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LIVE A LIVE analysis, discovering the classics

LIVE TO LIVE, for the Nintendo Switch, gives us a classic that most of us didn’t even know existed. After a thorough facelift, we got a Japanese role-playing game who did not get beyond the borders of his native country from 1994 to the present.

If you enjoy it rpg genre and Japanese culture, you have found a place to invest many hours. LIVE A LIVE brings with it eight storylines for all very different audiences, not only because of the plot and characters, but also because of the extensive time travel.

Discovery of the classics

Nintendo continues in strange fashion reinvent great titles which at the time could only be enjoyed by the Japanese public. In this particular case, it is a console video game super nintendo, this data already tells us what we will find. On its original release date, LIVE A LIVE was a hit RPG or RPG genre in Japan.

The version offered by the company tried to adapt to the current market conditions. Unlike other remastered classic titles that have kept their image intact (e.g Super Mario 3D All-Stars, which brought back Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy), this time they decided to update the game’s visuals, which is appreciated. This is reflected in the exceptional quality of the pixel art combined with the 3D, showing the fantastic end result they have already achieved in the 2019 relaunch The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. All this without losing the spirit and style of the original game, using the wild card of nostalgia, so common in recent years, to win over veteran and retro fans. Great adaptation.

eight stories

There are many different ways to tell or present a story, and Nintendo decided to do it in an original way in the 1990s: eight stories from different historical periods and different protagonists. The most amazing thing about this structure is how fresh it remains today.

After the opening screen of the game, we will have to choose which adventure we want to experience according to the chosen time: Prehistoric times, Wild West, Near future, Far future, Twilight of the Edo period, Imperial China or the present day itself. And here comes the biggest point in favor of this narrative structure that we can play at your own pace. For example, we can start a chapter set in the distant future and alternate that adventure with an Imperial China chapter or any other. That way, when we get stuck on a mission or get bored with the plot, we can jump from one to the other until we stay in the one we prefer, and all this will be able to return at any time exactly where we left off in the previous chapters.

These eight adventures are not overly long (some 3 or 4 hours each chapter) and are independent of each other, resulting in a light game and easy fun. No plot goes too deep and they all do different characters main and minor, with wide variety of scenarios and styles, traversing landscapes as contrasting as the desert and the interior of a spaceship.

To get some negative aspect, since it is a game for all audiences, we find simple stories and quite flat characters, no big surprise plots or overly complex missions.

Let’s jump into the fray

One way or another, in all these stories we will have to enter the fray. Some chapters will focus more on story and others on defeating enemies. Fights take place with one or more characters both on our side and on the other side, and at the end of them we will gain certain experience that will help us level up our protagonists.

The battle scene is represented by a grid, allies and villains will move through their sections in their respective rounds, being able to select the action you want to perform: fight, use an item, pass/wait, or run away. Although we are RPGthis structure needs a part strategy as the enemies increase in difficulty. Given the different attacks on both sides, we have to think about what will happen the most effective tactic depending on the situationSome moves are stronger than others, have different ranges, and affect different creatures differently. Although at the beginning of each adventure we can attack in a simpler and more direct way, as the story develops and we level up, the strength and complexity of our opponents will also increase, more than once we will have to stop to think about what our attack will be. next move and if we don’t plan a strategy, we can end up running away until we find the right pattern in the fight.

Again, this is a general-purpose adventure, so completing this title won’t be much of a challenge. From my point of view, this translates into scenes that are too heavy, slow, somewhat childish and not very elaborate. Sometimes you can meet simple missions which end up taking too long, like chaining together multiple quests that just consist of moving from one point to another on the map without doing anything other than talking to the character you find there, so they end up sending you back to another point to start a new one conversation with another secondary. This becomes repetitive and tiresome, which affects the rhythm of the game and bores the player. In general, combat is the most fun part of this adventure.

In short, out of action

Although it is true that they make up this title eight short storiesthese few hours of gameplay condense an absurd amount of text and cinematography, which falls short when it comes to rating its playability. The passing years unforgiving, not so much for the quality and development of his stories, both quite remarkable qualities, but for his own belonging to gender roles, a concept he barely delves into. The game is short.

By respecting certain elements original game, in some cases we can find successes that confidently play with the nostalgia of the classics, but sometimes the passage of time has been played with. An example would be the interface design, which is far too simple compared to the rest of the game’s visual elements.

A great point in favor could be v soundtrackwhich is in charge of the Japanese composer Yoko Shimomura, whose mastery we already knew from works as unforgettable as the first two titles of the Kingdom Hearts saga, however, to the great surprise of users, the songs chosen for this remastering hold up quite well. much unnoticed without standing out in any of these eight stories.

Overall, the work done to bring this classic back to the present was exceptional on several levels, preserving originality which it already demonstrated at its first launch and achieved an aesthetic of perfect quality. It could be improved, yes, but it’s worth noting the ease of the fun and its simple mechanics that allow players of all ages to enjoy it.

LIVE A LIVE technical sheet

Developer: SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. story incl
Distribution: Nintendo
Date of publication: 22/07/2022
Price: €49.99
Platform: Nintendo switch
Players: One console (1)
Idiom: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean
Online: no way

LIVE A LIVE is available on Nintendo’s website for an official price of 49.99 euros, on the dedicated video game channel and on global platforms such as Amazon, which is currently offering a 20% discount, keeping the price of the game at 39.99 euros.

Final assessment


7.6
NOTE

WE LIKE

Impeccable game art Adventure for all audiences Simple mechanics Short, light stories Ability to skip from one chapter to another

IMPROVE

Repetitive missions Poor story arcs, no big surprises Poor interface and soundtrack Very long dialogues and too many animations

ABSTRACT

LIVE A LIVE is a recommended title for all age groups, a very worthy remastering of an original and entertaining title with a structure that remains innovative even today. If you’re looking for a few hours of easy fun and simple mechanics, this is your game.

graphics and sound8.5

gameplay6

Duration8

Originality8

Source: Muy Computer

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