You have a massive tactical advantage over your opponents, which makes the game far easier than it could be. Oboromaru has a wide selection of attack types to choose from, but it never hurts to use Wind Slash. Undoubtedly, they will change their mind when they realize one of Shifu’s pupils is voiced by the talented Suzie Yeung, the Remake Yuffie Kisaragi, and that said character is just Yuffie unhinged. A personal favourite is the Earth Heart Shifu’s scenario, where you must train a successor in a tale straight out of a classic kung fu movie, but I can easily see other players finding it tedious. I find something to love about each segment, but I still have preferences. Because of this diversity, players might love specific scenarios but find themselves slogging through others. Every player will have different favourites among the scenarios, which, aside from their unique hooks, have varying lengths and amounts of dialogue and combat. The variety of these scenarios is one of LIVE A LIVE‘s greatest strengths, but I can also see it as one of its greatest weaknesses. Do you want to enjoy the odd mixture of Mega Man and a classic fighting game? Tackle Masaru Takahara’s scenario. If you tackle Oboromaru’s tale instead, you get a sprawling, non-linear infiltration into a feudal Japanese castle where you can choose whether to take lives. The ensuing tale is equal parts 2001: A Space Odyssey and Alien with little to no combat and a heaping helping of humanity. For example, you can play as Cube, an adorable little robot brought to life on a spaceship transporting a dangerous alien lifeform.

These scenarios are wildly unique and creative, incorporating inspiration that JRPGs have rarely touched to this day. It consists of several self-contained storylines to play in any order and move in and out of as you like. LIVE A LIVE is packed with endless surprises. In the years since its release, LIVE A LIVE received a fan translation and widespread praise among those who played it, so a remake is an exciting opportunity for the rest of us. Recently, Square Enix’s 1994 Japan-only title, LIVE A LIVE, finally got its chance to shine with a Nintendo Switch remake released worldwide.

I’ve personally enjoyed and written reviews for Moon, Radical Dreamers – Le Trésor Interdit, and Biomotor Unitron since starting at RPGFan. It feels as though another port, remaster, or remake of a presumed-forgotten gem arrives every month.

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