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?
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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?
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