Jimbo Skelly

Games like Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Act Raiser, Secret of Mana and etc. help shape the SNES RPG era of gaming for what it was. There is always a debate of which generation of RPGs is the best between the PS1 and SNES/Super Famicom but after playing Live a Live I’m leaning towards the SNES.  The game was talked about amongst friends and Youtube as the one really good Square RPG that never left Japan and was considered the best. Directed by Takashi Tokita (right before directing Chrono Trigger) and music done by Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario RPG) it was a game that seemed illusive if you didn’t have an emulator with a fan translation.  Now with HD2D remake done by Historia and produced by Square-Enix for modern platforms, having a copy of the game is now a reality.

What is Live A Live exactly? It is an RPG that follows the story of 8 characters from different time periods, ranging from the prehistoric era and going all the way to the distant future. The story centers around each character and their arc starting from their beginning of the chapter and going all the way to the end. After completing their chapter you can then pick the next character and play through their respective chapter and era. The magic of it is that there is no true order to pick and you can pick anybody you want! (I went counter clockwise starting with Oboromaru). 

(image above copyrighted from IGN) Each chapter has unique mechanics tied to that era such as relying on stealth in the Twilight of Edo chapter (Japan) or a monk training his 3 disciples in combat to take over for him when he passes away (Imperial China). Other chapters will have a character entering a tournament in which you pick your opponent, similar to Street Fighter (Present Day), or a text heavy Sci-Fi story reminiscent of both Alien and Space Odyssey (Distant Future). I feel each story shines in its own way with the exception of one chapter involving the psychic and mech (which sounds cool!) but there was a lot going back and forth on the map that may get exhausting. However, none of the chapters overstay their welcome and know when to end. All the chapters are tied in a certain away but without giving it away it took me until the 3rd chapter to realize how the characters are tied together and seeing the eventual pay off was one of the biggest satisfactions I ever got in a game.  The gameplay itself is something I’ve been impressed with as it is a turn based system but on a tile grid as opposed to being in one spot on the other side of the screen. Tile based movement isn’t tied to turns as opposed to the typical TRPGs but can fill up a yellow turn meter for both the party and enemy. If you move too many times then the meter for an enemy can fill up and then they can attack. Bigger attacks also fill up a red meter that can be executed after a certain amount of movement but if you’re hit with a knockback ability by the enemy it can be interrupted!

The gameplay itself is something I’ve been impressed with as it is a turn based system but on a tile grid as opposed to being in one spot on the other side of the screen. Tile based movement isn’t tied to turns as opposed to the typical TRPGs but can fill up a yellow turn meter for both the party and enemy. If you move too many times then the meter for an enemy can fill up and then they can attack. Bigger attacks also fill up a red meter that can be executed after a certain amount of movement but if you’re hit with a knockback ability by the enemy it an be interrupted!

Some attacks are similar to chess in which attacks can be diagonal or in front of the enemy. But if you level certain characters enough they may have an ability for a screen nuke in which the attack goes across the entire surface.  You can also burn or poison tiles in which depending how long a character stands on it can damage them over time. You definitely want to be constantly moving if you can. Depending on fights, it can either benefit to keep characters together or separate depending on the type of enemy you’re facing. The game adds variety and technicality to it that I haven’t personally played in a RPG in a long time and it’s crazy that this is a game from 1994. 

(image above copyrighted from IGN)

Also the music redone for the game both composed and supervised by the original composer Yoko Shimomura. The soundtrack really shines here, although it would be nice for an option to change the music to the original Super Famicom version just to see how much is different compared to the remake. However, it’s still a great soundtrack from one of the greatest in the business, with “Megalomania” and “Cry A Live” being standouts and currently listening to while writing this review. 

I believe this game needs to remembered as one of the greatest and held to the same pedigree as it’s contemporaries. I think back to the ending even after completing it and how I was moved by it. I was in actual tears by the end of it and will be sticking with me for a long time. If you haven’t played it do yourself a favor and pick up a copy! (Available on Steam/PS5/PS4/Switch)

People have said, your first Final Fantasy game will be your favorite and I have to agree with that statement. Final Fantasy VIII is my favorite because I played it at a sensitive time in my life and it was the first game that felt the story was on a whole other plane of existence, or time compression in this case. The story follows two protagonists, which were also the sale of the game back in the 90s, Squall and Laguna in which Squall is a child soldier being trained along with his comrades to take on Sorceress Edea, the main antagonist of the game. Laguna being the secondary protagonist is Squall’s opposite where he is open and talkative. Depending on who you ask, people would generally prefer a protagonist such as Laguna who is “likable” compared to Squall’s cold personality.

Laguna is only available during certain points of the game and isn’t as playable as much as someone would prefer however his involvement is crucial to the overall game’s story and how it effect mainly Squall. With Squall your miles may vary with his personality. People have found him moody, stand-offish, and cold and it has turned people off from playing a game with an angsty teen. However, I’m on the opposite where those unlikable traits are there to show Squall starting at the bottom and slowly growing over time. Over time, Squall slowly turns into the other protagonist’s personality, in which he cares for his friend’s well-being, is more honest with his thoughts, and even falls in love with the character Rinoa which assists him in opening up his personality. The journey to get to Squall’s personality is a long one, mainly by the end of the game, which was something I was willing to see through to the end.

Squall and Rinoa’s relationship is what was also the big sale of the game which was the first Final Fantasy game to focus on a love story (at least to this degree), but the love story is messy when looking at it critically. Rinoa is constantly trying to get Squall’s attention and he isn’t interested until a point in the game where Rinoa is out and Squall realizes he has feelings for her. After he comes to the conclusion and she returns it seems as though he is still the same. He has grown but this is where it feels it takes a long time for him to grow as a character. Squall still wants to hang on to that cool personality but he is slowly losing that piece of him, which is what I want! Just the journey there is tumultuous.

The side characters have their own unique personalities and lovely character designs by Tetsuya Nomura, however, this is all you get on the surface when it comes to personality types and backstories. At a point in the game, you are given a backstory of the characters and where they come from but don’t have their own character arcs as deep as FFVI and FFVII’s side characters. I believe they wanted to focus more on Squall and didn’t have time to flesh out the other characters’ stories and it feels the developers wanted a ‘one glove fits all’ backstory which is a shame because the characters are really good but I can’t help but to feel they get sidelined after the story’s big revelation. 

The story has also been a big point of contention where the game seems to go in an opposite direction trying to come up with new twists and turns to keep the player engaged but loses the payer a little bit with its “Time Compression” plot and another sorceress from the future that the main cast has to take care of. You have to suspend your disbelief for the story to work and I think it succeeds to a mixed degree. I personally believe it works where it tries to turn itself into this philosophical journey and discussion about our own time and existence in it but I also believe it was used to help get the characters from point A to point B. How someone feels about it is depended on who they are but, for my 9-year-old self, it helped me really appreciate complex stories.

The gameplay, Junction System, is either a “you either love it or hate it” kind of deal. I am more on the side of love because of its freedom of expression when it comes to characters making specific types of warrior or mage archetypes work in Final Fantasy VIII. You also draw magic from enemies and draw points in which you can equip magic to strengthen your character stats. You also learn Junction abilities and passive abilities from your summons in the game known as “Guardian Forces.” You’ll have abilities that strengthen your Magic or boost your defense and with the freedom of the Junction system, you can make some overpowered characters. I do believe it falls short of being one of the bests because it is very limited when it comes to equipping passive and character abilities. If the game offered more ways to equip said abilities it can be on the same level as VII’s materia system however, they wanted to limit the character from becoming too powerful for the game itself which is a shame. It also has a system in which monsters, bosses, and super bosses level up as you do to curb people from over-grinding. I was at a higher level on this recent playthrough and the final boss was difficult because of it. I enjoy the level-up system because it adds this reward/risk system of “Do I grind up to get better abilities but have a harder game or do I go through the game as low leveled as possible and keep the game mildly easy?”

(I need to practice writing longer reviews so here I am)

*Spoilers* I had no interest in Final Fantasy XVI when it was announced, I looked at it and thought “Definitely not for me” and moved on. Its promotional material made it look like it was inspired by recent dark fantasy media (Game of Thrones comes to mind) but when I played and finished it I’ve come to find it isn’t what the promotional material told me. It is still lighthearted in its storytelling, still has great characters, and even a “save the world” plot that you can find in most Final Fantasy games. Gameplay is something I want to start because that is what hooked me the first when I saw DMC5/Dragon’s Dogma Battle Director (Ryota Suzuki) was tied to FF16. I’ve enjoyed all the games he’s helped made and FF16 is no exception. Gameplay is very limiting in the beginning, abilities are tied to summons known as Eikons. However, if you maxed out an ability on one summon you can bring it to another summon slot. I was dodging with Shiva’s Ice ability while using Ramuh’s lighting in the same slot. Experimentation is endless, but don’t be surprised if you end up using the same first three Eikons for most of the game. If you are someone like me who’s enjoyed DMC, don’t be afraid to try different mix-ups and experiment in the Halls of Virtue; the game’s training mode. The game will also have big kaiju-like battle sequences in which the character will engage in a fight with another Eikon battling it out from Earth to the underground. When it comes to accessibility, they have rings the player can equip that make combat easy, however, there is definitely a lack of other options as well (colorblind settings, bigger fonts for menus, text-to-speech). The game will also have cinematic sequences where you press square button at the right time, mash the square button to push back, or R button to dodge. Miles will vary, I personally thought of them as mindless but fun, but can also be frustrating having to stop to press buttons. Although, enemy variety is lacking which is a shame because it does come from a series with a magnitude of enemy designs. I believed it could’ve used a couple more. Side Quest is where it is mixed because some develop side characters, the world you inhabit, and earn you great loot. Sometimes though, they feel long-winded and tiring. I caught myself disengaging from what was happening on screen just waiting for the characters to get to the point. The story is serviceable and I found myself enjoying the characters a lot but one of the plot threads unfortunately doesn't go anywhere and we just have to assume it all worked out in the end. It is a big plot point in the game that affects the world they live in but it just disappears once the stakes get raised to apocalypse. Diversity and sexism have also been an overall issue in gaming and it is no stranger to Square when it comes to their games. You’ll visit different parts of the world and see POC people but unfortunately, they are only relegated to side characters and NPCs. (There is also no Black representation in the game which RPGs sorely lack). The side characters they offer are also well-written but not getting a variety of characters in an all-white cast is a missed opportunity.  FFXVI does also have a character who is canonically gay and has a partner where they share a kiss onscreen which is a first in a mainline FF game which is a step in the right direction when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation. It still leaves a lot to be desired because I believed they could’ve done more but I believe it is a huge step for Square.  When it comes to their female cast they fare no better where they do have moments for them to shine and show their triumphant stand, only for it to be squandered in a later moment of the game. The one female character gets sidelined by the end and despite recruiting her again to your team, I feel she is robbed having to stand her own. Just like with POC characters,  most of the great female characters are only NPCs and it makes me wonder if we’ll see a diverse cast as much as FFXIII again. (Also, I am reminded Strangers of Paradise exists). Overall I believe the game is deserving of the Final Fantasy name and is definitely a step in the right direction for the series when it comes to worldbuilding and characters. Gameplay is fast and fluid but I wouldn't mind seeing a return to turn-based combat in the next game. Let’s just hope Square can remember the female leads that made their past games great, and diversify a cast that can be inclusive to new fans alike.