Live A Live is an old SNES game that’s mostly been forgotten with time, due to the fact that it was never officially translated into English. A game by Squaresoft, and directed by Takashi Tokita, this game sits between the development of Final Fantasy IV and Chrono Trigger on Tokita’s portfolio. When I played the game for the first time a few months back, I was fairly impressed at the game’s quality, but moreso blown away at its highly unique and experimental design. Even though the game is touted as an RPG, Live A Live manages to incorporate several different game genres and mechanics all within the same limitations. With so many different game elements, there’s an incredible amount of design that can be analysed in the game.
At its core, Live A Live is actually still an RPG; the field exploration and combat screens are clearly separate, and there are the common elements of stats, leveled characters, and plenty of text and narrative. However, presentation of the game is quite unique: rather than a long, overarching story, the game’s chapters are actually separate, independent vignettes – each with different settings, narrative, story, music, and gameplay mechanics. However, the chapters still share the game’s common engine, having the same menu layouts, controls, and field and combat mechanics. This sounds like an oxymoron, at first – the chapters all share the same mechanics, yet each chapter contains different gameplay. This seeming paradox is solved by looking at the chapters in a more holistic way, and understanding what was Live A Live’s overarching design theme: each chapter approaches the same RPG formula in a completely different way.
Every chapter in the game tries to explore the standard RPG format in a different way, giving variations to the common elements of exploring the field, combat, character growth, and narrative. Of course, with so much variation in the chapters, this means that a unique foundation was needed – an engine allowing for flexible design.
The combat system used in Live A Live is a unique, hybrid combat system which can be compared to the system of a game of chess: the combat field is a small scale tactics grid, with attack types ranging from single squares, small or large areas of effect, or straight lines, all at different ranges. Commands and grid movement is actually a turn-based, yet opaque approach; regardless of the number of enemies or allies, each side takes turns making a single action, whether it’s moving, attacking, or skipping. However, there is no visible changing of turns, and movement is directly controlled by the D-pad.
This setup allows for the interpretation of three different types of RPG combat: ranged attacks and minimal movement creates an old-school turn-based combat, various ranged attacks and free movement lead to grid-based tactical combat, and limited range with differing amounts of movement allows for an increase in pacing, creating a pseudo-real-time combat – comparable to speed chess.
The field exploration portions of the game don’t have as much a unique design compared to the combat system, but still contains some flexibility in its level design. This can mostly be attributed to the inherently flexible tile system that old sprite-based games used in that time period. In addition to that, some chapters make use of a unique field ability, allowing for a few new gameplay mechanics.
All of the chapters in the game also have a completely different narrative, setting and visual design, which is the most obvious piece of variation done in Live A Live. Every chapter has its own self-contained story, set in a completely different time period. In addition, the character design in each chapter was done by a different manga artist. The stories in some chapters turn out of be generic or obviously based on films, however, the flexibility in the combat and field mechanics also lead to some being used as narrative mechanics, giving the story a unique presentation.
This combination of a highly interpretive combat system, flexible field and action design, and unique narrative creates a foundation that allows each chapter to have its own distinct gameplay style and genre, despite being all built on the exact same RPG engine.
With a fairly flexible foundation, the chapters in the game each create one major variation on the RPG formula, going on to define the chapter as a whole. Going through each chapter, I’ve tried to list what I believed the defining elements were.
The chapter based in Prehistory played much like an old JRPG, with several segments giving little direction, and granting several opportunities for grinding. This might be partially justified, however, through the unique narrative. Being set in a primitive time, the characters are all cavemen who haven’t yet developed language: the entirety of the chapter’s narrative is played with zero text.
There are a few exceptions here, of course – the menus and interfaces contain normal text, but those elements are typically abstracted from the narrative, anyway. Otherwise, much of the communication is actually conveyed through the use of an exaggerated, comical art style making use of miming, overly expressive sprites, (which was also used in Final Fantasy V,) and symbolic speech bubbles with images or cartoonish expressions. This isn’t exactly perfect, of course, and a few things ended up being confusing without further description. This imperfect and primitive communication can give an allusion towards the “primitive” RPG design that’s being used in the chapter.
Either way, the grinding elements are also streamlined with the use of a field ability. The enemies on the field are not actually random, but rather walk on the field screen invisibly. The action button allows you to “smell” their scent and pre-empt combat.
The Kung-fu chapter set in Ancient China also presented its narrative in a unique way. While it does not change any RPG elements, what makes this chapter stand out is that it uses almost all the gameplay mechanics as a means to convey narrative, and reverses several basic ideas of character growth.
Rather than beginning as an inexperienced character, the game opens with a fully trained martial arts master. The opening character naming segment is actually used to name the martial art, rather than the master. The party-building exercise is mainly used to carry collected pupils, while training consists of controlling the master in combat and defeating the trainee with specific attacks, which is then learnt by them. The choices made in combat and the field ultimately dictate the development of the pupils, and changes the narrative of the latter half of the chapter.
Feudal Japan is one of the most expansive chapters in the game, having a non-linear and open-ended level design. Several branches and routes exist within the area, filled with various items and easter eggs. The goals given in the beginning are mostly vague, requiring for much exploration, and completion in a non-linear fashion.
There is also little advice on how to approach the area; you are given both a vague hint to be combative and kill everyone in the chapter, and a vaguely described field ability that allows you to turn invisible and avoid combat altogether. A running tally of kills is also kept, which allows one to keep track of the amount of stealth or combat being done.
In the Old West, the chapter overcomes the problem of unrealistic weak guns in RPGs by simply not focusing on the combat system; the lethality and avoidance of combat in this chapter actually pushes the gameplay towards the genres of survival and resource management.
Relying heavily on exploring the field, most of the chapter is actually spent gathering resources by searching chests and objects throughout an entire village of empty houses, and then distributing them to the appropriate villagers to build traps, all within a time limit. The amount of effort and management put in has an effect on the inevitable combat, which results in either being completely outnumbered, or dueling on even ground.
The Contemporary chapter gives a radical change to the field exploration portion by simply removing it altogether. Instead, it is replaced with a selection screen not too unlike the character selection screen in a fighting game – the chapter is purely a series of one-on-one boss battles, thus leaning more towards the interpretation of pseudo-real-time combat. The combat pacing and aesthetic of the character selection results in an emulation of the fighting game genre.
In addition, the character growth is a reversal of the mechanic used in the Kung-fu chapter, in that the player character is the one receiving attacks and learning from the enemy. This adds an additional layer to the combat, with the balance of enduring and learning attacks, versus defeating the enemy.
The chapter based in the Near-Future is set in a more domestic and suburban area, in contrast to the common fantasy settings that RPGs use. Interestingly, this is the only chapter in Live A Live that makes use of an overworld map. With a number of unconnected zones and the use of a field ability, this chapter focuses on investigation and interrogation.
Rather than having any question and answer sessions, the interrogation is actually streamlined due to the chapter’s themes of telekinetic abilities; mind-reading is the field ability that lets you “interrogate” people for information. This ultimately speeds up the process of exploring and investigating different areas and people. Teleportation (as a psychic power) is also used as a means to advance the story.
The Science-Fiction chapter is the most minimalist chapter in the game, by completely eschewing exploration, combat, and character growth, relying purely on conversation and the narrative strength of the chapter. In fact, the player character is mostly a mute observer, making this chapter play almost like a linear, visual novel.
Aside from a single battle with the final boss, the combat in the chapter is actually left aside as an optional minigame. Like a visual novel, the progression in this chapter largely depends on finding the correct area and person to speak to, and triggering the next conversation flag.
The second-last, unlockable chapter based in the Medieval period mostly plays out like a very generic fantasy RPG and presents the most “normal” gameplay and exploration in Live A Live. However, the more comfortable RPG format throughout the actually allows for the emphasis of the major variation in this chapter: it establishes and then proceeds to reject several common RPG story clichés.
The most powerful and major piece of narrative I saw in the chapter also contained several layers of subtext, which is a plot twist that I shall proceed to describe: After controlling and connecting with the silent protagonist throughout the entirety of the chapter, the protagonist proceeds to disconnect and speak on his own. He monologues a reaction that is completely dissonant to what the player is thinking, yet still maintaining the emotions that the player and protagonist felt. This dualistic feeling of detachment, yet lack of dissonance, transmits a powerful moral to the player, and also alludes to the design themes of Live A Live.
The Final chapter in the game is mainly an attempt at pulling together all of the unconnected chapters to create a final conclusion. Rather than experimenting on the main formula once more, this chapter collects the defining elements of all the chapters into a final medley.
Rather than trying to mix all of the unique design elements together, they are reintroduced in self-contained, optional dungeons, with only a small amount of crossover. The connections between each story are rather weak, but it serves as a way to try to unite or reiterate the various themes in Live A Live. By bringing all the main characters together, this is also the only chapter where one can create their own party, for the final encounter.
Looking over at all the chapters, it becomes evident that they all tried to utilise parts of the RPG foundation in different ways. They mostly try to omit or reduce one element, and overemphasise or distill them. The end result can be clearly seen, as they either give the chapter a slight shift away from the RPG genre, or they act (or don’t act) as a means to support the narrative. All of these variations were accomplished through a fairly flexible and interpretative game engine, yet still maintaining the limits of the same RPG base on some level. The commons elements of an RPG are all tampered with in one way or another, with differences in the field and its exploration, the style of RPG combat, the rate and direction of character growth, and the visual design and narrative of the chapters. Altogether, it seems that Live A Live manages to explore a number of limits to modifying the common RPG design, from various angles and directions.
The various angles of approach in the chapter design can also be tied into the themes from several of the chapters themselves, with the branching or freedom of choices, or lack thereof, as well as the dualistic feeling given by the twist in the Medieval chapter. Altogether, it points toward a common moral used in several of the chapters, as well as the design theme of Live A Live: There is always more than one way to approach things.
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