Live A Live

"Join me and live a life, where Square still had it's charm"

Live a live. A game that suffered from a badly translated name, which I'm guessing what was supposed to be ''Live a Life'', but if that were the case, then you wouldn't get the cool mirroring effect that the game uses with its title screen, heh.

First Impressions:
As an avid Square fan from times past, I had always sought out to find more Square gems. This was one of those games that I looked at, that sparked my interest. So, desiring to know about this game, I delved into a game world that amazed me in nearly every way. Let me explain, as it's my duty as a reviewer to do so.

Storyline:
Firstly, I'd like to say that story line is one of the things that I usually review last, but since its the main point of this game, I'll place it first.
As the title suggest, you ''live a life'' of one of 7 starting characters. These characters include:

Pogo - A caveman living in prehistoric times, he survives on his instincts in a primitive world. A time when verbal conversations are non-existent, simple signs are used to explain oneself. Survival of the fittest is the game that Pogo competes in.

Shinzan - A monk living in ancient China, he is the sole master of the Shisanken style of kung fu. Reaching old age, he wishes to pass on the tradition of his style onto a new generation, and seeks out pupils for one who may ultimately become his successor.

Oboromaru - A ninja during the bakumastu period in Japan, where the famous ninja and samurai seem to spark the interest of in many situations. He is sent on a mission to kill a powerful lord, in order to prevent him from causing war to ravage Japan once again.

Sunset - A cowboy during the early times of American history. As a typical scenario for this time period, outlaws and wanted men are plenty, and often go beyond the reach of the law. Sunset is a wanted man, and a mystery to all.

Masaru - An aspiring martial artist during modern times, he strives to better himself by learning different attacks from various styles created from around the world, in an attempt to become the strongest.

Akira - During the near future, there is a young psychic with many latent powers; he lives a relaxed life, taking it easy in the local park, and helping out his friend Matsu with his taiyaki stand, which helps provide money for the orphanage that he has been a part of, ever since the death of his policeman father.

Cube - A small robot created on a spaceship during the future, he was made to be a helper around the ship, and to learn as much as possible. However, due to an odd series of events, this tiny invention must deal with a new problem that troubles human and robot alike.

And that concludes the rundown of the characters. Each one, as you've noticed, takes place in a distinctive time period, and each of the stories varies considerably. You're not going to find lazer guns in the orient, and neither are you going to find a samurai on a spaceship.
Each scenario has such style and class to it, that it successfully manages to bring you into each world that it creates.

This game at first, does not seem like a typical rpg, which are more like novels, with a drawn out plot with twists and turns to keep the reader/player hooked. This game is a compilation of a short stories, which all weave into each other by the end of the game, creating a very unique effect that I can only pray games in the future will attempt to emulate. An excellent storyline, that should be taken as an experience, having the ability to place yourself in each of these time periods. A true marvel of the gaming world, with one of the most unique styles of presentation.

Graphics:
Now, with this being a super famicom game, being reviewed in March 2002, I dont think this is going to be as fair sounding as I'd like it to be.
But I'm rather opinionated, and I feel that 2d games are never outdated. Its an art style, and it presents itself well enough to do the job. Each area looks vastly different from the rest, as it should, and helps to create as decent an environment as possible for this old 16 bit console.
The enemies are particularly nice, altho some are just plain.... disturbing.

Sound:
Wow. Even after all the years that have passed since this game's release, I find myself hard pressed to find another game that can blow this game away in terms of music.
The music is amazing, and if it were done on today's systems, it would be a dream to behold.
The music, as with the graphics, fit each theme very well. Prehistoric music has that jungle sound going for it, while the later musics sound techno-ish. The Oriental themes are also quite nice, and seem to be inspired from many movies.
And when you tie in an INCREDIBLE boss fight music, you've got a pretty concrete soundtrack.
The sound effects are decent as well, with some humorous voice clips and effects. However, some of the sounds are a little too high pitched for my tastes, so if you turn up the volume to enjoy the music, the sharpness of the sounds might stab your ear once or twice.

Control: This is pretty irrelevant, but the controls are simple. B allows you to run while held, you have A as your confirm button, L and R do the mandatory left and right cycling, Y does a characters unique ability (if present in the scenario) and X opens up the menu screen. Simple stuff.

Gameplay:
As with most of the games that I review, gameplay is an important past, since it is a game, after all.
You choose whichever character you want, in any order. Most chapters are relatively short (Masaru's chapter, for example), while others have a pretty decent quest ahead for you. The difficulty is pretty high, but its a welcome challenge. There is no money to gain, since they're not a full out quest, but rather just an important time in that character's life. Lots of items to find, plenty of abilities/magic, and TONS of secrets. I'm glad that the chapters are short, so it lets you replay them over and over to try different things, without the annoyance of repetition.
And once you finish all 7 of the main characters......

Closing Thoughts:
I'm pretty sad that this game never made it over to the united states, but then again, what good square games made it over here, aside from the overly popular ones?
This is one game that I fell in love with from the start. Each story is packed with drama, and right when you think you can predict everything, here comes a plot twist that really changes everything.
There are a ton of surprises and secrets in this game, and I'm awfully sure that you'll get a kick out of the ''fanatics'' that chase you around, hoping to win your love. So homophobes, and old ugly lady-phobes need not apply.
And the reward you get for clearing all the 7 default characters is well worth it, and brings 7 seemingly opposite worlds together for one dramatic finish. Has a pretty philosophical meaning to it all, which is a nice change of pace from all the ''save the world'' stories as of late.
This is truly an amazing game, which left a pretty big impact on me, and raised the bar for rpgs to follow. A lot of games lack the flair and charisma that really makes them unique. Now, people are just after image, and its sad. This gem of a game will always shine brightly in my mind, and with high regards. I highly recommend this game to anyone looking for a classic. And be sure to play it with an open mind, and you might find something you like.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/01/02, Updated 03/01/02