off. The villains are just slightly lacking. The two stalwarts stand out, though, so the important ones fill out the score page. And the story, despite being so disconnected, is actually just told in a novel way. Rather than one group of friends fighting against a tyrant, we have seven people, heros in their own time, doing battle against the base human emotion of hate. Hate erodes through all of history. It creates tension, war, and death. But it can be stopped by love, home, friends, family, passion, duty, and calm rationality. This is true no matter the time, nation, or reason. Someone will always hate. But someone will always love. 9/10
Gameplay: healthy waffle comes. It's perfect. Everyone is different, both in combat and in exploration. I've never seen a game do what Live a Live has done to this extent. Wild Arms has tools, Star Ocean 4 has field skills, and Infinite Undiscovery has item creation, but none of them has so drastically changed gameplay like these. 10/10
Sound: Chocolate sauce. All the songs only play during their chapter to remind you they're location based tracks. There's much variety, and GO LISTEN TO MEGALOMANIA. 10/10
Art: the friends we made along the way. I don't know if the manga artists mattered in game, but whoever transcribed the concept art to sprites better have gotten a raise. It's another reason why the unique chapter idea was a great idea. 10/10
Charm: not getting sick. Alas, the disconnected story doesn't help NPCs show off. What few "mini games" there are are lacking. The item creation in the near future chapter was so tertiary that I never bothered. And it didn't matter. It also knocks the individual worlds, too. But the way it comes together has to go for something. Everything else, mind you, is just perfect. There are even multiple endings! 8/10
Without negatives, Live a Live scores an astonishing 47 points out of 50. I enjoyed Live a Live, but I didn't expect it to score this much. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna argue against it. I don't know why I made this an ice cream metaphor, and I don't think I was consistent, but whatever.
This is definitely one of the best experiences on the Super Nintendo in every way. The disconnected storytelling might not vibe with everyone, but the chapters are short and worth experiencing, even once. I kinda wish I had played this when I was younger to see if the story would have changed me in any way. I wish I could have! Live a Live never came out in America until three or so years ago, when it got remade, so Square knew they messed up! And the good news is that remake looks hella rad! It even adds some things I didn't know I wanted. Like ATB bars!
If this deserved a remake, did my next?
Live a Live tells eight stories. In that sense, it's comparable to The 7th Saga. The difference is that those eight are entirely different. Eight stories, eight unique mechanics, and eight unrelated characters. 7th Saga was one story in one game. LaL was eight stories that could have been eight games. Would those eight have been good? Probably not, but add some depth, and who knows? One story has no dialogue, and the gimmick is smelling the air. Another is a western with little to no shooting, replaced with setting traps. A space drama, mecha anime, stealth action, foux fighter, and a scenario where choices matter. None of these should vibe together, but they do. A twenty five hour experience with bite sized Neapolitan scoops to make a giant tower ice cream cone.
The only tie is the battle system. Every story has a seven-by-seven grid, akin to Lunar. Character skills have a particular range and can only be used if the positioning is right. At first, I didn't realize how different every character was. But the final chapter showcased the seven. Between casting time, speed, tile manipulation, and damage types, everyone fills a role. That ice cream scoop is gluten free and egg free.
And the chocolate sauce on top is the music. All the songs fit the location and predicament. You'll hear songs that sound like they're from China in the kung fu chapter. The wrestling chapter has tunes that could play a New Japan wrestler to the ring. Prehistoric tracks are percussive and earthy. Clint Eastwood hears Sundown Kid's themes in his sleep. It's all memorable, great, and one of the finest displays on the system. This was far from her first composition work, but it's the first notable work by Yoko Shinomura. So it's the start of her legacy.
All chapters were drawn by a well known manga artist. I have to imagine this only works in the manual or with concept art. Sprites are different depending on the era, but they're not noticeably so. They're all well detailed, mind you. Akira having highlights in his hair was something neat. Cube is clearly an egg! And there's no pallet swaps! I don't know what part of my ice cream cone analogy this is. Maybe eating it with someone?
---
Plot: all the ice cream. All eight main characters could deserve their own full game. Even their secondary allies get time to show off. The villains are just slightly lacking. The two stalwarts stand out, though, so the important ones fill out the score page. And the story, despite being so disconnected, is actually just told in a novel way. Rather than one group of friends fighting against a tyrant, we have seven people, heros in their own time, doing battle against the base human emotion of hate. Hate erodes through all of history. It creates tension, war, and death. But it can be stopped by love, home, friends, family, passion, duty, and calm rationality. This is true no matter the time, nation, or reason. Someone will always hate. But someone will always love. 9/10
Gameplay: healthy waffle comes. It's perfect. Everyone is different, both in combat and in exploration. I've never seen a game do what Live a Live has done to this extent. Wild Arms has tools, Star Ocean 4 has field skills, and Infinite Undiscovery has item creation, but none of them has so drastically changed gameplay like these. 10/10
Sound: Chocolate sauce. All the songs only play during their chapter to remind you they're location based tracks. There's much variety, and GO LISTEN TO MEGALOMANIA. 10/10
Art: the friends we made along the way. I don't know if the manga artists mattered in game, but whoever transcribed the concept art to sprites better have gotten a raise. It's another reason why the unique chapter idea was a great idea. 10/10
Charm: not getting sick. Alas, the disconnected story doesn't help NPCs show off. What few "mini games" there are are lacking. The item creation in the near future chapter was so tertiary that I never bothered. And it didn't matter. It also knocks the individual worlds, too. But the way it comes together has to go for something. Everything else, mind you, is just perfect. There are even multiple endings! 8/10
Without negatives, Live a Live scores an astonishing 47 points out of 50. I enjoyed Live a Live, but I didn't expect it to score this much. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna argue against it. I don't know why I made this an ice cream metaphor, and I don't think I was consistent, but whatever.
This is definitely one of the best experiences on the Super Nintendo in every way. The disconnected storytelling might not vibe with everyone, but the chapters are short and worth experiencing, even once. I kinda wish I had played this when I was younger to see if the story would have changed me in any way. I wish I could have! Live a Live never came out in America until three or so years ago, when it got remade, so Square knew they messed up! And the good news is that remake looks hella rad! It even adds some things I didn't know I wanted. Like ATB bars!
If this deserved a remake, did my next?
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Dominion of Hate
Ya know what I hate? Football.
We've arrived at the final chapter. We can select one of the eight characters we've already played as, but there are only two pathways regardless. Oersted gets his own separate thing, but it's wildly different. The true ending is from the other seven. I'm a basic boy and chose the guy everyone else on YouTube picked, which was disappointing. But I can't go back, so let's see what the Sundown Kid does at the end.
We start with him leaving Success, having just beaten Mad Dog. A voice calls out through time, telling him, "It's time." Those who still "embrace the delusion of humanity" are invited to "learn the truth." Sundown is warped away, with his horse still riding on. Something similar happens to everyone else.
But Sundown appears outside Hash's hut all alone. Never one to linger, Sundown starts to figure out what's happened. From here, the game goes one of three more ways. Find the other six characters, if you want, and then fight Odio/Oersted. Each character is located in an area we visited during Oersted's chapter. Some are on the mountain, others in the forest, and two are in towns or the castle. Each character also has a unique dungeon, which houses their ultimate weapons and some powerful armor. And the experience is great! If you run through everyone's area, you'll have no problem getting at least five characters to level sixteen, or Cube a considerable amount of HP upgrades.
There's no story here, but you can see the king, Straybow, and Alicia in Akira's dungeon. Cube's is a puzzle that confused me, and the others were based on their chapter's unique mechanics. It's all pretty fun, though the lack of story can feel like busy work.
Eventually, though, you're gonna need to go back through the demon's castle. It's the same as before, filled with the same (empty) chests/skeletons, and scenery. Your team, Sundown, Akira, Yuan, and Massau (sorry, Pogo), for me, enter the statue room. They recognize that they've seen this O/Dio before. Beyond that is the secret passage, the long hallway, and the cliff statue.
Nothing happens when we arrive or inspect the statue, but leaving triggers the voice who summoned us here to yell at us. Oersted steps forth, and we begin battle!
Why is it a mole? Oersted has a mole on his forehead, apparently, because we're up against floating lips, eyes, and a mole. Take out pieces one by one. Nothing is scary, but I hope you brought a healer anyway. It's a long battle! Attacking the mole does one damage, and it counters with a heal to all Dio forms on the field. You can kill it with proper debuffs and a strong enough attack (like the Parasite Sword) can take him out. It might be wise to suffer the long way, because leaving the mole last brings the true final boss.
Pure Odio is no joke. He moves so fast, hits hard, hits wide, and frequently stuns people. Ariel gear prevents stuns, so spread that around. I'm glad I brought three people with heals, even if only one can be used on someone else. Cancel Ray is terrifying. I learned that the Parasite Sword deals 999 damage in this battle!
Regardless of how you win, Oersted drops before us and pleads for us to end him. This path has two endings, but only one is called the true ending. Don't kill him. The team will walk away, and the rest of the playable cast catches up to us in the statue room. Oersted does too, adamant that this isn't over. He yells that "from the distant past to the distant future. In times of peace or war. No matter the place, no matter the time, no matter the reason, hate will always be there. Each character then has a one-on-one fight against their O/Dio. Dio hasn't grown any, but we have. All these are jokes, but they make for a great epilogue.
Oersted loses again, not understanding how. Your chosen main character will say something pertaining to why they fight and haven't given up hope. This makes Oersted realize all his follies. He tells us that everyone will return to their own times, but warns us that he will always be there. Hate will always be there. Odio means hate in Romance languages... His words are correct, and we all return home.
We see each character get a run ending. It's been a rough night, and I can't enjoy anything, but Gori having five kids with his monkey harem was funny. Sundown didn't appear to change much. Masaru went on a trip. Odoro is still running through fields, although this can change depending on how you answered Ryojo's question. Ruan has a whole school. I don't remember Akira.
The ending scenes have our cast running towards the setting Sun with past battles superseding between them. The final look is all seven of them standing over Oersted's forest somehow. Whatever, it's the end. It doesn't need to make sense. Live a Live was fun, and I see why it got a remaster. Details tomorrow!
We've arrived at the final chapter. We can select one of the eight characters we've already played as, but there are only two pathways regardless. Oersted gets his own separate thing, but it's wildly different. The true ending is from the other seven. I'm a basic boy and chose the guy everyone else on YouTube picked, which was disappointing. But I can't go back, so let's see what the Sundown Kid does at the end.
We start with him leaving Success, having just beaten Mad Dog. A voice calls out through time, telling him, "It's time." Those who still "embrace the delusion of humanity" are invited to "learn the truth." Sundown is warped away, with his horse still riding on. Something similar happens to everyone else.
But Sundown appears outside Hash's hut all alone. Never one to linger, Sundown starts to figure out what's happened. From here, the game goes one of three more ways. Find the other six characters, if you want, and then fight Odio/Oersted. Each character is located in an area we visited during Oersted's chapter. Some are on the mountain, others in the forest, and two are in towns or the castle. Each character also has a unique dungeon, which houses their ultimate weapons and some powerful armor. And the experience is great! If you run through everyone's area, you'll have no problem getting at least five characters to level sixteen, or Cube a considerable amount of HP upgrades.
There's no story here, but you can see the king, Straybow, and Alicia in Akira's dungeon. Cube's is a puzzle that confused me, and the others were based on their chapter's unique mechanics. It's all pretty fun, though the lack of story can feel like busy work.
Eventually, though, you're gonna need to go back through the demon's castle. It's the same as before, filled with the same (empty) chests/skeletons, and scenery. Your team, Sundown, Akira, Yuan, and Massau (sorry, Pogo), for me, enter the statue room. They recognize that they've seen this O/Dio before. Beyond that is the secret passage, the long hallway, and the cliff statue.
Nothing happens when we arrive or inspect the statue, but leaving triggers the voice who summoned us here to yell at us. Oersted steps forth, and we begin battle!
Why is it a mole? Oersted has a mole on his forehead, apparently, because we're up against floating lips, eyes, and a mole. Take out pieces one by one. Nothing is scary, but I hope you brought a healer anyway. It's a long battle! Attacking the mole does one damage, and it counters with a heal to all Dio forms on the field. You can kill it with proper debuffs and a strong enough attack (like the Parasite Sword) can take him out. It might be wise to suffer the long way, because leaving the mole last brings the true final boss.
Pure Odio is no joke. He moves so fast, hits hard, hits wide, and frequently stuns people. Ariel gear prevents stuns, so spread that around. I'm glad I brought three people with heals, even if only one can be used on someone else. Cancel Ray is terrifying. I learned that the Parasite Sword deals 999 damage in this battle!
Regardless of how you win, Oersted drops before us and pleads for us to end him. This path has two endings, but only one is called the true ending. Don't kill him. The team will walk away, and the rest of the playable cast catches up to us in the statue room. Oersted does too, adamant that this isn't over. He yells that "from the distant past to the distant future. In times of peace or war. No matter the place, no matter the time, no matter the reason, hate will always be there. Each character then has a one-on-one fight against their O/Dio. Dio hasn't grown any, but we have. All these are jokes, but they make for a great epilogue.
Oersted loses again, not understanding how. Your chosen main character will say something pertaining to why they fight and haven't given up hope. This makes Oersted realize all his follies. He tells us that everyone will return to their own times, but warns us that he will always be there. Hate will always be there. Odio means hate in Romance languages... His words are correct, and we all return home.
We see each character get a run ending. It's been a rough night, and I can't enjoy anything, but Gori having five kids with his monkey harem was funny. Sundown didn't appear to change much. Masaru went on a trip. Odoro is still running through fields, although this can change depending on how you answered Ryojo's question. Ruan has a whole school. I don't remember Akira.
The ending scenes have our cast running towards the setting Sun with past battles superseding between them. The final look is all seven of them standing over Oersted's forest somehow. Whatever, it's the end. It doesn't need to make sense. Live a Live was fun, and I see why it got a remaster. Details tomorrow!
Friday, January 9, 2026
It is a JRPG!
This got interesting...
We're in the medieval period, playing as a young man named Eorstead, specifically, during an important event. It's already tournament season, and we're in the semi finals. Our opponent is a man named Armstrong. He poisons us, but isn't a real threat. The other match is happening at the same time, and we know the winner of that one. It's our friend, Straybow. The king announces the finals will begin immediately, and we quickly learn Straybow isn't an archer. He's a mage. And Eorstead is a knight who makes quick work of the squishy guy.
The king declares Eorstead the winner! His prize is to become the heir, obtaining the marriage rights to Princess Alicia along with it! And now it's time for a feast!
We skip ahead to Eorstead and Alicia on the balcony of the castle. They're talking about the feast, and Alicia already declares her love. She promises to always believe in him. This vow is instantly tested as the castle is attacked! Eorstead defeats wave one, but the Demon King kidnaps Alicia and flies away to the castle mountains to the northeast.
Eorstead informs the king, who remembers when the Hero Hash defeated the Demon King twenty years ago. He and his ally have been missing ever since, but now's the time for a new hero! Eorstead promises to return Alicia home, and all of Lucinda sees him off. As he leaves the town, Straybow joins him, a bit upset that he wasn't asked before.
Oh, hey! Random encounters are back! Live a Live is a '90s RPG after all!
The two heroes are in a forest, mostly unprepared. You can find gear scattered on the walls of the castle, and healing herbs are located throughout forest glades. Heading east, to the demon castle, leads to a blocked gate, so head west. The village of Familia is here. The boy is a big fan of Eorstead, and there's a strange hermit here as well. There's a shiny shield on his wall. But this was fruitless, so go northwest, up the snowy mountain.
Mobs here are no joke, so good luck. The two will eventually find a silent hermit chopping wood. He doesn't speak but has the same shiny shield on his wall. Climbing further up the mountain takes us to the gravestone of Hash, the hero from twenty years ago.
Return to Familia and inspect the shield again. Straybow will remark that it's the same shield, and the hermit gets excited. He introduces himself as Uranus, one of the heroes from twenty years ago. If the two of them have seen this shield, then they've met Hash. Uranus asks to be taken there, which we do. Uranus tries to speak to the silent hermit, but he won't respond. He's jaded from being forgotten. Uranus even antagonizes him. The three try to leave the hut, and the silent one starts to move. He unlocks a chest and puts on fancy armor. "I'm no coward," responds Hash! The old heroes and the new heroes group up to put an end to the Demon King once and for all! But we need to visit the gravestone first. Hash wants his sword.
Hash's sword, Byron, can unlock the seal to the demon's castle. This section is long! This dungeon is winding and filled with stuff. Chests, demon bodies, and random encounters. Maybe I do hate those? Eventually, we reach an interesting sight. It's a room filled with states of Odio. I recognize the dinosaur, horse, Buddha, and Street Fighter. Nothing else is here, but that's interesting. There's another door in the back of the room.
There's another statue here, but so is the Demon King. We quickly get into battle, and I struggled! Level eight is not high enough. Or it wouldn't be if I sucked! Straybow died on turn three, but Uranus' heals are legit! Still, though, don't be afraid to grind. Amon Bloods, and the fire panels they made, probably did more damage than my characters.
DK goes down, but Alicia is nowhere to be found. The true Demon King is elsewhere. Further making the situation worse, Hash is sick. He's contracted the plague, somehow, and is on death's bed. He joined us to bring peace once and for all before he died. As his last act, he hands his sword to Eorstead. Hash dies, and then it gets even worse. The room starts shaking. DK has one more trap. Eorstead, Straybow, and Uranus quickly escape, but Srraybow is too slow and gets caught in the collapse. We're down two heros already, and we're lost with no leads to the princesses' whereabouts.
Eorstead and Uranus leave the dungeon, without random encounters, and return to the king. He's heartbroken and offers us rest. Eorstead had a nightmare where a shadow was harassing Alicia in the room where Hash died. He wakes up to see the king standing over him. The king leaves, and Eorstead follows. He sees the same shadow standing over the throne and attacks. It dies, but it's the king's body lying there. The chancellor enters the room and declares Eorstead a murderer. Uranus joins them and calls that absurd. The chancellor starts believing it was Eorstead who killed Hash and Straybow and declares him a demon. This scares everyone, letting us escape the castle. Uranus hangs back to buy us more time.
Return to Hash's gravestone on the mountain, and Eorstead will remember that Alicia believes in him. He'll return to the castle, only to be thrown in jail. He sees a dying Uranus down there, who informs him he was tortured but never sold out Eorstead. The screen goes gold for some reason before Uranus's last words. It's something to the effect of "As long as someone believes in you, you'll go far." He dies, and Eorstead breaks out of jail. Knights now give chase, but we need to return to the demon's castle. Mobs here are worth killing, and I reached level thirteen. There are a few doors that will summon a boss, who's a manifestation of a fear. Gynophobia is the only one I remember, and not just because she's scantily clad.
Eorstead eventually makes it back to where Hash and Straybow died. The door is open, and nothing is destroyed. Inspect the statue to reveal a secret door. A long corridor leads to the top of the mountain, where there's another statue. From the bottom of it steps out a perfectly fine Straybow.
He's furious we're here. His plan is ruined again. He noticed the secret door and how it worked, and he hung back when we ran off. Straybow loved Alicia the whole time and always felt second class to Eorstead. But if he saved the princess, she'd love him. But now Eorstead has to die.
Straybow is harder, but if you spam Hexflame, he isn't too much of a problem. I tried to get cute...
Straybow is dead, but he isn't alone. Alicia exits from the statue and didn't hear any of that. She just sees Straybow's corpse beneath Eorstead. She asks why Eorstead didn't save her. She was waiting, but he never appeared. But the one who did is now dead. She promises Straybow that they'll always be together, pulls out a knife, and kills herself.
The winds begin to howl as scenes from this chapter replay in Eorstead's head. Everyone Eorstead cared about is either dead or betrayed him. He has no home, friends, or love left in this entire world. He's alone. If they want him to be a demon, then he'll become a demon. The font changes now, and the hook of Liva a Live drops. Eorstead declares that he is no longer human. He is now the demon Odio!
This chapter was heartbreaking, and I think I might be a pretty good game. Got a hunch.
We're in the medieval period, playing as a young man named Eorstead, specifically, during an important event. It's already tournament season, and we're in the semi finals. Our opponent is a man named Armstrong. He poisons us, but isn't a real threat. The other match is happening at the same time, and we know the winner of that one. It's our friend, Straybow. The king announces the finals will begin immediately, and we quickly learn Straybow isn't an archer. He's a mage. And Eorstead is a knight who makes quick work of the squishy guy.
The king declares Eorstead the winner! His prize is to become the heir, obtaining the marriage rights to Princess Alicia along with it! And now it's time for a feast!
We skip ahead to Eorstead and Alicia on the balcony of the castle. They're talking about the feast, and Alicia already declares her love. She promises to always believe in him. This vow is instantly tested as the castle is attacked! Eorstead defeats wave one, but the Demon King kidnaps Alicia and flies away to the castle mountains to the northeast.
Eorstead informs the king, who remembers when the Hero Hash defeated the Demon King twenty years ago. He and his ally have been missing ever since, but now's the time for a new hero! Eorstead promises to return Alicia home, and all of Lucinda sees him off. As he leaves the town, Straybow joins him, a bit upset that he wasn't asked before.
Oh, hey! Random encounters are back! Live a Live is a '90s RPG after all!
The two heroes are in a forest, mostly unprepared. You can find gear scattered on the walls of the castle, and healing herbs are located throughout forest glades. Heading east, to the demon castle, leads to a blocked gate, so head west. The village of Familia is here. The boy is a big fan of Eorstead, and there's a strange hermit here as well. There's a shiny shield on his wall. But this was fruitless, so go northwest, up the snowy mountain.
Mobs here are no joke, so good luck. The two will eventually find a silent hermit chopping wood. He doesn't speak but has the same shiny shield on his wall. Climbing further up the mountain takes us to the gravestone of Hash, the hero from twenty years ago.
Return to Familia and inspect the shield again. Straybow will remark that it's the same shield, and the hermit gets excited. He introduces himself as Uranus, one of the heroes from twenty years ago. If the two of them have seen this shield, then they've met Hash. Uranus asks to be taken there, which we do. Uranus tries to speak to the silent hermit, but he won't respond. He's jaded from being forgotten. Uranus even antagonizes him. The three try to leave the hut, and the silent one starts to move. He unlocks a chest and puts on fancy armor. "I'm no coward," responds Hash! The old heroes and the new heroes group up to put an end to the Demon King once and for all! But we need to visit the gravestone first. Hash wants his sword.
Hash's sword, Byron, can unlock the seal to the demon's castle. This section is long! This dungeon is winding and filled with stuff. Chests, demon bodies, and random encounters. Maybe I do hate those? Eventually, we reach an interesting sight. It's a room filled with states of Odio. I recognize the dinosaur, horse, Buddha, and Street Fighter. Nothing else is here, but that's interesting. There's another door in the back of the room.
There's another statue here, but so is the Demon King. We quickly get into battle, and I struggled! Level eight is not high enough. Or it wouldn't be if I sucked! Straybow died on turn three, but Uranus' heals are legit! Still, though, don't be afraid to grind. Amon Bloods, and the fire panels they made, probably did more damage than my characters.
DK goes down, but Alicia is nowhere to be found. The true Demon King is elsewhere. Further making the situation worse, Hash is sick. He's contracted the plague, somehow, and is on death's bed. He joined us to bring peace once and for all before he died. As his last act, he hands his sword to Eorstead. Hash dies, and then it gets even worse. The room starts shaking. DK has one more trap. Eorstead, Straybow, and Uranus quickly escape, but Srraybow is too slow and gets caught in the collapse. We're down two heros already, and we're lost with no leads to the princesses' whereabouts.
Eorstead and Uranus leave the dungeon, without random encounters, and return to the king. He's heartbroken and offers us rest. Eorstead had a nightmare where a shadow was harassing Alicia in the room where Hash died. He wakes up to see the king standing over him. The king leaves, and Eorstead follows. He sees the same shadow standing over the throne and attacks. It dies, but it's the king's body lying there. The chancellor enters the room and declares Eorstead a murderer. Uranus joins them and calls that absurd. The chancellor starts believing it was Eorstead who killed Hash and Straybow and declares him a demon. This scares everyone, letting us escape the castle. Uranus hangs back to buy us more time.
Return to Hash's gravestone on the mountain, and Eorstead will remember that Alicia believes in him. He'll return to the castle, only to be thrown in jail. He sees a dying Uranus down there, who informs him he was tortured but never sold out Eorstead. The screen goes gold for some reason before Uranus's last words. It's something to the effect of "As long as someone believes in you, you'll go far." He dies, and Eorstead breaks out of jail. Knights now give chase, but we need to return to the demon's castle. Mobs here are worth killing, and I reached level thirteen. There are a few doors that will summon a boss, who's a manifestation of a fear. Gynophobia is the only one I remember, and not just because she's scantily clad.
Eorstead eventually makes it back to where Hash and Straybow died. The door is open, and nothing is destroyed. Inspect the statue to reveal a secret door. A long corridor leads to the top of the mountain, where there's another statue. From the bottom of it steps out a perfectly fine Straybow.
He's furious we're here. His plan is ruined again. He noticed the secret door and how it worked, and he hung back when we ran off. Straybow loved Alicia the whole time and always felt second class to Eorstead. But if he saved the princess, she'd love him. But now Eorstead has to die.
Straybow is harder, but if you spam Hexflame, he isn't too much of a problem. I tried to get cute...
Straybow is dead, but he isn't alone. Alicia exits from the statue and didn't hear any of that. She just sees Straybow's corpse beneath Eorstead. She asks why Eorstead didn't save her. She was waiting, but he never appeared. But the one who did is now dead. She promises Straybow that they'll always be together, pulls out a knife, and kills herself.
The winds begin to howl as scenes from this chapter replay in Eorstead's head. Everyone Eorstead cared about is either dead or betrayed him. He has no home, friends, or love left in this entire world. He's alone. If they want him to be a demon, then he'll become a demon. The font changes now, and the hook of Liva a Live drops. Eorstead declares that he is no longer human. He is now the demon Odio!
This chapter was heartbreaking, and I think I might be a pretty good game. Got a hunch.
Thursday, January 8, 2026
Coffee Maker.
Welcome to what is definitely the final chapter of Live a Live!
In the distant future, robots and planetary spaceships are common. The HUD prelude informs us we're on a ship with five crew members, one military man, and an alien who should be a top priority. But we're none of them.
We're Cube, an egg shaped robot, who was just made by Kato, one of the five crew members. I think this makes Cube the youngest main protagonist in jrpg history. Kato is out of his sleep pod for some reason and making tiny robots. Cube is prototype three and the first success! Kato gives us some instructions, but we're eventually left to walk around the ship. After we wake up the other crew members from cyrosleep, Huey teaches us to make coffee. It's bitter...
From here, this chapter is one third walking simulator, one third should have been a visual novel, and one third 2001: A Space Odyssey. There's a love triangle between Huey, Kurt, and Rachel. Kurt ends up dying after a botched spacewalk to fix the communication antenna. Huey is blamed because he was jealous and in love with Rachel before she started dating Kurt. Rachel and Huey eventually die. There's also a mean militant soldier named Colonel Darth. He hates robots and is secretly supposed to protect the alien, called a behemoth, because the government wants a weapon. Kato is just an asocial dude. Darth ends up accidentally assaulting Kato, believing he was the killer. Meanwhile, the captain, whom we never meet, is already dead and is actually an AI communicating with us. The true villain is the ship, OD-10, Hal-9000s the ship and uses a failed Cube prototype to kill everyone. It found humans wanting. In the end, Cube teams up with Darth to overthrow Mother Chip and the behemoth. Kato survives as well. Darth echoes the ship's idea as he tells the robot his backstory. We finally get to give him a mug of coffee. It's still bitter, but he likes it.
We can also play a game of Captain Square, but that rewards nothing.
This was really slow and boring. There's only one worthwhile battle, the climax, and too much random walking around. This could have been a visual novel, as the ship exploration is only critical at the end when you're avoiding the easy to juke behemoth. If you like Stanley Kubrick and video games, you'll dig Cube. Even the music was something out of that movie.
I will say, I don't know what it means, but the ship started killing everyone before they started arguing. Is this a plot hole, or was it actually the captain and his notes criticizing the crew that led us to ruin?
But what a wet fart to end this anthology series with. Who really is Dio? Do all these people have something in common with a greater thing? I guess we'll never know...
There's a new chapter now!?!?
In the distant future, robots and planetary spaceships are common. The HUD prelude informs us we're on a ship with five crew members, one military man, and an alien who should be a top priority. But we're none of them.
We're Cube, an egg shaped robot, who was just made by Kato, one of the five crew members. I think this makes Cube the youngest main protagonist in jrpg history. Kato is out of his sleep pod for some reason and making tiny robots. Cube is prototype three and the first success! Kato gives us some instructions, but we're eventually left to walk around the ship. After we wake up the other crew members from cyrosleep, Huey teaches us to make coffee. It's bitter...
From here, this chapter is one third walking simulator, one third should have been a visual novel, and one third 2001: A Space Odyssey. There's a love triangle between Huey, Kurt, and Rachel. Kurt ends up dying after a botched spacewalk to fix the communication antenna. Huey is blamed because he was jealous and in love with Rachel before she started dating Kurt. Rachel and Huey eventually die. There's also a mean militant soldier named Colonel Darth. He hates robots and is secretly supposed to protect the alien, called a behemoth, because the government wants a weapon. Kato is just an asocial dude. Darth ends up accidentally assaulting Kato, believing he was the killer. Meanwhile, the captain, whom we never meet, is already dead and is actually an AI communicating with us. The true villain is the ship, OD-10, Hal-9000s the ship and uses a failed Cube prototype to kill everyone. It found humans wanting. In the end, Cube teams up with Darth to overthrow Mother Chip and the behemoth. Kato survives as well. Darth echoes the ship's idea as he tells the robot his backstory. We finally get to give him a mug of coffee. It's still bitter, but he likes it.
We can also play a game of Captain Square, but that rewards nothing.
This was really slow and boring. There's only one worthwhile battle, the climax, and too much random walking around. This could have been a visual novel, as the ship exploration is only critical at the end when you're avoiding the easy to juke behemoth. If you like Stanley Kubrick and video games, you'll dig Cube. Even the music was something out of that movie.
I will say, I don't know what it means, but the ship started killing everyone before they started arguing. Is this a plot hole, or was it actually the captain and his notes criticizing the crew that led us to ruin?
But what a wet fart to end this anthology series with. Who really is Dio? Do all these people have something in common with a greater thing? I guess we'll never know...
There's a new chapter now!?!?
Wednesday, January 7, 2026
The worst chapter.
And I have a headache, so expect some rushed unprofessionalism.
Before this chapter kicks off, a disembodied voice asks us a question. "Are you happy?" I respond with "Not really" because life sucks, and then you die. I have no idea if this matters...
In the near future lies a boy sleeping on a park bench near a lake in Japan. This is Akira, and he can read people's minds. He's also an orphan who lives with his sister at the orphanage. Akira tries to leave the park, but he's surrounded by people in skull masks. Before a four-on-one fight starts, a man on a Harley rides up. This is fellow orphan and friend, Matsu. The two of them easily knockout the thugs. Matsu goes to work at the nearby taiyaki shop, while Akira heads home.
More masked people roam the streets. Touching them enters you into combat with a crusader gang member and their robots. Everything is usually weak, but Akira plays like a mage: terrible physical attacks, but he charges magic-esque moves.
While there, he talks to all the orphans and sees Mitsuhara Misawa vs Keiji Mutoh in a boxing type match. Why are there rounds? This is now the second Mutoh reference in this game. Misawa died in 2009, and Mutoh is currently sixty three years old, so how "near future" was this near future story? Regardless, the goal here is to wash your hands and help a dying turtle. Your sick sister, Kairi, loves that turtle, so we have to protect it. She suggests the antique shop owner, Toei. I skipped a lot of random running around in this part.
Toei is in the bathroom, so you'll have to read his mind to get him out. Akira tells him that a turtle is ill, and Toei has just the thing. He even offers us a teleport home... Akira breaks the teleporter. The two return to the orphanage, and Toei asks you to plug in a robot. The turtle is dead, but Toei can liquify him and place his consciousness into a robot. After Toei gets electrocuted, Taru the turtle becomes Taru the robot. He joins Akira as thanks, and Kairi is happy. Taru kinda sucks in battle, but that's because I didn't equip him correctly. He gets gear from the robots roaming the town, but I equipped them as armor pieces. They're supposed to be accessories. Taru's still tanky, so he works.
From here, go to work at the taiyuki shop. You should talk to Toei first and do his stupid ass quest. Our reward is an attempt to pilot a Gundam. It's powered by either spiritual energy or liquified people, and we're neither. But we do have psychic powers, so who is Akira?
But back to the taiyuji shop! I didn't realize this, so I roamed around for an hour. There's no obvious indicator you can work at the shop, but you need to sell taiyuki, at different prices, to get a bonus reward from Matsu. Being those rewards to the "napping" kids back home. You can also get the orphanage mom's underwear. She's about your age, and it's good gear, so... Feed the kids, and someone will scream. The crusader gang rolled up and kidnapped one of the kids. We see them going to the wharf.
A strange maze chase happens before we're finally led to the docks. We confront the kidnappers, and Matsu joins us. They easily beat up the gang, and Akira read their minds to learn where they came from. They're in league with the government. Everyone heads home, but then Matsu has to leave. Gee, wonder where he went?
Akira and Taru raid the government facility east of town. At one point, I thought it would be funny if I pooped. I was interrupted by Matsu! Why was this the trigger point?! We head deeper in to find classified documents discussing liquid humans. We also read that Matsu started the Crusader Gang... We confront the people in charge and have to put down Watanabe's robot fused dad. Watanabe is another one of the orphans. After this, Matsu forces us to retreat before things get worse. Before leaving, we learned their end goal. If they liquify 2000 people, they can use the Buddha statue in the north temple to revive Odio. It's probably a coincidence. The whole group, including Toel, discusses how to counter this. Toel beings up the Gundam, Buriki Diaoh, an ancient Babylonian robot Akira failed to pilot. But we can't just liquify people. Kairi offers herself up, though. She's aware she'll always be sick and won't get better. Her best chance is to become the stronger Taru-bot! Akira tells her that's a terrible idea, which it is. Matsu, ever the confident, takes Toei back to his shop. Matsu believes he can pilot it.
He can not and spends his time drinking at the bar. Every patron there is thinking about a certain drug/drink that I can't remember the name of. As Akira leaves, we see the orphanage is set on fire with the Crusaders leaving the scene. Akira hurries home to see everyone outside. Everyone but mom and Kairi. Mom, whose name is Taeko, is outside Kairi's room. Akira tells her to leave, which she does. Kairi isn't in her room, so we have to wander around the house, hoping for a trigger, before a flame blocking the main kid's room randomly dies down. Kairi is inside, on the ground, barely alive.
We cut back to the cockpit of the Diaoh. Matsu, who's a tad lot inebriated with the bar's drug of choice, can pilot it now. Toei tells him that the drug enhances spiritual power but is likely to kill him. Matsu doesn't care. A humorous scene, breaking the tension, gets ruined by the Diaoh rising out of the lake. Matsu bursts through the wall of the orphanage, letting Akira and Kairi escape into the cockpit. But that one action took its toll on Matsu. And the Crusaders randomly becoming mages didn't help. Taeko is also there somehow. Matsu passes out, so Akira reads his mind. He's thinking of something terrible. He's remembering the time he killed Akira's father. Matsu was the leader of the Crusaders, and Akira's dad was on the police force. The two got into an argument, where Matsu shot him. He's been guilt ridden ever since and has tried to make up for his actions that day.
Akira screams for everyone to leave. This realization has awakened something that was lying deep within him. Akira's spiritual power has skyrocketed, and he can pilot the Diaoh! He pilots the mech north, to the temple, beaming the army en route. He arrives at the temple too late, though. 2000 people have been liquified, and Odio is being transferred to the statue.
I don't know if you can lose this fight, so who cares?
The 2000 strong liquified mass remains sentient. It forms one gelatinous goop and tries to bring the three government officials into their collective. They succeed, but the Diaoh gets caught up. Akira tries to escape...
"Hey!" Yells out a boy in the park. He wants Akira to make taiyuki, which Akira does. Time has passed since the battle, and we know this because Taru is still a robot while hanging out with the kids. Finally, we see Akira ride away on Matsu's motorcycle. He stares off into the ocean at the docks as the chapter ends.
So much wandering around, with nothing learned. Why does Akira have psychic powers when only liquified people get them? What about Kairi's illness? Why does the turtle want to keep living? Who won between Misawa and Mutoh? This may have been my least favorite chapter, but I like Akira as a battle character.
I'm also not into robot anime. And there was so much filler at the start. And I have a headache...
Before this chapter kicks off, a disembodied voice asks us a question. "Are you happy?" I respond with "Not really" because life sucks, and then you die. I have no idea if this matters...
In the near future lies a boy sleeping on a park bench near a lake in Japan. This is Akira, and he can read people's minds. He's also an orphan who lives with his sister at the orphanage. Akira tries to leave the park, but he's surrounded by people in skull masks. Before a four-on-one fight starts, a man on a Harley rides up. This is fellow orphan and friend, Matsu. The two of them easily knockout the thugs. Matsu goes to work at the nearby taiyaki shop, while Akira heads home.
More masked people roam the streets. Touching them enters you into combat with a crusader gang member and their robots. Everything is usually weak, but Akira plays like a mage: terrible physical attacks, but he charges magic-esque moves.
While there, he talks to all the orphans and sees Mitsuhara Misawa vs Keiji Mutoh in a boxing type match. Why are there rounds? This is now the second Mutoh reference in this game. Misawa died in 2009, and Mutoh is currently sixty three years old, so how "near future" was this near future story? Regardless, the goal here is to wash your hands and help a dying turtle. Your sick sister, Kairi, loves that turtle, so we have to protect it. She suggests the antique shop owner, Toei. I skipped a lot of random running around in this part.
Toei is in the bathroom, so you'll have to read his mind to get him out. Akira tells him that a turtle is ill, and Toei has just the thing. He even offers us a teleport home... Akira breaks the teleporter. The two return to the orphanage, and Toei asks you to plug in a robot. The turtle is dead, but Toei can liquify him and place his consciousness into a robot. After Toei gets electrocuted, Taru the turtle becomes Taru the robot. He joins Akira as thanks, and Kairi is happy. Taru kinda sucks in battle, but that's because I didn't equip him correctly. He gets gear from the robots roaming the town, but I equipped them as armor pieces. They're supposed to be accessories. Taru's still tanky, so he works.
From here, go to work at the taiyuki shop. You should talk to Toei first and do his stupid ass quest. Our reward is an attempt to pilot a Gundam. It's powered by either spiritual energy or liquified people, and we're neither. But we do have psychic powers, so who is Akira?
But back to the taiyuji shop! I didn't realize this, so I roamed around for an hour. There's no obvious indicator you can work at the shop, but you need to sell taiyuki, at different prices, to get a bonus reward from Matsu. Being those rewards to the "napping" kids back home. You can also get the orphanage mom's underwear. She's about your age, and it's good gear, so... Feed the kids, and someone will scream. The crusader gang rolled up and kidnapped one of the kids. We see them going to the wharf.
A strange maze chase happens before we're finally led to the docks. We confront the kidnappers, and Matsu joins us. They easily beat up the gang, and Akira read their minds to learn where they came from. They're in league with the government. Everyone heads home, but then Matsu has to leave. Gee, wonder where he went?
Akira and Taru raid the government facility east of town. At one point, I thought it would be funny if I pooped. I was interrupted by Matsu! Why was this the trigger point?! We head deeper in to find classified documents discussing liquid humans. We also read that Matsu started the Crusader Gang... We confront the people in charge and have to put down Watanabe's robot fused dad. Watanabe is another one of the orphans. After this, Matsu forces us to retreat before things get worse. Before leaving, we learned their end goal. If they liquify 2000 people, they can use the Buddha statue in the north temple to revive Odio. It's probably a coincidence. The whole group, including Toel, discusses how to counter this. Toel beings up the Gundam, Buriki Diaoh, an ancient Babylonian robot Akira failed to pilot. But we can't just liquify people. Kairi offers herself up, though. She's aware she'll always be sick and won't get better. Her best chance is to become the stronger Taru-bot! Akira tells her that's a terrible idea, which it is. Matsu, ever the confident, takes Toei back to his shop. Matsu believes he can pilot it.
He can not and spends his time drinking at the bar. Every patron there is thinking about a certain drug/drink that I can't remember the name of. As Akira leaves, we see the orphanage is set on fire with the Crusaders leaving the scene. Akira hurries home to see everyone outside. Everyone but mom and Kairi. Mom, whose name is Taeko, is outside Kairi's room. Akira tells her to leave, which she does. Kairi isn't in her room, so we have to wander around the house, hoping for a trigger, before a flame blocking the main kid's room randomly dies down. Kairi is inside, on the ground, barely alive.
We cut back to the cockpit of the Diaoh. Matsu, who's a tad lot inebriated with the bar's drug of choice, can pilot it now. Toei tells him that the drug enhances spiritual power but is likely to kill him. Matsu doesn't care. A humorous scene, breaking the tension, gets ruined by the Diaoh rising out of the lake. Matsu bursts through the wall of the orphanage, letting Akira and Kairi escape into the cockpit. But that one action took its toll on Matsu. And the Crusaders randomly becoming mages didn't help. Taeko is also there somehow. Matsu passes out, so Akira reads his mind. He's thinking of something terrible. He's remembering the time he killed Akira's father. Matsu was the leader of the Crusaders, and Akira's dad was on the police force. The two got into an argument, where Matsu shot him. He's been guilt ridden ever since and has tried to make up for his actions that day.
Akira screams for everyone to leave. This realization has awakened something that was lying deep within him. Akira's spiritual power has skyrocketed, and he can pilot the Diaoh! He pilots the mech north, to the temple, beaming the army en route. He arrives at the temple too late, though. 2000 people have been liquified, and Odio is being transferred to the statue.
I don't know if you can lose this fight, so who cares?
The 2000 strong liquified mass remains sentient. It forms one gelatinous goop and tries to bring the three government officials into their collective. They succeed, but the Diaoh gets caught up. Akira tries to escape...
"Hey!" Yells out a boy in the park. He wants Akira to make taiyuki, which Akira does. Time has passed since the battle, and we know this because Taru is still a robot while hanging out with the kids. Finally, we see Akira ride away on Matsu's motorcycle. He stares off into the ocean at the docks as the chapter ends.
So much wandering around, with nothing learned. Why does Akira have psychic powers when only liquified people get them? What about Kairi's illness? Why does the turtle want to keep living? Who won between Misawa and Mutoh? This may have been my least favorite chapter, but I like Akira as a battle character.
I'm also not into robot anime. And there was so much filler at the start. And I have a headache...
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Meaningful choices!
We're heading to ancient China for some kung fu action.
You play as a man with a long name. Chinese names seem like the most foreign looking syllables to me, and my brain refuses to acknowledge them. Fortunately, he has a nickname: Master. Master is getting long in the years and can no longer do what he once did. We see him training atop a mountain, and he looks good. But he punches a rock and recognizes the truth. He admits that it's time to find an appropriate. And with that, the tale begins. Master sets out into the nearby villages and forests to find one.
I went clockwise and came to Wu Village. Everyone here calls him Master and warns us that food has gone missing. We walk north some more and learn why. A commotion is happening in a restaurant! A rather rotund man is being chased because he ate so much food but refuses to pay. He has no money. Despite the chef wielding a knife with deadly talent, he can't hit the "fat man." Despite his size, the thief is fast! He's eventually cornered by Master, who can do one of two things. Either pay off the bill, or beat him up. There's no money in Live a Live...
Impressed by the speed and strength of the thief, Master invites him to be his student. Meet potential heir one, Sammo. Talk to NPCs before leaving, as they give you stuff. And that stuff is very good.
I didn't go to the next town and entered the bamboo jungle instead. There are tigers roaming around, but I have the feeling we're being stalked. This is proven true when a bandit ambushes us. Master beats her up and offers her a chance to redeem her life. She reluctantly agrees. This is Li. While in the forest, pick up the plants that are around the area.
Finally, head south. We're in Wong Town, and there are rumors of a plague. But the cure for it are the healing plants in the forest. We'll need five for everyone, who reward us with more good stuff, but we really only need one. After treating a woman towards the bottom, her grand/son robs us and runs off. We try to confront him and see that he's being accosted by a local gang. He didn't want to be a thief, but they made him. He regains his courage, but the numbers game is bad. Master teleports in and beats up the Tiger King gang. The boy asks to join, which can go two ways, but he joins anyway. Heir three is named Yuan.
And now it's time to train. Master beats up his protégées in his house. Then on the mountain. And finally, in the forest. In what's the opposite of an RPG mechanic, beating up your students gives them exp. With each level up, they learn a new skill from Master's skill list. There are also snippets of personality shown by the students after training. Sammo wants to eat, Li realizes she's a girl, and Yuan is putting in extra training. You only get four sparring sessions per location, so make them count.
There's a montage of more training to indicate they continued off screen. Everything was going well, and everyone was happy. One day, the chef from Wu barged into Master's hut. A gang of ruffians has taken over. Yuan believes it's the Tiger Gang again and offers to attack them. Master says something about "aggression is bad against aggression" and goes himself. Tiger King has learned nothing and is easily defeated. Talk to the NPCs again as you leave for even better items than before. ...including a "young peach."
Master returns home to see it's been attacked. Inside are Yuan and Li, lying there motionless. They're dead. Sammo got thrashed in the back room, but he lived. More on this outcome in a moment. Master helps Sammo up, and they bury Yuan and Li at the top of the mountain. He then showcases his ultimate move to his new de facto heir. They return home and rest for the night. In the morning, Master tells Sammo he's going to pay respects, but he leaves out the next part of the day.
It's time for revenge. Beyond the bamboo forest is a castle that houses the group who killed Li and Yuan. Master charges into the castle, and it's a pretty simple path forward. None of the enemies pose a threat to Master. Depending on who survived the attack, make sure to kill the tigers. They give a lot of EXP. At some point, Sammo busts down a wall and joins us to beat up women and a gold table. Weird. After a few more rooms, we'll meet this kung fu master, Dio Lee Wen. He makes us do a boss rush, which is kinda tedious. It's two on two (usually), and the enemies are tanky. Despite that, their exp sucks. They can drop some good gear, but it's pretty rare. Only the last guy is tough.
Now there is only Dio. Actually, nevermind. Two assassins enter the room and make things complicated. Master tells his apprentice that he'll handle the two assassins, while they take care of Dio. The apprentice doesn't believe in themselves, but Master reminds them of the ultimate technique. They jump on the lavish table, and both they and Master build chi. This gives you a one time use move that does 300 damage. You can use it whenever, but I made sure to use it as the finisher. Dio isn't the easiest of fights, but I brought enough meat rolls.
Master also succeeds in his fight, but no one beats Father Time. Master declares you the new leader before passing out. The survivor mourns, and we jump ahead to them burying them beside the ones who died earlier. They then punch the rock, breaking it with ease. The apprentice has become the Master, and they promise to fight for their fallen friends and surpass Master.
Credits roll as we see them walking through the towns before still images of their past pass. And with that, another chapter is over.
Let me start by saying that Sammo being the survivor bummed me out. His personal techniques suck, and he seems like a comedic relief character. I had body issues as a teen, so I should understand him more, but I didn't like him. He misses a lot and barely shows up for the castle siege. Yuan, being a good natured ruffian who wants to be better, seems like he has more legs. Li's growth from she-bandit to noble leader seemed more interesting. She's also one of two playable women in Live a Live... Instead, we got a guy who "won't stop eating." Which is a shame because this chapter has the best story, characters, and music. Hell, Sammo is still a pretty cool character if he were in a traditional game.
Fortunately, you can redo a chapter! I got Ruan this time, but Sammo's death made me realize his ark better. Out of the five chapters so far, Kung Fu was the best, and it's not even close. I love how the chapter select icon for this one changed when the apprentice became the Master.
You play as a man with a long name. Chinese names seem like the most foreign looking syllables to me, and my brain refuses to acknowledge them. Fortunately, he has a nickname: Master. Master is getting long in the years and can no longer do what he once did. We see him training atop a mountain, and he looks good. But he punches a rock and recognizes the truth. He admits that it's time to find an appropriate. And with that, the tale begins. Master sets out into the nearby villages and forests to find one.
I went clockwise and came to Wu Village. Everyone here calls him Master and warns us that food has gone missing. We walk north some more and learn why. A commotion is happening in a restaurant! A rather rotund man is being chased because he ate so much food but refuses to pay. He has no money. Despite the chef wielding a knife with deadly talent, he can't hit the "fat man." Despite his size, the thief is fast! He's eventually cornered by Master, who can do one of two things. Either pay off the bill, or beat him up. There's no money in Live a Live...
Impressed by the speed and strength of the thief, Master invites him to be his student. Meet potential heir one, Sammo. Talk to NPCs before leaving, as they give you stuff. And that stuff is very good.
I didn't go to the next town and entered the bamboo jungle instead. There are tigers roaming around, but I have the feeling we're being stalked. This is proven true when a bandit ambushes us. Master beats her up and offers her a chance to redeem her life. She reluctantly agrees. This is Li. While in the forest, pick up the plants that are around the area.
Finally, head south. We're in Wong Town, and there are rumors of a plague. But the cure for it are the healing plants in the forest. We'll need five for everyone, who reward us with more good stuff, but we really only need one. After treating a woman towards the bottom, her grand/son robs us and runs off. We try to confront him and see that he's being accosted by a local gang. He didn't want to be a thief, but they made him. He regains his courage, but the numbers game is bad. Master teleports in and beats up the Tiger King gang. The boy asks to join, which can go two ways, but he joins anyway. Heir three is named Yuan.
And now it's time to train. Master beats up his protégées in his house. Then on the mountain. And finally, in the forest. In what's the opposite of an RPG mechanic, beating up your students gives them exp. With each level up, they learn a new skill from Master's skill list. There are also snippets of personality shown by the students after training. Sammo wants to eat, Li realizes she's a girl, and Yuan is putting in extra training. You only get four sparring sessions per location, so make them count.
There's a montage of more training to indicate they continued off screen. Everything was going well, and everyone was happy. One day, the chef from Wu barged into Master's hut. A gang of ruffians has taken over. Yuan believes it's the Tiger Gang again and offers to attack them. Master says something about "aggression is bad against aggression" and goes himself. Tiger King has learned nothing and is easily defeated. Talk to the NPCs again as you leave for even better items than before. ...including a "young peach."
Master returns home to see it's been attacked. Inside are Yuan and Li, lying there motionless. They're dead. Sammo got thrashed in the back room, but he lived. More on this outcome in a moment. Master helps Sammo up, and they bury Yuan and Li at the top of the mountain. He then showcases his ultimate move to his new de facto heir. They return home and rest for the night. In the morning, Master tells Sammo he's going to pay respects, but he leaves out the next part of the day.
It's time for revenge. Beyond the bamboo forest is a castle that houses the group who killed Li and Yuan. Master charges into the castle, and it's a pretty simple path forward. None of the enemies pose a threat to Master. Depending on who survived the attack, make sure to kill the tigers. They give a lot of EXP. At some point, Sammo busts down a wall and joins us to beat up women and a gold table. Weird. After a few more rooms, we'll meet this kung fu master, Dio Lee Wen. He makes us do a boss rush, which is kinda tedious. It's two on two (usually), and the enemies are tanky. Despite that, their exp sucks. They can drop some good gear, but it's pretty rare. Only the last guy is tough.
Now there is only Dio. Actually, nevermind. Two assassins enter the room and make things complicated. Master tells his apprentice that he'll handle the two assassins, while they take care of Dio. The apprentice doesn't believe in themselves, but Master reminds them of the ultimate technique. They jump on the lavish table, and both they and Master build chi. This gives you a one time use move that does 300 damage. You can use it whenever, but I made sure to use it as the finisher. Dio isn't the easiest of fights, but I brought enough meat rolls.
Master also succeeds in his fight, but no one beats Father Time. Master declares you the new leader before passing out. The survivor mourns, and we jump ahead to them burying them beside the ones who died earlier. They then punch the rock, breaking it with ease. The apprentice has become the Master, and they promise to fight for their fallen friends and surpass Master.
Credits roll as we see them walking through the towns before still images of their past pass. And with that, another chapter is over.
Let me start by saying that Sammo being the survivor bummed me out. His personal techniques suck, and he seems like a comedic relief character. I had body issues as a teen, so I should understand him more, but I didn't like him. He misses a lot and barely shows up for the castle siege. Yuan, being a good natured ruffian who wants to be better, seems like he has more legs. Li's growth from she-bandit to noble leader seemed more interesting. She's also one of two playable women in Live a Live... Instead, we got a guy who "won't stop eating." Which is a shame because this chapter has the best story, characters, and music. Hell, Sammo is still a pretty cool character if he were in a traditional game.
Fortunately, you can redo a chapter! I got Ruan this time, but Sammo's death made me realize his ark better. Out of the five chapters so far, Kung Fu was the best, and it's not even close. I love how the chapter select icon for this one changed when the apprentice became the Master.
Sunday, January 4, 2026
Aishitemasu!
Not this chapter, though.
Today's chapter stars Masaru. Masaru's goal is to be the strongest fighter in the world, which he plans to showcase by learning every technique in the world. And the best fighters in the world have all gathered in a Street Fighter-esque tournament. In fact, the "overworld," if you want to call it that, is just like Street Fighter, but without the cool planet in the background. You've got to beat six fighters, each with two techniques. To learn a skill, you have to be hit by it.
Masaru begins with three of his own, two offensive ones, and the worst heal in the world. There is no equipment to get, items to find, exp to gain, or exploration to have. And the six bosses are difficult! Even without buying time to learn skills, everyone hits three times as hard as you and doubles your HP totals. It feels unfair. Getting the sumo dude's skills helps, as they push back everyone, but the American soldier might be easier. He teaches you counter moves, so passive damage is nice. The long haired Japanese guy might have the best moves, though. If not him, it's Hulk Hogan. There's also the Great Muta, which is rad.
Once all six are defeated, regardless of whether you've learned their skills, there's one last challenger. Odio Oldbright confronts Masaru on the waterfront. He informs Masaru of the grotesque ways in which he killed all the people Masaru defeated. This enrages our hero, who calls out to his defeated foes, promising to avenge them with their own moves, and the final confrontation begins.
Odio is weirdly easy.
Odio lies dead, and Masaru looks out at the ocean and says his name. Another person shows up behind him and says, "If I knock you down, I will be the strongest." But then the sun rises, and nothing comes from it. Maybe it wasn't a third person? What was that? Anyway, the chapter ends. It wasn't very fun, and it was confusing. At least it was short.
Thank you, Ace!
Today's chapter stars Masaru. Masaru's goal is to be the strongest fighter in the world, which he plans to showcase by learning every technique in the world. And the best fighters in the world have all gathered in a Street Fighter-esque tournament. In fact, the "overworld," if you want to call it that, is just like Street Fighter, but without the cool planet in the background. You've got to beat six fighters, each with two techniques. To learn a skill, you have to be hit by it.
Masaru begins with three of his own, two offensive ones, and the worst heal in the world. There is no equipment to get, items to find, exp to gain, or exploration to have. And the six bosses are difficult! Even without buying time to learn skills, everyone hits three times as hard as you and doubles your HP totals. It feels unfair. Getting the sumo dude's skills helps, as they push back everyone, but the American soldier might be easier. He teaches you counter moves, so passive damage is nice. The long haired Japanese guy might have the best moves, though. If not him, it's Hulk Hogan. There's also the Great Muta, which is rad.
Once all six are defeated, regardless of whether you've learned their skills, there's one last challenger. Odio Oldbright confronts Masaru on the waterfront. He informs Masaru of the grotesque ways in which he killed all the people Masaru defeated. This enrages our hero, who calls out to his defeated foes, promising to avenge them with their own moves, and the final confrontation begins.
Odio is weirdly easy.
Odio lies dead, and Masaru looks out at the ocean and says his name. Another person shows up behind him and says, "If I knock you down, I will be the strongest." But then the sun rises, and nothing comes from it. Maybe it wasn't a third person? What was that? Anyway, the chapter ends. It wasn't very fun, and it was confusing. At least it was short.
Thank you, Ace!
Saturday, January 3, 2026
Big Iron
Howdy partner.
Chapter three, as far as I'm concerned, is about the Old West. You're the silent Sundown Kid, and you've strolled into the saddest saloon in south east Utah. The four corners ain't your friend.
The tale begins by defeating an, apparent, long term rival, Mad Dog. Mad Dog's been looking for you for a long time. He wants that bounty! But the Kid shoots him down easily as he has a counter. But the Kid doesn't kill Mad Dog. Instead, he shoots the reins off his horse and runs. Sundown Kid arrives in the desolate village of Success. In a prologue scene, we saw the sheriff put up a wanted poster for Sundown, but Sundown merely wants a drink.
Unfortunately, there are some unruly patrons tonight. The loudmouth makes some very sexual remarks towards the barmaid, Annie, and shoves the sheriff's son, Billy, around. The sheriff isn't a proactive man, and Sundown merely wants a drink. Seeing his commotion not bother the Kid, the patron offers the Kid a drink. A nice, tall glass of cold milk. I accept it because milk is rad! But milk drinkers have a negative connotation, so I down the whole cow before getting full and send a second offering back. Now, you shouldn't ever send back a drink someone else paid for. The patron gets furious and threatens the Kid. We take it outside. Sundown Kid treats this man just like Mad Dog. Except he doesn't survive.
We return to the bar, and the mariachi band restarts playing. It's a ceremony! Success has been a raid target by a group of bandits calling themselves the Crazy Bunch, led by the only survivor of the Seventh Calvary, a man named O. Dio. I'm seeing a pattern...
But then Mad Dog catches up and drops an important bomb on Success. They're celebrating a wanted man. No one realized that the person on the poster is the same man who saved them. And the sheriff is worried the rest of the gang will get revenge. But Mad Dog doesn't care and wants his bounty. He challenges the Kid to a duel, which is accepted. They each walk five steps, turn to each other, and fire. Two gang members fall out of their hiding place, and neither participant is dead. The Crazy Bunch is the problem now. After some coaxing, during which Billy strips the sheriff's badge off his dad, Sundown and Mad Dog agree to team up to defeat the Crazy Bunch.
And now the chapter kicks off. Rather than fight our way through a dungeon, we get to set traps. Explore the town and hand the villagers the spoils. The villagers then make the traps to limit the gang members who fight Sundown and Mad Dog. But don't take too long searching, as we are on a time limit. And setting up the traps takes time, too. It's a pretty quick chapter, but the fun is here. I managed to take out half the invaders, leaving me with so many dudes to kill anyway. How does this battle play if you set nothing? It's a tough fight, but Mad Dog has a great AoE, and Sundown can shoot through people. Watch out for the horse soldiers.
But the two gunslingers succeeded in Success. Dio gurgles for a moment before turning into a horse. Huh? The villagers make a surprisingly deep and philosophical remark about how a horse became a man. The Seventh Cavalry's death caused their feelings to manifest into a demon horse. Seems weird, but maybe future Dios will have similar things?
Now that that's over, though, Mad Dog reminds Sundown they're supposed to duel. The villagers object and try to appeal to friendship, but it doesn't work.
The duel can go three ways. Sundown can die. It's hard, and you have to play like an idiot, but it's possible. This is the bad ending. You can defeat Mad Dog, which (I think) does kill him. Or, you can run away. Doing so prompts Mad Dog to say this isn't over. Regardless, everyone but Mad Dog is outside town, seeing Sundown off. Annie apologizes that they can't pay him. The Kid doesn't care. Sheriff regains his confidence, and the Kid takes his leave. As he does, someone remembers the lore! Sundown Kid was known as the best gunman in the west, and this attracted a lot of people, like Dio. It caused his entire village to be massacred, leaving him the sole survivor. Out of guilt, he put a $5000 bounty on himself, hoping to die. And now he wanders.
The credits roll, and Billy removes the wanted poster from the saloon.
"..."
Chapter three, as far as I'm concerned, is about the Old West. You're the silent Sundown Kid, and you've strolled into the saddest saloon in south east Utah. The four corners ain't your friend.
The tale begins by defeating an, apparent, long term rival, Mad Dog. Mad Dog's been looking for you for a long time. He wants that bounty! But the Kid shoots him down easily as he has a counter. But the Kid doesn't kill Mad Dog. Instead, he shoots the reins off his horse and runs. Sundown Kid arrives in the desolate village of Success. In a prologue scene, we saw the sheriff put up a wanted poster for Sundown, but Sundown merely wants a drink.
Unfortunately, there are some unruly patrons tonight. The loudmouth makes some very sexual remarks towards the barmaid, Annie, and shoves the sheriff's son, Billy, around. The sheriff isn't a proactive man, and Sundown merely wants a drink. Seeing his commotion not bother the Kid, the patron offers the Kid a drink. A nice, tall glass of cold milk. I accept it because milk is rad! But milk drinkers have a negative connotation, so I down the whole cow before getting full and send a second offering back. Now, you shouldn't ever send back a drink someone else paid for. The patron gets furious and threatens the Kid. We take it outside. Sundown Kid treats this man just like Mad Dog. Except he doesn't survive.
We return to the bar, and the mariachi band restarts playing. It's a ceremony! Success has been a raid target by a group of bandits calling themselves the Crazy Bunch, led by the only survivor of the Seventh Calvary, a man named O. Dio. I'm seeing a pattern...
But then Mad Dog catches up and drops an important bomb on Success. They're celebrating a wanted man. No one realized that the person on the poster is the same man who saved them. And the sheriff is worried the rest of the gang will get revenge. But Mad Dog doesn't care and wants his bounty. He challenges the Kid to a duel, which is accepted. They each walk five steps, turn to each other, and fire. Two gang members fall out of their hiding place, and neither participant is dead. The Crazy Bunch is the problem now. After some coaxing, during which Billy strips the sheriff's badge off his dad, Sundown and Mad Dog agree to team up to defeat the Crazy Bunch.
And now the chapter kicks off. Rather than fight our way through a dungeon, we get to set traps. Explore the town and hand the villagers the spoils. The villagers then make the traps to limit the gang members who fight Sundown and Mad Dog. But don't take too long searching, as we are on a time limit. And setting up the traps takes time, too. It's a pretty quick chapter, but the fun is here. I managed to take out half the invaders, leaving me with so many dudes to kill anyway. How does this battle play if you set nothing? It's a tough fight, but Mad Dog has a great AoE, and Sundown can shoot through people. Watch out for the horse soldiers.
But the two gunslingers succeeded in Success. Dio gurgles for a moment before turning into a horse. Huh? The villagers make a surprisingly deep and philosophical remark about how a horse became a man. The Seventh Cavalry's death caused their feelings to manifest into a demon horse. Seems weird, but maybe future Dios will have similar things?
Now that that's over, though, Mad Dog reminds Sundown they're supposed to duel. The villagers object and try to appeal to friendship, but it doesn't work.
The duel can go three ways. Sundown can die. It's hard, and you have to play like an idiot, but it's possible. This is the bad ending. You can defeat Mad Dog, which (I think) does kill him. Or, you can run away. Doing so prompts Mad Dog to say this isn't over. Regardless, everyone but Mad Dog is outside town, seeing Sundown off. Annie apologizes that they can't pay him. The Kid doesn't care. Sheriff regains his confidence, and the Kid takes his leave. As he does, someone remembers the lore! Sundown Kid was known as the best gunman in the west, and this attracted a lot of people, like Dio. It caused his entire village to be massacred, leaving him the sole survivor. Out of guilt, he put a $5000 bounty on himself, hoping to die. And now he wanders.
The credits roll, and Billy removes the wanted poster from the saloon.
"..."
Friday, January 2, 2026
Ejento 47
Our next chapter in Live A Live takes us to the Edo Period of Japan. The final days of the shogunate.
The first scene has the shogun (?), Edo, who shares a name with the dinosaur from the last chapter, speaking to three of his underlings. The four are planning to bring chaos to the world and plan on eating someone. It's fairly generic evil dude stuff, but I feel it'll have a larger impact in future chapters.
We then jump to a ninja named Hayate, speaking to his master. Hayate failed his previous mission, but the current mission is now more vital. Hayate volunteers to go, but the master fears what could happen to the clan if Hayate were to die. Hayate then suggests that a new apprentice, who shows incredible promise, take up the role. That ninja, Odoro-baro, appears and is informed about the evils that Odo does and the plan to kill him. Specifically, kill Odo and do not get caught. Odoro accepts this role, is given Hayate's Cloak of Shadows, and the mission begins.
From here on, Odoro has a few ways to accomplish this mission. He can kill all 100 people in the castle, kill no one, or only kill hostiles. If you want to get the clean hands/suit only achievement, you'll need to learn how these guys use passwords, hide from sight using Hayate's cloak, and avoid everything. And you're rewarded well for it. Alternatively, butcher everyone and everything. This also brings about a specific reward. You can also do what I did and kill everyone who tries to kill you. Samurais, ninjas, demons, and mechanical constructs for some reason. There's even a fish. There's also a secret fourth ending where Odoro abandons his mission. That ends with him being hunted down and killed by his former clanmates. They wreck your face!
How you go about your choice of actions will bring you to different areas of the castle, meet other NPCs (like prisoners), which traps you encounter, and unravel other subplots. It's not as stealthy as I'd hope, but it's the Super Nintendo. I see what Square was trying for, and they did it without making this chapter miserable. Be warned, though, I think it's possible to get soft locked in certain areas. So save often when you're outside or in a room with unlocked doors.
There isn't much plot here; we're just trying to get to Edo, so hopefully you enjoy the gameplay. Eventually, though, you do find him. Edo sees you coming, Odoro is kinda dumb and rushes into a room filled with enemies. Odo pulls out a gun and aims it at Odoro, but another shot is heard instead. Turns out we're not the only ones hunting Odoro. A man named Ryoma shot Odo's gun and scared off the followers. Odo isn't cool, like a dinosaur, so he runs off, but not before calling the afterlife for help. He summons Musashi Miyamoto to kill the two of us.
Musashi is the toughest fight in this chapter. None of my attacks did much, Ryomo was weak, and I somehow ran out of people to kill, despite having 62 kills under my belt. I spent all my usable items on him, but I won.
Chasing back after Ode, a woman stops us before the battle and gives us a gift for not killing any women. She returns a few seconds later with a better gift. Both are accessories. But it's on to Ode.
We easily beat him up at the top of the castle. But the game isn't over yet. Ode has another trick up his sleeve. He turns into a giant frog. This is a problem... If you have all the Genji gear, set the stage on fire. The fire panels did more damage to Ode than my normal attacks. Way of the Ninja skill was the best way to deal damage, as physical attacks were pathetic.
After the fight, Ode dies, and two loud explosions are heard through the town. One is Ode's death, and the other is from a ship in the harbor filled with Ryoma's allies. Ryoma reveals his last name to be Sakamoto, meaning he is a real figure from the Edo period who helped to end the shogunate and establish the Empire of Japan. He offers Oboro a choice, but neither seems to matter. The sun rises, and the chapter ends.
The first scene has the shogun (?), Edo, who shares a name with the dinosaur from the last chapter, speaking to three of his underlings. The four are planning to bring chaos to the world and plan on eating someone. It's fairly generic evil dude stuff, but I feel it'll have a larger impact in future chapters.
We then jump to a ninja named Hayate, speaking to his master. Hayate failed his previous mission, but the current mission is now more vital. Hayate volunteers to go, but the master fears what could happen to the clan if Hayate were to die. Hayate then suggests that a new apprentice, who shows incredible promise, take up the role. That ninja, Odoro-baro, appears and is informed about the evils that Odo does and the plan to kill him. Specifically, kill Odo and do not get caught. Odoro accepts this role, is given Hayate's Cloak of Shadows, and the mission begins.
From here on, Odoro has a few ways to accomplish this mission. He can kill all 100 people in the castle, kill no one, or only kill hostiles. If you want to get the clean hands/suit only achievement, you'll need to learn how these guys use passwords, hide from sight using Hayate's cloak, and avoid everything. And you're rewarded well for it. Alternatively, butcher everyone and everything. This also brings about a specific reward. You can also do what I did and kill everyone who tries to kill you. Samurais, ninjas, demons, and mechanical constructs for some reason. There's even a fish. There's also a secret fourth ending where Odoro abandons his mission. That ends with him being hunted down and killed by his former clanmates. They wreck your face!
How you go about your choice of actions will bring you to different areas of the castle, meet other NPCs (like prisoners), which traps you encounter, and unravel other subplots. It's not as stealthy as I'd hope, but it's the Super Nintendo. I see what Square was trying for, and they did it without making this chapter miserable. Be warned, though, I think it's possible to get soft locked in certain areas. So save often when you're outside or in a room with unlocked doors.
There isn't much plot here; we're just trying to get to Edo, so hopefully you enjoy the gameplay. Eventually, though, you do find him. Edo sees you coming, Odoro is kinda dumb and rushes into a room filled with enemies. Odo pulls out a gun and aims it at Odoro, but another shot is heard instead. Turns out we're not the only ones hunting Odoro. A man named Ryoma shot Odo's gun and scared off the followers. Odo isn't cool, like a dinosaur, so he runs off, but not before calling the afterlife for help. He summons Musashi Miyamoto to kill the two of us.
Musashi is the toughest fight in this chapter. None of my attacks did much, Ryomo was weak, and I somehow ran out of people to kill, despite having 62 kills under my belt. I spent all my usable items on him, but I won.
Chasing back after Ode, a woman stops us before the battle and gives us a gift for not killing any women. She returns a few seconds later with a better gift. Both are accessories. But it's on to Ode.
We easily beat him up at the top of the castle. But the game isn't over yet. Ode has another trick up his sleeve. He turns into a giant frog. This is a problem... If you have all the Genji gear, set the stage on fire. The fire panels did more damage to Ode than my normal attacks. Way of the Ninja skill was the best way to deal damage, as physical attacks were pathetic.
After the fight, Ode dies, and two loud explosions are heard through the town. One is Ode's death, and the other is from a ship in the harbor filled with Ryoma's allies. Ryoma reveals his last name to be Sakamoto, meaning he is a real figure from the Edo period who helped to end the shogunate and establish the Empire of Japan. He offers Oboro a choice, but neither seems to matter. The sun rises, and the chapter ends.
Thursday, January 1, 2026
Living a Life: Caveman
New Year, new goals.
I haven't forgotten my goal of discussing all the SNES JRPGs in the world, but I need more data. So, this year, I'm getting that data! And it's day one of 2026, I'm playing a new game, that new game is an anthology, so let's post more updates this year than last. Welcome to Live a Live.
Pogo's chapter opens on a squad of random redheaded men riding rhino cars around. They were plotting something, but because they're cavemen before verbal communication, I can't understand it. That's the interesting thing about Pogo's chapter: there is no dialogue. It's all sounds, including character skills.
We make it to Pogo, hanging out with his monkey and/or neanderthal friend, Gori. They live in a cave with other tribesmen and must hunt to survive. There's a barter tutorial where you combine miscellaneous stuff to make weapons and armor, chests and drawers to loot, and frantic cavemen running about. The village chief, who hates you, tasks Pogo with hunting deer in the small field south of the cave. You don't find any deer, but there are plenty of dogs for some reason. Maybe the deer icon is a symbol for something? I only got into three fights, so that's the limit for today. I got enough meat and was allowed back into the cave as night fell.
Pogo and Gobi hit their hay beds, but Pogo is woken up in the middle of the night. He goes for a walk around the cave. He takes the elder's stuff and stumbles upon a food thief! Some of the meat is missing, and the hay stacks are moving. A quick investigation, much of which isn't very intuitive, involving the help of Gori, and my learning that pressing the square button lets Pogo and Giri sniff stuff out, reveals that a cavewoman is among them. And Pogo is instantly in love. Her name is Bel, and she's into him as well and gives him a kiss. Bel is a known commodity in the cave, and the elder disproves of her being here. Gori sneaks his girlfriend back to bed, where he kicks Gori out of his bed and pushes both together to let Pogo and Bel sleep beside each other.
He's woken up by a snuggly Gori. Bel is hiding in a heystack in the corner, but it's time for Pogo to go to work. Do your hunting and crafting, and you can even give Bel gifts during. Although this doesn't appear to do anything but get a kiss. Eventually, and after talking to the right person, those redheads from opening crash their rhinos through the front gate!
The elder confronts them after they've beaten up everyone in the cave. They're looking for Bel, who no one knows is here. But the baddies find her, which makes Pogo take action. He and Gori, and even Bel, beat up the invaders. Their leader, Zaki, is also thrashed. Zaki's only clothing is a living lizard that he wears as a codpiece. He throws it at us, and the poor lizard hides the fun bits. I don't want to know how... Pogo may have chased away the invaders, however...
The elder is furious. Bel isn't from here, and she's brought turmoil with her. She also ate the food, but that's never brought up. As punishment for housing her, Pogo and Gori are exiled from the cave along with Bel. The three must now find their own way in life. You're gonna want to level up Bel in this field. I didn't and regret it.
There's a merchant to the north west, and a cave to the north east. Inside are the invaders, but they coincidentally leave just before we enter. Pogo lights a fire and flirts with Bel. She flirts back. Gori farts and blows up the room before getting chased off. After this, the group calls it a night. Pogo is a field of flowers. It's aesthetically pleasing and shows what the SNES can do. He's beside Bel and goes in for a kiss. Sadly, she slaps him. It was all a dream! Pogo woke up to see the invaders were back. They've kidnapped Bel and left through a secret entrance. Pogo wakes up Gori, who throws Pogo through the locked door. On the otherside of the door are a few invaders. They taunt Pogo, who rushes forward, only to fall into a pit.
This part sucks! It's dark, and you can't see anything. You're supposed to sniff out encounters, avoiding the doom alligators, but I couldn't figure it out. It was maddening! But I persisted and escaped. We kept following the invaders back to their camp, fighting through a field with similar nonsense of the pit (but visible).
There's a sleeping guard, but I didn't investigate him. Instead, I climbed to a cliff that overlooks the base. We saw the invaders taking two girl monkeys away. This upsets Gori, who goes on a rampage. It clears the area, so it's a clear walk inside, unless you enter the wrong door. Go right. Gori's getting sexy with a group of she monkeys, so we have to ruin that. The two fight their way through an endless horde of maze gingers until they reach the outside. Now it all makes sense!
They wanted Bel as a sacrifice. They tie her to a pole overlooking a steep cliff and begin chanting. It's interrupted by Pogo muscling his way through. They stand no chance, and even Zaki gets dog walked. The one-on-one battle between them doesn't technically finish, as the earth begins to shake. The god is aware of their presence. The prehistoric deck rumbles and falls apart, sending Pogo, Gori, Bel, Zaki, and his war chief to the bottom. They all get up, and the war chief runs towards their god, just off screen. Zaki calls to him, but the only thing that returns to the group is the warchief's helmet.
Ominous organ music plays as a dark shadow approaches the four of them. Gori kicks the helmet at god, and the battle begins! We're against the last dinosaur in the world, O-di-o, a tyrannosaurus rex! And he wrecked me. Bel is at level two because I didn't expect her to be kidnapped so fast after getting her. Zaki got one shot, Gori helped poison the ground, but Pogo couldn't tank well enough at level nine.
Now, imagine I won. The four of them run forward to where Odio came from, revealing that he inhabited a vast field of lush grass and abundant trees. Everyone but Zaki runs around celebrating, while Zaki's tribe joins them. Then Pogo's tribe follows for some reason. After some minor squabbles, peace settles between the two tribes, and they party. After the party, Pogo and Bel go into a room together. Gori tries to follow, but is kicked out. He tries again, but a horde of sexy girl monkeys rushes him to a different room. A pink hue covers the screen, and we see the first word ever said in this world. "Love!" Snu snu happens, and the chapter ends!
Right on!
This was an odd chapter. Not having any dialogue was a novel choice. It's a neat way to differentiate how different this guy is from the others (presumably). The slapstick interactions between everything were funny. It got less so towards the end, but it's two hours, so I won't take points. The encounter thing was a less fun choice. Running into very difficult enemies unprepared is rough. And I probably didn't take advantage of the crafting enough, so I'll get on that. It's a very unconventional way to have a jrpg, and I'm here for it! But it's chapter one, it's a strange one, and I'm curious how the others will be. And what the payoff will be...
I haven't forgotten my goal of discussing all the SNES JRPGs in the world, but I need more data. So, this year, I'm getting that data! And it's day one of 2026, I'm playing a new game, that new game is an anthology, so let's post more updates this year than last. Welcome to Live a Live.
Pogo's chapter opens on a squad of random redheaded men riding rhino cars around. They were plotting something, but because they're cavemen before verbal communication, I can't understand it. That's the interesting thing about Pogo's chapter: there is no dialogue. It's all sounds, including character skills.
We make it to Pogo, hanging out with his monkey and/or neanderthal friend, Gori. They live in a cave with other tribesmen and must hunt to survive. There's a barter tutorial where you combine miscellaneous stuff to make weapons and armor, chests and drawers to loot, and frantic cavemen running about. The village chief, who hates you, tasks Pogo with hunting deer in the small field south of the cave. You don't find any deer, but there are plenty of dogs for some reason. Maybe the deer icon is a symbol for something? I only got into three fights, so that's the limit for today. I got enough meat and was allowed back into the cave as night fell.
Pogo and Gobi hit their hay beds, but Pogo is woken up in the middle of the night. He goes for a walk around the cave. He takes the elder's stuff and stumbles upon a food thief! Some of the meat is missing, and the hay stacks are moving. A quick investigation, much of which isn't very intuitive, involving the help of Gori, and my learning that pressing the square button lets Pogo and Giri sniff stuff out, reveals that a cavewoman is among them. And Pogo is instantly in love. Her name is Bel, and she's into him as well and gives him a kiss. Bel is a known commodity in the cave, and the elder disproves of her being here. Gori sneaks his girlfriend back to bed, where he kicks Gori out of his bed and pushes both together to let Pogo and Bel sleep beside each other.
He's woken up by a snuggly Gori. Bel is hiding in a heystack in the corner, but it's time for Pogo to go to work. Do your hunting and crafting, and you can even give Bel gifts during. Although this doesn't appear to do anything but get a kiss. Eventually, and after talking to the right person, those redheads from opening crash their rhinos through the front gate!
The elder confronts them after they've beaten up everyone in the cave. They're looking for Bel, who no one knows is here. But the baddies find her, which makes Pogo take action. He and Gori, and even Bel, beat up the invaders. Their leader, Zaki, is also thrashed. Zaki's only clothing is a living lizard that he wears as a codpiece. He throws it at us, and the poor lizard hides the fun bits. I don't want to know how... Pogo may have chased away the invaders, however...
The elder is furious. Bel isn't from here, and she's brought turmoil with her. She also ate the food, but that's never brought up. As punishment for housing her, Pogo and Gori are exiled from the cave along with Bel. The three must now find their own way in life. You're gonna want to level up Bel in this field. I didn't and regret it.
There's a merchant to the north west, and a cave to the north east. Inside are the invaders, but they coincidentally leave just before we enter. Pogo lights a fire and flirts with Bel. She flirts back. Gori farts and blows up the room before getting chased off. After this, the group calls it a night. Pogo is a field of flowers. It's aesthetically pleasing and shows what the SNES can do. He's beside Bel and goes in for a kiss. Sadly, she slaps him. It was all a dream! Pogo woke up to see the invaders were back. They've kidnapped Bel and left through a secret entrance. Pogo wakes up Gori, who throws Pogo through the locked door. On the otherside of the door are a few invaders. They taunt Pogo, who rushes forward, only to fall into a pit.
This part sucks! It's dark, and you can't see anything. You're supposed to sniff out encounters, avoiding the doom alligators, but I couldn't figure it out. It was maddening! But I persisted and escaped. We kept following the invaders back to their camp, fighting through a field with similar nonsense of the pit (but visible).
There's a sleeping guard, but I didn't investigate him. Instead, I climbed to a cliff that overlooks the base. We saw the invaders taking two girl monkeys away. This upsets Gori, who goes on a rampage. It clears the area, so it's a clear walk inside, unless you enter the wrong door. Go right. Gori's getting sexy with a group of she monkeys, so we have to ruin that. The two fight their way through an endless horde of maze gingers until they reach the outside. Now it all makes sense!
They wanted Bel as a sacrifice. They tie her to a pole overlooking a steep cliff and begin chanting. It's interrupted by Pogo muscling his way through. They stand no chance, and even Zaki gets dog walked. The one-on-one battle between them doesn't technically finish, as the earth begins to shake. The god is aware of their presence. The prehistoric deck rumbles and falls apart, sending Pogo, Gori, Bel, Zaki, and his war chief to the bottom. They all get up, and the war chief runs towards their god, just off screen. Zaki calls to him, but the only thing that returns to the group is the warchief's helmet.
Ominous organ music plays as a dark shadow approaches the four of them. Gori kicks the helmet at god, and the battle begins! We're against the last dinosaur in the world, O-di-o, a tyrannosaurus rex! And he wrecked me. Bel is at level two because I didn't expect her to be kidnapped so fast after getting her. Zaki got one shot, Gori helped poison the ground, but Pogo couldn't tank well enough at level nine.
Now, imagine I won. The four of them run forward to where Odio came from, revealing that he inhabited a vast field of lush grass and abundant trees. Everyone but Zaki runs around celebrating, while Zaki's tribe joins them. Then Pogo's tribe follows for some reason. After some minor squabbles, peace settles between the two tribes, and they party. After the party, Pogo and Bel go into a room together. Gori tries to follow, but is kicked out. He tries again, but a horde of sexy girl monkeys rushes him to a different room. A pink hue covers the screen, and we see the first word ever said in this world. "Love!" Snu snu happens, and the chapter ends!
Right on!
This was an odd chapter. Not having any dialogue was a novel choice. It's a neat way to differentiate how different this guy is from the others (presumably). The slapstick interactions between everything were funny. It got less so towards the end, but it's two hours, so I won't take points. The encounter thing was a less fun choice. Running into very difficult enemies unprepared is rough. And I probably didn't take advantage of the crafting enough, so I'll get on that. It's a very unconventional way to have a jrpg, and I'm here for it! But it's chapter one, it's a strange one, and I'm curious how the others will be. And what the payoff will be...
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