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.