Live A Live
Live A Live is an anthology-style role-playing game that spans seven distinct eras, each with its own protagonist, setting, and gameplay mechanics. From prehistory to the distant future, the Wild West to feudal Japan, players experience seven unique stories before they converge in an unforgettable eighth chapter that ties all timelines together.
Game Controls
About This Retro Game
Released exclusively in Japan for the Super Famicom in 1994, Live A Live marked the directorial debut of Takashi Tokita, who would go on to co-write Chrono Trigger. The game features character designs by seven legendary manga artists including Gosho Aoyama (Case Closed), Yumi Tamura (Basara), and Yoshinori Kobayashi (Mobile Fighter G Gundam).
Each of the seven chapters offers a radically different experience: Pogo the caveman communicates without words in Prehistory; the Earthen Heart Shifu trains disciples in Imperial China; Oboromaru the shinobi employs stealth mechanics in Twilight Edo; Sundown defends a town in the Wild West; Masaru battles in a worldwide martial arts tournament in Present Day; Akira uses psychic powers in Near Future; and Cube the servbot navigates a spaceship horror scenario in Distant Future.
Upon completing all seven chapters, the Middle Ages chapter unlocks, bringing together the eight heroes—each named after a virtue—in a final confrontation that recontextualizes everything. The game's non-linear structure, genre-bending scenarios, and Yoko Shimomura's iconic soundtrack made it a cult classic that remained Japan-exclusive for nearly three decades.
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