Chou Mahou Tairiku Wozz. My new favorite word is "Wozzuka".

ウォズ超魔法大陸WOZZ (Chou Mahou Tairiku Wozz, The Magical Land of Wozz)
Super Famicom
RED Entertainment / Bullet Proof Software
Release: Aug 4, 1995

English translation by TransCorp: http://transcorp.parodius.com/projects/wozz/

So. There was once a Super Famicom RPG released in 1995. Have you heard this one before?

They're a dime a dozen, and yet each time I discover a new SFC RPG that's been translated, I feel that kind of happiness that can only originate from the mid-nineties. Especially when they're amusing and quirky like this one, and the nice presentation does not hurt at all.



The basic story is that this magical land that exists parallel to "our world" (I use the term loosely) is in peril so a wizard attempts to summon a legendary hero from Earth to defeat the evil badguy. Since apparently he can only be defeated by modern technology, which they don't have in WOZZLAND. Unfortunately the old coot summons three punk kids instead, so they kind of have to help him with all this or they're stuck here.


Yeah I don't think this old guy who summoned you really knows what he's doing...

Our heroes are Leona, a Japanese girl smartypants who's skilled with technology. She uses a bazooka in battle and can synthesize items using materials. Then there's Shot (yes, that's his name), an American archery pro who's kind of a dick. He's the physical attacker type. Finally, we have Chun, a Chinese boy gifted with psychic powers in the real world, which translates to him being good with magic in Wozzlandia. He's basically a huge scaredycat and wuss, struggling to even keep up with the party as they walk through dungeons.


The problem with being named "Shot" and being an archer: you're redundant!

You get to choose one of the three to be your "main character", although all three form the main party. The story seems to have certain spots that change slightly depending on your choice. For example, the team gets separated during one dungeon, and I was alone as my main for a while before rejoining the others.


Say it with me, "Wozzuka!"

You apparently acquire multiple vehicles, robots, and other such amazing things as the game progresses. As stated above, Leona can synth items if you snag the right materials. These neat aspects plus the fact that the game doesn't really seem to require much grinding makes it feel really fresh in comparison to many other SFC RPGs. The abundant humor in the script definitely helps this feeling, as well!

The map sprites are small (slightly bigger than FFV's) but well-done and expressive, and there are some impressive graphical touches on the world map itself. Battles are done in a sort of isometric perspective and the battle sprites of the main party and the monsters are quite nice.


Some pretty graphics on the world map. Look at that water!

Wozz's music is pretty good as well, the map music is soothing and the battle music is motivating, what more do you really need? Standard lovely SNES-era music. There doesn't seem to be an official soundtrack to the game that I've found, so those .spc files are your best bet.


When you use the Quake spell in battle, it causes the battlefield to shift all unevenly! Badass.

In short, Wozz is a great pick if you're up for a 16-bit RPG. It's got charm, it's got style, and it's unique enough to leave a lasting impression. As always, I have totally NOT uploaded a fully-patched rom for your convenience. Nope. No way.

I'd like to give props to TransCorp again, not only for the translation work, but because their page has translations from the original manual as well as a scanlated introductory manga to the game! Really stellar work.

Live A Live: Prehistoric Chapter preview

If you thought there wouldn't be any Flintstones-style cars in this chapter, YOU WERE WRONG.



Meanwhile, our heroes spy dinner...



... or maybe they're the ones becoming dinner? Oshiiiii





... aww :3





You gotta work to earn your keep. It's the same back then as it is now! More or less.



Even civilizations without spoken language know what a Y button is. Obviously.



You press said mystical button to sniff around and find your prey. Following the scent and hunting down some food is your job at this point in the chapter.



... just try not to think about it too much. They didn't have the luxury of playing fetch with them back then. At least you get to listen to the amazing battle music.



Delicious, non-specific meat.

That's a sneak peek at the prehistoric chapter of Live A Live! Once you get a bit further, things start to get very interesting. This part was just covering the basics and introducing you to combat, pretty much.

Live A Live

Here's the rom!



So what's Live A Live?

LaL is an offbeat RPG developed by Squaresoft in 1994. It was never released outside of Japan, but thanks to the awesome folks at Aeon Genesis, we can experience this game in English!



Live A Live consists of separate stories spread across several chapters. These different scenarios are rather unique settings for RPGs to be set in. For example: the caveman chapter contains no dialogue, since, well, language hadn't been invented yet. The ninja chapter is essentially Metal Gear Solid in RPG form: you have a choice of killing as many (or as few) guards as you see fit to complete your mission, and much of the chapter involves avoiding being detected.

The game is also deceptively innocent on the surface. Sure, those wacky chapters sound like fun, but underneath the surface lies some of the most unexpected, profound twists and turns you'll ever see.

What's the gameplay like?

Live A Live has a grid-based battle system. Your character can freely move about, and when you're ready to attack, you select one from a list and target any enemies in range. If you stand still, the enemy won't attack, but for each step you take, the enemy's "ATB gauge" will fill, and eventually they'll gain an opportunity to strike back. It sounds complicated, but it's actually pretty simple to figure out. As long as you remember that you can't just wander around the battlefield aimlessly unless you want to get smacked, you'll be fine.

The game isn't terribly difficult and most chapters don't even allow you to grind, let alone require it. The one thing you should keep in mind is that only the items/equipment you have on your main character will carry over to the final chapter, upon completing that character's scenario.

What chapter should I start with?



The caveman chapter, despite being somewhat offbeat, is actually one of the more "standard RPG-like" scenarios. The space chapter has almost no combat, and the wrestling chapter is nothing BUT combat, to name some chapters I'd save for later.

One hint I'll give about the caveman chapter: overleveling a certain female party member until she learns powerful attacks will make the boss much easier!

So let's play some Live A Live! I guarantee the game will surprise you, and the graphical limitations actually work in the game's favor when conveying the story. Never before have 16-bit sprites blown your mind like this. And did I mention the incredible soundtrack by Yoko Shimomura? I'll be posting it and some fan-made albums later on. Some of the best SNES tunes ever made, in my humble opinion.