I have, as usual, some things I'd like to address. - You don't have to be at lv.16 to beat the superbosses. I've done it multiple times at lv.10 with Oboro and lv.12 with Pogo. Obviously the higher level the better. In the remake we already beat one of the superbosses in Oboro's chapter *AT LV.6*. Yeah. You level up faster in the remake and you won't have to level up as much to beat them anymore (they also got rid of that BS that gives a character 1/2 exp if they take no action during a fight, now everyone in the party gets full exp no matter what). - There are some optional bosses in the final chapter (five of them to be precise). Aren't those superbosses? - I think the remake marks you on the map the person you have to talk to in order to progresss certain chapters now, so that problem will mostly be gone. - You mentioned "there's no gold so you can't stock up on healing items". I have two counterpoints on that: 1) You get fully healed after every fight so no healing out of battle and using resources there. 2) A friend of mine would say: "If you run out of healing items because you use them when you're not supposed to, it's your fault for not managing your resources. Resource managing is part of RPGs" I know what you mean is: "What if I use up all my healing items in one fight and don't have enough for the harder ones? I can't buy anymore of them and I'm stuck" but in the remake - because of autosaves - you can reload before every fight if you think you've used up too many healing items. Heck in the OG, Oboro starts his chapter with some healing items, in the remake he starts with NONE. And when someone pointed that out in the Live A Live discord everyone was like "yeah, but we end that chapter with an excess of healing items anyway, so it's not that big of a deal." In the end, you're right in saying "this is no Final Fantasy, don't expect the same level of polish". Gameplay wise, this remake is looking to fix most problems the OG had. Story wise, it's pretty much unchanged. You're either going to like the story as it's presented, with different chapters of different length, mostly disconnected until the very end; or you're not. It boils down to personal preference and there's nothing I can say about personal opinions. Also, about what you said on "they could have remade a different game." I think this will serve as training for the team(s) in charge of these 2DHD titles, so when they'll remake the big ones, they will have more experience with the engine. The more games they make like this, the more polished the future ones (Chrono Trigger?) will be.
Maybe a weird, random question, but what are your low level super boss strategies for Pogo's chapter and for Iwama? Also wondering in particular if you have any low level demo advice for Iwama in the remake. I eventually figured out the level 6 strat for the other demo super boss, but I'm not sure how to tackle Iwama short of grinding to Obo's OHKO chance move.
@@TruestColors for Pogo's superboss either cheese it with the vine move so it can't use the volcano move to heal for full health (BS I know) or hit it with your strongest move if you are lv 16
@@TruestColors I beat Iwama at about 12 lvl using shurikens and keeping my distance, while using the prisoner as a shield/healer. Don't bother clearing Iwama's water tiles with the firefly attack as it takes away from your dps and means you have to position yourself well to make the best of it. The best you can do against the water attack, is to try to cancel it. You can also get some strong techs for Oboro from the secret jar in the underground tunnel, if you have a lot of koban coins (6 and 10 for the attacks), but I didn't have them at the time.
@@therabbitpants2199 It's funny you mention that. I discovered what the jar does for the first time in the remake, and I got Deepest Darkness at level 7. Managed to kill him solo after that :O
"I don't like it, so it is bad." As much as I love David and this channel, this kind of thinking is one of the worst things about TH-cam and the internet in general.
Well it's obvious it's his opinion. If he would say "in my opinion" every time he shares his opinion in his own channel you'd be here complaining about the amount of "in my opinion" he says.
What would you say if you ate something that tasted shit? Would you smile and say "This taste bad" or would you smile and say "I can't say this tastes bad because that's the worst thing about life in general"? Grow the fuck up, kid.
This is one of David's opinions that I disagree with. Live-a-Live really is a great game. David says that he was expecting something like FF, which is not what LaL is all about. I think its his expectation that it play like a JRPG (which it isn't) that contributes to his dislike of the game. It _is_ highly experimental, which is what people actually love about it. A lot of David's criticisms are fair, but Live-a-Live is a great game in a lot of peoples' opinions. I have to disagree with David here.
If David doesn't get an ATB or turn-based system he's not happy. But that's just personal preference, there's nothing wrong about liking what you like. I can't fight him on that front.
@@theFado96 It actually is turn-based; every movement you take effectively ticks a clock forward- if you take too long moving around with a character, enemies will come to their turn. Similarly, each action you take has a different charge time and initiative- but this isn't done by actual time, it's done by an initiative system. If you simply stand in place and never move, nothing will happen.
While I respect your opinion on the game, I have to disagree. The graphics are still pretty good. Reusing an old engine doesn’t make it a bad looking game. Overworld isn’t bad at all, though it is more “simplistic” looking. In-battle looks gorgeous for SNES. I think my only complaint on graphics is much later in the game you start seeing some enemies you’ve already seen before, just recolored. The “I’m the first boss in the game, but now I’m YELLOW” syndrome most JRPGs tend to have. A lot of games in this era were also still doing this though, so it’s not like it’s something you can bash exclusively Live A Live for as much as the genre itself. The length of a game doesn’t make it a bad game The areas being closed are usually closed areas for one reason or another. Like in the Western Chapter it’s to keep you looking for items in your own town and not just getting lost in the desert or anything. Or in the Future Chapter it’s to enclose you in an area with a monster, in the same sense why most horror games usually lock you in a house or area with a monster, not allowing you to have free reign over a vast expansive overworld. I don’t get how the story isn’t good. Most of them all have a good story throughout, besides the wrestling chapter, which basically dumps plot at the end to tie it to the final boss of this chapter. The “Plot triggers” are usually well telegraphed to you the player. The “Password system” is literally you being told to repeat your name or repeat The crafting is pretty shallow, it’s never really needed, but I feel like that makes is that much more unnecessary. I see the “multiple themes” as a plus. Every chapter feels different and unique, despite using the same system of gameplay. Bosses have strategy, mostly based off of memorizing where they can hurt you and The super bosses in the early chapter are hard, and they are for those who really want to go through the ins and outs of the game. They are built on the fact that you have one character, and can usually be beaten before you reach the end of your own scenario. They aren’t mandatory, but are fun to conquer and you get rewarded for beating them. Heck a complaint I have with the game is that it can sometimes over reward you for beating a super boss, like the cola bottle. Not enough healing items rarely feel like a problem. You heal to full after every battle, and battles rarely get too long except in boss battles. A lot of times in the longer chapters when you really need a lot of healing items, you have access to other characters who can already heal the rest of the party. And under the worst case scenarios if you blow out all of your items early game you can always restart any individual scenario before the final chapter. Varied lengths of chapters isn’t a bad thing in my opinion. I feel like the only chapter that feels too short is the Wrestling chapter, but I still think it’s take on strategy with the boss fights really pushes the fighting system to it’s fullest potential, having you experiment and learning new moves as a reward for experimenting and learning where bosses can attack. It doesn’t need to be long. I think maybe having an overworld to decide which boss you want to fight would’ve been a neat addition though, but that’s just a nitpick I have. I honestly see the reason why it’s a hidden gem is due to the fact that this game got almost no publicity. Sure, this game isn’t perfect, people who say it is are the people overhyping it. The demo fixes a lot of issues with most of the complains, especially the “How was I supposed to know that!?” JRPG moments and improves the graphics (unless you happen to be one of the people who don’t really dig the 16 bit 2.5D art style.) Another thing is that this doesn’t really describe a “Before you buy the Live A Live remake” as much as a “My opinion on Live A Live SNES” Again, this game isn’t for everybody, similar to most JRPGs, but some of these criticisms I don’t exactly follow.
Too late, I've pre-ordered it, and while I fully intend to beat it, I more do did to support the concept of hd2d remakes, both originally Japanese exclusives and just older games as a whole.
The original game is not for everyone, but as this is a remake I expect some quality of life improvements and all that jazz. We'll see...but I'm looking forward to play it tbh.
I felt the same way you do about this game the first time I played the fan translation years ago. I didn’t appreciate it until I really started to understand the battle system. When I realized that I couldn’t approach combat like a traditional turn based rpg even though that’s the first impression I got. When I first played this game I couldn’t beat the video game in cubes chapter. I couldn’t just grind and get stronger and try again. I had to learn each enemies weaknesses, attack ranges and develop strategies for each battle. I also just love how each chapter is inspired by a film era, the chapters are tied together by a love of film. The mini map in the new version also takes care of the wondering and faq-ing. I’m much more excited about this game after playing the demo.
I've played and beaten it twice after it was translated for the SNES. Loved both playthroughs of it. However, David has a lot of valid points. If you're going into it thinking it's your FF-like SNES JRPG, you'll probably be disappointed. Although I disagree with the overall assessment David has given for the game, I still respect his opinion to do so. Very insightful video.
I agree I played through it once like 15 years ago and it had flaws for sure but was a solid game. Hope the remake fixes some of the flaws like the endgame leveling.
@@bobjoemac1 this is why I always want to form my own opinions, even games from the same series I like judging on its individual merits, if I find a game fun, I think it's a good game. I'll even proudly admit when I like a game that's seen as bad.
Honestly I was interested immediately because my impression was that it was nothing like a FF style jrpg. My impression was that it was something unique and for me that means I want to experience it regardless of whether its good or not. I can't remember what was in the original trailer that made me feel that way but it looked like it was doing something different with each route like something quirky.
@@GalanOfTruth I've always tended to gravitate more towards JRPGs that broke the norms, and this one did it for me than a lot of others. That's not to say I never enjoyed the more traditional offerings; a lot of the earlier SNES Final Fantasy's will always hold a place in my heart.
Imagine saying "one chapter plays like a street fighter game, another like a stealth game, and another like a survival horror" and acting like that's bad. Couldn't be me
I think sometimes people fall so in love with the idea of a game. that it blinds them to the actual execution, because the idea of Liva A Live is great, but it's clear their reach exceeded their grasp, and while some scenarios are fun, some just feel like an idea that was never actually fleshed out.
Definitely a case where I disagree, but yeah definitely don't go in expecting it to be like a traditional JRPG- think of it as an anthology. I find the charming stories and excellent music carries the game even when the battle system can't. And of course now the graphics look fantastic too (the original honestly looked a little cheap). It actually is coming out at a perfect time because I think an average player could beat it in a week, which means they'll be done in time for Xenoblade 3 😉 Edit: or Digimon Survive GET DIGIMON SURVIVE PEOPLE
Your blatantly wrong about almost everything in this video. For one, you have an entirety of two whole chapters (three of you count the alternate final chapter) of lore and build up that connects everything together. Not just "five sentences" like you said. Also, this isn't supposed to be a traditional RPG with a overworld->town->dungeon->Boss structure like most RPGs. Every chapter is supposed to have its own primary "gimmick" and gameplay style + genre. That's what makes this game unique, the varied gameplay styles exclusive to each chapter. But since your extremely basic and only enjoy the most white bread of traditional turn based RPGs, (you hate Xenoblade for crying out loud) you can't find enjoyment in an RPG that experiments with multiple genres instead of going for the traditional RPG style of overworld to town to dungeon to boss and then repeat until you reach the credits. Plus, the remake fixes basically all the graphical "issues" (more like nitpicks) from the original game with quite possibly the most beautiful style to ever grace an RPG. It will also have the quest marker system from the Trials of Mana remake which was a GODSEND. That already fixes basically all the issues with the two worst chapters (near future and future) which involve a lot of walking around and talking to random people. Also, there IS an overarching theme. It's life and what it means to live, hence the title. Of course being a mid to late SNES title with a limited budget of course it's not as well executed as Persona 3 or FF9 with their fancy FMVs and 3D cutscenes. This is made very clear with the final parts of the game, since (spoilers) The main villain Odio wants to erase all of existance because he has lost the will to live after losing everything. Each character's arc is about finding their own reason to live. The caveman guy just discovered language and spoke the first ever words, "love," so of course that would be the reason he chooses to live. The student chooses to live to carry on the legacy of their master. The ninja chooses to live in service to his lord and country. The cowboy chooses to live to protect the weak and innocent. The fighter chooses to live because he wants to become the strongest. Akira wants to live in order to defeat evil and protect his sister. And finally the robot wants to live because it's in his programming to protect and survive. Of course each character isn't given enough time to really develop their arc, but this can be strengthened upon in the remake (we already know the remake adds new cutscenes) to make each character a true foil to Odio each having them losing something important to them but finding the courage to continue to live, connecting all the stories. So yeah, you're wrong about LiveAlive and actively chose to spread misinformation in your video to potential buyers of the remake telling them to not the buy the game. Do you know what this will do? Because of your video the remake will flop and Square will no longer be interested in making more remakes to cult classic untranslated SNES games like Bahamut Lagoon and the Quintet Trilogy. Live Alive isn't even bad and is certainly a lot better than something like Chrono Cross that has a good story and amazing music but horrid gameplay. Pretty much all your "issues" with the game are either nitpicks (the graphics) or outright lies. (the story doesn't connect and there's no overarching themes) Yes there's no big overworld but that's the point. The chapters are all disconnected seperate worlds in vastly different time periods and locations with each one having its own unique feel and gimmick. LiveAlive is an amazing game and I hate that you're using your platform to outright lie and slander an upcoming game just because you personally don't like it because it's not a dragon quest clone and does something actually unique.
@@blueythedragonknight3949 The video still up for criticism. Also with how niche this game is, anything you say about it is critical to how people from the outside see it. This isn’t a really good review as much as a collection of nitpicks.
I don't go into games expecting it to be like other games anymore. It just sets me up for disappointment or blinds me from actually enjoying what the game has to offer. I originally wrote off Live A Live years ago because it wasn't like FFV or Dragon Quest V or Breath of Fire etc. but after playing the remake demo I'm sold on the game. It's unique, it's different, and I'm looking forward to it. I just don't need a sweeping intertwined story all the time.
A lot of people do need to be cautious about being overhyped for this game or games in general. Getting excited for games is good and all, but we all gotta remember to be careful about getting too hyped cause it can set us up for disappointment.
Different people have different tastes. I'm one of those that LOVES this game. I just love how all the little bite-sized games are different from each other, how the thread of the end boss ties them all together, how crazy the battle system is. I hope it sells well so Square can dust off some other titles from their back catalogue.
usually like David's channel, but this turned out to be a bash fest than an actual BEFORE YOU BUY. i think the title is a dash misleading, you don't like Live-A-Live which is fine just confused why this was titled as a before you buy.....when you don't cover any positives. you yourself said it was experimental but you've bashed it for being as such. idk been watching you for years but this was one of the stranger videos I've watched on here
If you really liked Octopath, you'll probably like this because it's basically just a prototype for Octopath, so it will hit many of the same high and low points, just while being much less polished than Octopath. We'll have to see if the remake polishes up it's rough edges.
Octopath wasn't for me so I'll definitely pass. I really don't like chapter systems in jrpgs. Hope the game is good for the people that enjoy this kind of game though.
This is my all-time favorite game, but I can totally understand why others might not like it, and what it's like hearing endless praise for a game you can't stand; I feel the same way about Shadow of the Colossus, and to a lesser extent, Mother 3 (I do like Mother 3, but feel that it's the weakest of the 3, and found the writing in particular to be weak, unfocused, and relying too much on cheap emotional shock value), and I get plenty of flak for that. Don't see enough torches and pitchforks yet? I like Deadly Towers. There. Anyway, a lot of these criticisms are totally valid, but I feel like the story is less haphazard than you've stated here. Yes, it's comprised of shorter vignettes, but that they take place in different eras is an indication that the theme here is history and its villains and heroes; the protagonists DON'T have anything to do with each other, and they were never supposed to, because the story is about the people who've helped shape the world by defeating evil, whether they became celebrated heroes afterwards or just rode off into the sunset, never to be heard from again. The rest is going to contain some big spoilers, so reader beware... We good? Okay. The Medieval Chapter played an excellent bait-and-switch by hitting you with the whole demon king thing early and making you think it was just like the other chapters, except... kind of boring. In addition to their unique gimmicks, the other chapters were spread out all across time in eras you don't usually see in JRPGs; that's something I'd wanted to see ever since I'd first played Secret of Evermore. Yeah, I like that one, too. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Anyway, you're dumped into this same old Medieval Fantasy thing, and while I love that in JRPGs, it felt a little bland after everything else. Legendary warrior beloved by all goes off to slay the evil demon king you've done this a million times by now. Then, THAT happens, and Oersted becomes someone who lost everything. Like actually everything: everyone hates him, and by the end, the woman who said she believed in him more than anything was willing to kill herself rather than spend another second with him. He becomes not just evil, but THE evil that has seeped throughout time, looking to take his revenge on the world that had wronged him. I was actually rooting for him, even though he did take it too far. Getting the good ending or playing as Oersted for the final chapter does a pretty good job of explaining all of this, but it's not like it completely comes out of nowhere; after a few chapters, you'll start to notice that every final boss is some form of Odio (Spanish for hatred), and that gets the player wondering about the connection to this mysterious Odio thing. Love it, hate it, or feel nothing - we're all entitled to our opinions - but the story does come together pretty well in the end; it just doesn't follow the JRPG story formula, and that doesn't automatically make it bad. I'd much rather have a game that does something new adequately than to have something adhere to genre conventions just for the sake of it. I hope this didn't come off as a "You didn't like my favorite game!" rant, because that wasn't the intent; I just tend to get a bit loquacious when I'm explaining myself.
I've never played the original SNES version, even when it was translated, but I have some hope this one turns out to be good. I'm going into this one completely blind. Depending on how well this sells or not, it could encourage more games and even other companies to try games in this HD-2D style.
While I disagree with your take on this game, I do agree with you that there are better games in their back catalogue that should have been remade before this: Treasure Hunter G, Treasure of the Rudras, Front Mission Gun Hazard, etc.
Front Mission is already being remade lol. All the SNES and PSX front mission games are being redone. This was confirmed almost a year ago. As for the other ones, I don't think Square owns the rights to some of them. They bought the Quintet IPs when they went out of business in the late 90s (that's why Squeenix could make the Arcraiser remake) but I'm pretty sure some of the games you listed were made by some other obscure studio not currently owned by Square. They definitely do own the Quintet stuff tho and they made Bahamut Lagoon personally.
@@krimsonkatt front mission is being remade; front mission gun hazard isn’t as far as I know. Square should own most of their snes games, some have even shown up on the virtual console in Japan recently.
TLDR: Taste in games is subjective; other people should try the demo to see if it's something they might enjoy, it's free. I can understand your complaints, though I feel like a lot of them aren't objectively bad. The unusual, experimental nature of the game is what a lot of people like about it. I personally found the unexpected aspects and the variety to be refreshing. In so far as remake improvements go, others have mentioned that the game now shows you the direction of the next plot trigger requirements, so getting stuck or confused should be less frequent. Hidden item locations now sparkle, giving you an indication to search there, which can also help that. And the lack of visual polish from the original is just gone, the whole thing looks gorgeous now. The bad news for you though is that so far the plot seems to be pretty one to one with the original, so if you didn't like it before, that probably won't change. The remake does have a lot of other quality of life improvements though. Like a freaking map. The Edo Japan chapter used to be my least favorite, but with the new presentation being less disjointed and the presence of a map, I actually enjoyed the demo portion a lot. They've also made the battle system you already seemed to like better and clearer with gauges showing how close each combatant's next turn is, and more detailed and accurate move descriptions. All in all, I've also played through the original game twice start to finish. I enjoyed both times, and I was shocked and thrilled when they announced the remake. You've declared a lot of things as "bad" when it seems more accurate to say that you just didn't like them. That's valid and fine for you, but other people may feel differently. I would say if people play the new demo, and they enjoy the tiny slice of the game it gives them, they'll probably enjoy the game more than you did.
So glad that someone acknowledges this game~ I really love Live-a-Live and wished that it got some love like Trials Of Mana after many years, since I feel there's a lot of potential in their stories. But at last, hope is the last thing to die and seems like finally there's hope with the remake~
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Now I'm interested to know what people liked about it, haha. I'll still play it day 1. Looking forward to seeing the improvements they make.
Your entitled to your opinion and i disagree. I will agree that this game isn't for everyone. Yes this was an experimental title from way back in the day but we may not have certain games in this day and age without Live a Live, who knows what might have happened to Chrono Trigger had the director of this game not directed it too! You have your opinion and I will respect that. I admit as well the game isn't perfect, it's VERY niche and has a limited audience but we still love this game and all the good it's done. For one the game is a GIANT cultural reference to media of the 70's-90's which was the dawn of Media sharing across nations! The reason why the levels are so short is yes part of it had to do with limited budget and time but the director wanted it that way as well. Having each scenario as bite sized with it's own unique story and gameplay method is awesome! It gives variety across the game without getting boring (except maybe Cube's scenario for half) and they don't feel like they drag on. Do i hope some of them get longer scenarios, maybe a little but form what i've gleamed they probably kept a lot of the stories the same i imagine. I still want to get this game to support more HD 2D remakes but also because I love this game. I think it's unique, a wonderful experiment and it got some of the industry legends on the map like Yoko Shimamura! Hell! Even Toby Fox has referenced this game in part of the inspiration for Undertale! So i do hope you can enjoy the remake when it comes out, if not oh well but i'll still love it regardless.
I can see some of your points could bother me but others not so much. After all If I would want to play Final Fantasy, I would play Final Fantasy. I'm glad the don't only bring the big names back.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Nice to have someone had gone through a lot of the old game. I think part of previous bad experience could be translational issue. Just as a frame of reference phantasy star in US had to include a full game step by step manual because some of the troupes and expected “given” in Japanese games were not so clear for Western players. Also difficulties were higher in Japanese games where expectations were you are suppose to solve figure how to get to next step.
It’s good if you look at it for what it was. An rpg experiment. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s never tried rpgs before. It’s rpg lite and it’s good For a portable system.
Rhapsody a musical Adventure for PSX and also ported on DS.... That should really be re done for switch I absolutely loved that game so much. Also it was made by Atlas
Thank you for your viewpoint on the game, David. I may make a purchase for it, but I actually just bought triangle strategy a few days ago(a little late, I know), and have been chomping at the bit to tear into it. If I buy, I may wait for awhile.
Thank you, as always, for your honesty. It's one of those concepts that's certainly intriguing "on paper". A "sampler" of unrelated settings, different play styles. A shame that it wasn't fleshed out or tied together better in its execution, for whatever reason.
While I'm still wanting to pick up the remake, I feel like the nature of being a "lost Square RPG" has given this game a sort of rose-colored tint in the eyes of enthusiasts My hope is them choosing to remake Live A Live was to take the opportunity to bring out the game's fullest potential, and supplant the original as the definitive take on the game's ideas.
I dunno, I literally never heard of Live A Live before the announcement of the remake in late February, and then I streamed the entirety of it and you can tell I had a great time (though the vods aren't on my YT channel lmao) despite it being very old in places. Sometimes, games that are old can be good in places, even if you can see the duct tape holding it together. Personally, that adds charm.
I just want to know if we can get a 2D HD remake of Bahumut's Lagoon. I think that would have been a much better obscure game to update. At least it has some name recognition since the name Bahumut will most likely invoke thoughts of Final Fantasy.
I respect the opinion/take that Live-A-live is a bad JRPG, because it really doesn't fill the role of one. What I think people need to remember is that L-A-L is an RPG first, and a JRPG second. I think why I loved it so much originally is that it reminded me of playing D&D and other games with friends. I had a DM who was fond of the phrase "If we can go through 3 hours without having to roll a single die yet have multiple encounters, interactions, puzzles, or story, then I've done my job well". Yes, it can be fun to explore a dungeon and I agree, big numbers go BRRRR! But when it comes to actual role playing elements, L-A-L is one of the purest there is. Its unfortunate that the art style gives it a disservice on this front as the new one is very pretty, but if you expect to play it like a JRPG of grinding and dungeons then yes, you'd be disappointed. It's not an incorrect take to be disappointed with it, but I don't think it's a fair one when you only look at the "J" part of JRPG. It's a fantastic role playing game complete with clever side/super bosses and odd quirks and features. Especially for a game that came out in the early 90s
To you point at the end where you wonder why they remade this game as opposed to others. I think you answered it yourself. Because the game is simple. Not very big. Furthermore, they already developed the engine and most of the assets they are using when making Triangle Strategy and Octopath. Another point is the size of the games. They were probably able to push this game because it was made without a lot of effort (not saying it's badly made, they just didn't need as much time/people to make it). Where as bigger games like DQ 1,2,&3 are taking a while to come out. Probably because of the immense amount of content in those games. I'm loving this HD2D style. I'll probably pickup every damn game that comes out like this haha
I feel like LAL is one of those games that necessitates a walkthrough, because good lord, was I glad I had one with me during my playthrough. Do you want to get through Cube's scenario without stumbling around the (sometimes literal) dark? Want to successfully defend the town in Sundown's chapter? How about figuring out the best way to get EVERY skill in Masaru's fights--or how to best train your pupil in Ancient China? Oh yes, and let's not forget the TOOOOOOTALLY streamlined and 1000% user-friendly trading mechanic in Pogo's chapter (oh, right, it's neither of those). Did you know that there's a trick you can do to get twenty of EVERY tradeable item? And you can do this trick as much as you want? Thanks, walkthrough! Oh, and let's not forget how gracious the walkthrough is in telling you to NOT get any treasures in Oerstead's chapter, cuz guess what? If you do, then they ain't gonna be there when you return with everybody. Speaking of everyone, where are they in the final area? How do you get their best stuff? How do you see the "Best" ending? I sincerely can't imagine how anybody got through this game without a walkthrough, and I honestly don't know how the remake is going to fix that. Hey, you know what game I didn't need a walkthrough for? Parasite Eve. Why aren't we getting a remake of that, Square? At least the music is badass.
Something that I've noticed in this is that there's no mention of the latter half of the game or even hinting at it. Sure, it's all one big spoiler, and there's something of a mention with how the Traditional JRPG comes into play, but there's also the implication that nothing ties these stories together when, if you played the last two chapters, you know that's just not true and something pretty significant ties everything up. You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but like it's not that cool to just leave out information, especially when it helps with the storytelling and theming of the game.
In my opinion, no RPG is perfect. People love games like Final Fantasy VII, Undertale, and Earthbound, hailing them all as flawless classics, but they have too many warts for me to fully immerse if the gameplay. (though of the three of them, I tolerate Earthbound's flaws a little more) I am willing to go through Live A Live and purchase it, even if the remake keeps in some of the more frustrating aspects! If the demo was anything to go by, I've played way worse RPGs.
I agree the original isn't a good game but I think people should support the remake if only to show Square that we do want classic JRPGs and are definitely interested in them bringing Japan-exclusive JRPGs to the west and also that we enjoy the 2D HD artstyle and that these kinds of games can still be profitable for them to continue making/remaking/translating because that's what we all really want even if this particular unique experiment was a miss
There are definitely some times where I was playing a critically acclaimed game and wish somebody had warned me about this mechanic or 'that sequence' so that I was mentally prepared for it and didn't drop the game, thinking that this was indicative of the rest of the experience. But I am still interested in Live a Live, because it's not the simple port job of other Square re-releases, and I'm curious what they do with it.
Lmao, i feel like this is a you thing, the game is what it is, why are you upset its not something its not. If you dont like the game for what it is. Thats a you thing, doesnt mean its a bad game, and because the old game sucked ass doesnt mean the remake/remaster will. Look what vanilla ware did with odin sphere and its remake. Id like to call it a remake. Remasters are usually upscaled rereleases in my canon at least.
Was planning on buying due to hype, but I guess I'll wait and see. Finally bought a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 instead since 3 is coming out soon. Believe it or not, it's the first Xeno game I didn't buy on release going all the way back to Gears back in the day; just didn't have my Switch at the time.
I just finished Bahamut Lagoon last week and would love to see it remade. Strange choice, this one, but I look forward to seeing what the reviews say (especially this channel).
Hmm I first heard of this game from the direct it was announced in. My immediate reaction was that I was super intrigued by the remake graphics and the path style concept, but also that something seemed unusual about the combat. Like my impression was that this wouldn't be your usual jrpg combat and that there would definitely be "gimmicks" in the game that matter the most. Playing the demo I think I was correct I'm happy with that because I want to try something different and unique. For better or worse as you say, I'm all for it because god knows I think I'd like it far less if it was just another octopath or final fantasy style game with traditional combat not that I dislike that game. The weirdness is what is drawing me in.
Alright...I've come back to eat crow, lol. I've played the remake all the way through and...most of what you said still holds true today. The visuals, music and battle system in the remake are amazing. However the telling's of a good story, world, world exploration and good characters (i.e. the reason why we get invested in JRPGs to begin with) are completely missing. The scenarios themselves can be interesting but after you've completed them, aside from a couple, the story doesn't stick with you at all. This was an amazing effort back then, but I think they indeed bit off way more than they could chew. I'd rate it a 6.5/10. Overall a kind of shallow experience.
You know, since you mentioned Final Fantasy VI, David, Live A Live was originally supposed to come out before Final Fantasy VI, but due to delays, the order of their release was reversed. Just thought you might like to know. Having said that, I agree with pretty much everything you said here. I'll still pick it up if it gets a physical English release, but if not, then oh well.
.... Terranigma. that would be the perfect thing to remaster. They had the ROM all ready to go, translated and everything and cancelled it just before they were due to release it. I'm sure quite a few people, esp. people who like games like that, would love to give that a go. I played a little of it, and it looked awesome. Should try to finish that someday.
I think this is just one of many games Square Enix is remaking into the Octopath Traveler style of Gameplay/Graphics leading up to Rudra No Hihou (Treasure of the Rudras) remake in the Octopath Style at some point, Along with the Strategy RPG Bahamut Lagoon following Triangle Strategy in the future. They are obviously going through their catalog of lesser known but sought after SNES Games that were Japan Only as well as some of their lesser known PS1 Games leading up to their greatest/most popular releases we never got in the West. I believe with Triangle Strategy, Bahamut Lagoon will be coming in behind it with a remake at some point. Look at the Saga Remasters, Seiken Densetsu 3 Remake (Trials of Mana) which actually got a good quality Remake in 3D, as well as its predecessor, and successor in a well done remaster albeit not 3D, they are definitely feeling out what resonates with fans by remastering and remaking these titles to see how to proceed into the future, as well as seeing what series they can revisit to proceed into the future instead of just solely relying on major Final Fantasy titles as their main money maker. I think with the Live A Live remake, Rudra No Hihou (Treasure of the Rudras) which was arguably the best of the traditional RPG Japan only releases that we never got in the West, it will be done at some point in similar fashion as they have done to Live A Live with its Remake. I would dare even say we are more likely to see that sooner than later . Whether we get Rudra, first or Bahamut Lagoon is a toss up, but I think they are building momentum up to it with the Live A Live remake, and will also be used as filler releases in between their more popular Remakes, FF7 Rebirth, FF9 Remake, FF Tactics remake, FF16, etc etc to keep the fans content to reinvigorate the old and new alike along with seeing whether these golden era releases they had, will be potential series mainstays in the future for them.
Sounds like Earthbound probably wasn't your cup of tea either? I don't want every RPG to be the same- I love Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI, but I also very much enjoy titles such as Super Mario RPG and Earthbound that step outside the box. I don't understand the length issue- each chapter is as long as it needs to be to tell the story it wants to tell- if the Street Fighter-inspired modern chapter was as long as the Bakumatsu or Near Future chapters, it just would drag on way too long. Also, I do find it odd that you describe the Bakumatsu chapter as being one of the smaller maps when it's probably the largest outside of the final chapter- yes, you're "just" exploring a castle- in the same way that Onimusha has you "just" exploring a castle, or that many Castlevania games "just" take place in a castle; it's pretty big castle. As for myself, this is my favorite game of all time- I'm importing the CE from Japan and can't wait to do an unboxing. I respect your opinion, but vehemently disagree with it.
What an excellent review! This is why people like David are where I get my reviews because he is passionate about games as opposed to the corporate overlords of reviews.
I have been going back and forth about buying the remake. I never played the original but the multiple style storylines seemed interesting. I might hold off on this one. I need to anyway with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 coming out anyway. :)
Speaking of fan translations I remember in the early 2000s when i first found ff5 had one and I played that game so much. It was my favorite ff for a long time. Plus ferris didn't have that awful pirate slang added like in the original square translation.
I first played this game back a few years ago and i remember how obtuse progression was for most of the chapters, Especially when the game tells you sweet fuck all on where to go to next (I'm looking at you Far Future chapter). But on the bright side the music is kick ass.
People kept comparing this to a octopath traveler saying how it did it "better" than Octopath. I finally tried it based on that hype and it was much worse. The writing and battle system both leave a lot to be desired. It's a pass for me.
So this is about the OG game? I’d like to hear your review of the new game when it is released. I’m on the fence now. I will buy it because it’s an RPG, and that’s what I do, just not sure not if I want to dedicate any time to now though.
Hopefully they make good changes to make it more interesting. I'm still wondering why they chose this over Treasure Hunter G or Treasure of the Rudras. Still buying it to get more HD2D remakes *fingers crossed*
I think it's because of Saga and Trials of Mana. The game's separate storylines remind me of it. It kinda signals that the ported games did well enough for Square Enix to try a physical release for this game in NA.
Live a Live is great. But you have to stick with it till the end for the real story and themes of the game to reveal themselves. But yeah not all chapters are winners, the near future chapter is pretty bad.
This sounds like a sketchy game with some incredible ideas that would benefit more from a remake. Kind of like Phantasy Star 3 or Xenogears (which needs less help, but could use a good remaster).
@@questionablebackyardmeows I don't remember caring for this one when I had tried it 20 years ago, but it definitely deserves a remake. The Front Mission games are also good choices in this respect, as was Saga Frontier (though they did not do anywhere near enough to demystify its mechanics and let its virtues shine through).
Xenogears desperately needs a full HD2D remake since almost half of the games story had to be cut due to time and budget constraints and relegated to a LONG VN segment at the beginning of Disk 2. Sadly that will never happen since Square would likely need Takahashi to do on who has moved onto Xenoblade and is fully owned by Nintendo. Honestly Xenosaga is far more likely to be translated since Nintendo IPs already crossed over with Bandi Namco many times and Namco has directly developed multiple major Nintendo games such as both Smash 4 and Ultimate. Out of any company Bandi Namco is the company Nintendo is closest to, at least out of the ones they don't already own.
@@diegoarmando5489 Saga Frontier already got a port and Front Mission is in the process of being remade for modern platforms. If anything the Quintet Trilogy or Bahamut Lagoon is likely next.
Come and join me on the twitch here for a fun playthrough of Final Fantasy IX! www.twitch.tv/davidvincstreams
This was more of a Bash than a Review, and were incredibly harsh in many aspects
I have, as usual, some things I'd like to address.
- You don't have to be at lv.16 to beat the superbosses. I've done it multiple times at lv.10 with Oboro and lv.12 with Pogo. Obviously the higher level the better. In the remake we already beat one of the superbosses in Oboro's chapter *AT LV.6*. Yeah. You level up faster in the remake and you won't have to level up as much to beat them anymore (they also got rid of that BS that gives a character 1/2 exp if they take no action during a fight, now everyone in the party gets full exp no matter what).
- There are some optional bosses in the final chapter (five of them to be precise). Aren't those superbosses?
- I think the remake marks you on the map the person you have to talk to in order to progresss certain chapters now, so that problem will mostly be gone.
- You mentioned "there's no gold so you can't stock up on healing items". I have two counterpoints on that:
1) You get fully healed after every fight so no healing out of battle and using resources there.
2) A friend of mine would say: "If you run out of healing items because you use them when you're not supposed to, it's your fault for not managing your resources. Resource managing is part of RPGs"
I know what you mean is: "What if I use up all my healing items in one fight and don't have enough for the harder ones? I can't buy anymore of them and I'm stuck" but in the remake - because of autosaves - you can reload before every fight if you think you've used up too many healing items. Heck in the OG, Oboro starts his chapter with some healing items, in the remake he starts with NONE. And when someone pointed that out in the Live A Live discord everyone was like "yeah, but we end that chapter with an excess of healing items anyway, so it's not that big of a deal."
In the end, you're right in saying "this is no Final Fantasy, don't expect the same level of polish".
Gameplay wise, this remake is looking to fix most problems the OG had. Story wise, it's pretty much unchanged. You're either going to like the story as it's presented, with different chapters of different length, mostly disconnected until the very end; or you're not. It boils down to personal preference and there's nothing I can say about personal opinions.
Also, about what you said on "they could have remade a different game." I think this will serve as training for the team(s) in charge of these 2DHD titles, so when they'll remake the big ones, they will have more experience with the engine. The more games they make like this, the more polished the future ones (Chrono Trigger?) will be.
Maybe a weird, random question, but what are your low level super boss strategies for Pogo's chapter and for Iwama? Also wondering in particular if you have any low level demo advice for Iwama in the remake. I eventually figured out the level 6 strat for the other demo super boss, but I'm not sure how to tackle Iwama short of grinding to Obo's OHKO chance move.
@@TruestColors for Pogo's superboss either cheese it with the vine move so it can't use the volcano move to heal for full health (BS I know) or hit it with your strongest move if you are lv 16
@@TruestColors I beat Iwama at about 12 lvl using shurikens and keeping my distance, while using the prisoner as a shield/healer. Don't bother clearing Iwama's water tiles with the firefly attack as it takes away from your dps and means you have to position yourself well to make the best of it. The best you can do against the water attack, is to try to cancel it. You can also get some strong techs for Oboro from the secret jar in the underground tunnel, if you have a lot of koban coins (6 and 10 for the attacks), but I didn't have them at the time.
@@therabbitpants2199 It's funny you mention that. I discovered what the jar does for the first time in the remake, and I got Deepest Darkness at level 7. Managed to kill him solo after that :O
@@TruestColors me too. Probably the first time I beat Iwama and Ryuunosuke at all was in the remake.
"I don't like it, so it is bad."
As much as I love David and this channel, this kind of thinking is one of the worst things about TH-cam and the internet in general.
Well it's obvious it's his opinion. If he would say "in my opinion" every time he shares his opinion in his own channel you'd be here complaining about the amount of "in my opinion" he says.
What would you say if you ate something that tasted shit? Would you smile and say "This taste bad" or would you smile and say "I can't say this tastes bad because that's the worst thing about life in general"? Grow the fuck up, kid.
This is one of David's opinions that I disagree with. Live-a-Live really is a great game. David says that he was expecting something like FF, which is not what LaL is all about.
I think its his expectation that it play like a JRPG (which it isn't) that contributes to his dislike of the game. It _is_ highly experimental, which is what people actually love about it.
A lot of David's criticisms are fair, but Live-a-Live is a great game in a lot of peoples' opinions.
I have to disagree with David here.
If David doesn't get an ATB or turn-based system he's not happy. But that's just personal preference, there's nothing wrong about liking what you like. I can't fight him on that front.
@@theFado96 It actually is turn-based; every movement you take effectively ticks a clock forward- if you take too long moving around with a character, enemies will come to their turn. Similarly, each action you take has a different charge time and initiative- but this isn't done by actual time, it's done by an initiative system. If you simply stand in place and never move, nothing will happen.
While I respect your opinion on the game, I have to disagree.
The graphics are still pretty good. Reusing an old engine doesn’t make it a bad looking game. Overworld isn’t bad at all, though it is more “simplistic” looking. In-battle looks gorgeous for SNES. I think my only complaint on graphics is much later in the game you start seeing some enemies you’ve already seen before, just recolored. The “I’m the first boss in the game, but now I’m YELLOW” syndrome most JRPGs tend to have. A lot of games in this era were also still doing this though, so it’s not like it’s something you can bash exclusively Live A Live for as much as the genre itself.
The length of a game doesn’t make it a bad game
The areas being closed are usually closed areas for one reason or another. Like in the Western Chapter it’s to keep you looking for items in your own town and not just getting lost in the desert or anything. Or in the Future Chapter it’s to enclose you in an area with a monster, in the same sense why most horror games usually lock you in a house or area with a monster, not allowing you to have free reign over a vast expansive overworld.
I don’t get how the story isn’t good. Most of them all have a good story throughout, besides the wrestling chapter, which basically dumps plot at the end to tie it to the final boss of this chapter.
The “Plot triggers” are usually well telegraphed to you the player. The “Password system” is literally you being told to repeat your name or repeat
The crafting is pretty shallow, it’s never really needed, but I feel like that makes is that much more unnecessary.
I see the “multiple themes” as a plus. Every chapter feels different and unique, despite using the same system of gameplay.
Bosses have strategy, mostly based off of memorizing where they can hurt you and
The super bosses in the early chapter are hard, and they are for those who really want to go through the ins and outs of the game. They are built on the fact that you have one character, and can usually be beaten before you reach the end of your own scenario. They aren’t mandatory, but are fun to conquer and you get rewarded for beating them. Heck a complaint I have with the game is that it can sometimes over reward you for beating a super boss, like the cola bottle.
Not enough healing items rarely feel like a problem. You heal to full after every battle, and battles rarely get too long except in boss battles. A lot of times in the longer chapters when you really need a lot of healing items, you have access to other characters who can already heal the rest of the party. And under the worst case scenarios if you blow out all of your items early game you can always restart any individual scenario before the final chapter.
Varied lengths of chapters isn’t a bad thing in my opinion. I feel like the only chapter that feels too short is the Wrestling chapter, but I still think it’s take on strategy with the boss fights really pushes the fighting system to it’s fullest potential, having you experiment and learning new moves as a reward for experimenting and learning where bosses can attack. It doesn’t need to be long. I think maybe having an overworld to decide which boss you want to fight would’ve been a neat addition though, but that’s just a nitpick I have.
I honestly see the reason why it’s a hidden gem is due to the fact that this game got almost no publicity. Sure, this game isn’t perfect, people who say it is are the people overhyping it. The demo fixes a lot of issues with most of the complains, especially the “How was I supposed to know that!?” JRPG moments and improves the graphics (unless you happen to be one of the people who don’t really dig the 16 bit 2.5D art style.)
Another thing is that this doesn’t really describe a “Before you buy the Live A Live remake” as much as a “My opinion on Live A Live SNES”
Again, this game isn’t for everybody, similar to most JRPGs, but some of these criticisms I don’t exactly follow.
This dude just likes classic JRPGs and nothing else. And with that mindset you won’t even enjoy the game?
Too late, I've pre-ordered it, and while I fully intend to beat it, I more do did to support the concept of hd2d remakes, both originally Japanese exclusives and just older games as a whole.
that's excatly what he said in the video though to buy it to support further releases
Bruh did you watch the video? He said he’s buying it, too.
@@Halvga I did, I was just poking at the title of the vid, not the content. It is a good vid though.
The original game is not for everyone, but as this is a remake I expect some quality of life improvements and all that jazz. We'll see...but I'm looking forward to play it tbh.
I felt the same way you do about this game the first time I played the fan translation years ago. I didn’t appreciate it until I really started to understand the battle system. When I realized that I couldn’t approach combat like a traditional turn based rpg even though that’s the first impression I got. When I first played this game I couldn’t beat the video game in cubes chapter. I couldn’t just grind and get stronger and try again. I had to learn each enemies weaknesses, attack ranges and develop strategies for each battle. I also just love how each chapter is inspired by a film era, the chapters are tied together by a love of film. The mini map in the new version also takes care of the wondering and faq-ing. I’m much more excited about this game after playing the demo.
I've played and beaten it twice after it was translated for the SNES. Loved both playthroughs of it. However, David has a lot of valid points. If you're going into it thinking it's your FF-like SNES JRPG, you'll probably be disappointed. Although I disagree with the overall assessment David has given for the game, I still respect his opinion to do so. Very insightful video.
I agree I played through it once like 15 years ago and it had flaws for sure but was a solid game. Hope the remake fixes some of the flaws like the endgame leveling.
@@bobjoemac1 this is why I always want to form my own opinions, even games from the same series I like judging on its individual merits, if I find a game fun, I think it's a good game. I'll even proudly admit when I like a game that's seen as bad.
Well said
Honestly I was interested immediately because my impression was that it was nothing like a FF style jrpg. My impression was that it was something unique and for me that means I want to experience it regardless of whether its good or not. I can't remember what was in the original trailer that made me feel that way but it looked like it was doing something different with each route like something quirky.
@@GalanOfTruth I've always tended to gravitate more towards JRPGs that broke the norms, and this one did it for me than a lot of others. That's not to say I never enjoyed the more traditional offerings; a lot of the earlier SNES Final Fantasy's will always hold a place in my heart.
I can understand this game not being for everyone, but holy cow the amount of vitriol you appear to have for this game.
Dude seemed pressed the entire v time
Whether you like the game or not, I think we can all agree on one thing: Megalomania is straight 🔥.
Imagine saying "one chapter plays like a street fighter game, another like a stealth game, and another like a survival horror" and acting like that's bad. Couldn't be me
He just doesn’t have any tastes!
I think sometimes people fall so in love with the idea of a game. that it blinds them to the actual execution, because the idea of Liva A Live is great, but it's clear their reach exceeded their grasp, and while some scenarios are fun, some just feel like an idea that was never actually fleshed out.
That's what the remake is for lol they already said they will be adding more cutscenes.
um I don't think you played the game lol. It literally all comes together so well in the end
Live a Live turned out to be a great game as well. Maybe Octo and Triangle have spoiled me.
Definitely a case where I disagree, but yeah definitely don't go in expecting it to be like a traditional JRPG- think of it as an anthology. I find the charming stories and excellent music carries the game even when the battle system can't. And of course now the graphics look fantastic too (the original honestly looked a little cheap). It actually is coming out at a perfect time because I think an average player could beat it in a week, which means they'll be done in time for Xenoblade 3 😉
Edit: or Digimon Survive GET DIGIMON SURVIVE PEOPLE
I'm definitely getting Digimon.
Your blatantly wrong about almost everything in this video. For one, you have an entirety of two whole chapters (three of you count the alternate final chapter) of lore and build up that connects everything together. Not just "five sentences" like you said.
Also, this isn't supposed to be a traditional RPG with a overworld->town->dungeon->Boss structure like most RPGs. Every chapter is supposed to have its own primary "gimmick" and gameplay style + genre. That's what makes this game unique, the varied gameplay styles exclusive to each chapter. But since your extremely basic and only enjoy the most white bread of traditional turn based RPGs, (you hate Xenoblade for crying out loud) you can't find enjoyment in an RPG that experiments with multiple genres instead of going for the traditional RPG style of overworld to town to dungeon to boss and then repeat until you reach the credits.
Plus, the remake fixes basically all the graphical "issues" (more like nitpicks) from the original game with quite possibly the most beautiful style to ever grace an RPG. It will also have the quest marker system from the Trials of Mana remake which was a GODSEND. That already fixes basically all the issues with the two worst chapters (near future and future) which involve a lot of walking around and talking to random people.
Also, there IS an overarching theme. It's life and what it means to live, hence the title. Of course being a mid to late SNES title with a limited budget of course it's not as well executed as Persona 3 or FF9 with their fancy FMVs and 3D cutscenes. This is made very clear with the final parts of the game, since (spoilers)
The main villain Odio wants to erase all of existance because he has lost the will to live after losing everything. Each character's arc is about finding their own reason to live. The caveman guy just discovered language and spoke the first ever words, "love," so of course that would be the reason he chooses to live. The student chooses to live to carry on the legacy of their master. The ninja chooses to live in service to his lord and country. The cowboy chooses to live to protect the weak and innocent. The fighter chooses to live because he wants to become the strongest. Akira wants to live in order to defeat evil and protect his sister. And finally the robot wants to live because it's in his programming to protect and survive. Of course each character isn't given enough time to really develop their arc, but this can be strengthened upon in the remake (we already know the remake adds new cutscenes) to make each character a true foil to Odio each having them losing something important to them but finding the courage to continue to live, connecting all the stories.
So yeah, you're wrong about LiveAlive and actively chose to spread misinformation in your video to potential buyers of the remake telling them to not the buy the game. Do you know what this will do? Because of your video the remake will flop and Square will no longer be interested in making more remakes to cult classic untranslated SNES games like Bahamut Lagoon and the Quintet Trilogy. Live Alive isn't even bad and is certainly a lot better than something like Chrono Cross that has a good story and amazing music but horrid gameplay. Pretty much all your "issues" with the game are either nitpicks (the graphics) or outright lies. (the story doesn't connect and there's no overarching themes) Yes there's no big overworld but that's the point. The chapters are all disconnected seperate worlds in vastly different time periods and locations with each one having its own unique feel and gimmick. LiveAlive is an amazing game and I hate that you're using your platform to outright lie and slander an upcoming game just because you personally don't like it because it's not a dragon quest clone and does something actually unique.
Calm down, It's not like one bloody video is gonna doom the remake.
@@blueythedragonknight3949 The video still up for criticism.
Also with how niche this game is, anything you say about it is critical to how people from the outside see it. This isn’t a really good review as much as a collection of nitpicks.
I don't go into games expecting it to be like other games anymore. It just sets me up for disappointment or blinds me from actually enjoying what the game has to offer. I originally wrote off Live A Live years ago because it wasn't like FFV or Dragon Quest V or Breath of Fire etc. but after playing the remake demo I'm sold on the game. It's unique, it's different, and I'm looking forward to it. I just don't need a sweeping intertwined story all the time.
I did beat the game before and the reason why i'm going to buy it is to see how much it has improved from the SNES
A lot of people do need to be cautious about being overhyped for this game or games in general. Getting excited for games is good and all, but we all gotta remember to be careful about getting too hyped cause it can set us up for disappointment.
Different people have different tastes. I'm one of those that LOVES this game. I just love how all the little bite-sized games are different from each other, how the thread of the end boss ties them all together, how crazy the battle system is. I hope it sells well so Square can dust off some other titles from their back catalogue.
usually like David's channel, but this turned out to be a bash fest than an actual BEFORE YOU BUY.
i think the title is a dash misleading, you don't like Live-A-Live which is fine just confused why this was titled as a before you buy.....when you don't cover any positives.
you yourself said it was experimental but you've bashed it for being as such.
idk been watching you for years but this was one of the stranger videos I've watched on here
just sounds like he is terrible at the game LMAO!!!
If you really liked Octopath, you'll probably like this because it's basically just a prototype for Octopath, so it will hit many of the same high and low points, just while being much less polished than Octopath.
We'll have to see if the remake polishes up it's rough edges.
Don't insult this game comparing it to octopath
Octopath wasn't for me so I'll definitely pass. I really don't like chapter systems in jrpgs. Hope the game is good for the people that enjoy this kind of game though.
You wouldn't know a good game if it bit you in the rear.
Thanks for the honest review, I will wait and see and hopefully we get more of these remakes.
This is my all-time favorite game, but I can totally understand why others might not like it, and what it's like hearing endless praise for a game you can't stand; I feel the same way about Shadow of the Colossus, and to a lesser extent, Mother 3 (I do like Mother 3, but feel that it's the weakest of the 3, and found the writing in particular to be weak, unfocused, and relying too much on cheap emotional shock value), and I get plenty of flak for that. Don't see enough torches and pitchforks yet? I like Deadly Towers. There. Anyway, a lot of these criticisms are totally valid, but I feel like the story is less haphazard than you've stated here. Yes, it's comprised of shorter vignettes, but that they take place in different eras is an indication that the theme here is history and its villains and heroes; the protagonists DON'T have anything to do with each other, and they were never supposed to, because the story is about the people who've helped shape the world by defeating evil, whether they became celebrated heroes afterwards or just rode off into the sunset, never to be heard from again. The rest is going to contain some big spoilers, so reader beware...
We good? Okay.
The Medieval Chapter played an excellent bait-and-switch by hitting you with the whole demon king thing early and making you think it was just like the other chapters, except... kind of boring. In addition to their unique gimmicks, the other chapters were spread out all across time in eras you don't usually see in JRPGs; that's something I'd wanted to see ever since I'd first played Secret of Evermore. Yeah, I like that one, too. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 Anyway, you're dumped into this same old Medieval Fantasy thing, and while I love that in JRPGs, it felt a little bland after everything else. Legendary warrior beloved by all goes off to slay the evil demon king you've done this a million times by now. Then, THAT happens, and Oersted becomes someone who lost everything. Like actually everything: everyone hates him, and by the end, the woman who said she believed in him more than anything was willing to kill herself rather than spend another second with him. He becomes not just evil, but THE evil that has seeped throughout time, looking to take his revenge on the world that had wronged him. I was actually rooting for him, even though he did take it too far. Getting the good ending or playing as Oersted for the final chapter does a pretty good job of explaining all of this, but it's not like it completely comes out of nowhere; after a few chapters, you'll start to notice that every final boss is some form of Odio (Spanish for hatred), and that gets the player wondering about the connection to this mysterious Odio thing. Love it, hate it, or feel nothing - we're all entitled to our opinions - but the story does come together pretty well in the end; it just doesn't follow the JRPG story formula, and that doesn't automatically make it bad. I'd much rather have a game that does something new adequately than to have something adhere to genre conventions just for the sake of it. I hope this didn't come off as a "You didn't like my favorite game!" rant, because that wasn't the intent; I just tend to get a bit loquacious when I'm explaining myself.
Funny how Mother 3 is my favourite game of all time, and Live A Live is my second.
The weather looks amazing over there I bet your having fun in the sun :)
I've never played the original SNES version, even when it was translated, but I have some hope this one turns out to be good. I'm going into this one completely blind. Depending on how well this sells or not, it could encourage more games and even other companies to try games in this HD-2D style.
While I disagree with your take on this game, I do agree with you that there are better games in their back catalogue that should have been remade before this: Treasure Hunter G, Treasure of the Rudras, Front Mission Gun Hazard, etc.
And don't forget bahamut lagoon
Front Mission is already being remade lol. All the SNES and PSX front mission games are being redone. This was confirmed almost a year ago. As for the other ones, I don't think Square owns the rights to some of them. They bought the Quintet IPs when they went out of business in the late 90s (that's why Squeenix could make the Arcraiser remake) but I'm pretty sure some of the games you listed were made by some other obscure studio not currently owned by Square. They definitely do own the Quintet stuff tho and they made Bahamut Lagoon personally.
@@krimsonkatt front mission is being remade; front mission gun hazard isn’t as far as I know. Square should own most of their snes games, some have even shown up on the virtual console in Japan recently.
I played the demo and thought it was amazing. Cant wait
TLDR: Taste in games is subjective; other people should try the demo to see if it's something they might enjoy, it's free.
I can understand your complaints, though I feel like a lot of them aren't objectively bad. The unusual, experimental nature of the game is what a lot of people like about it. I personally found the unexpected aspects and the variety to be refreshing.
In so far as remake improvements go, others have mentioned that the game now shows you the direction of the next plot trigger requirements, so getting stuck or confused should be less frequent. Hidden item locations now sparkle, giving you an indication to search there, which can also help that. And the lack of visual polish from the original is just gone, the whole thing looks gorgeous now. The bad news for you though is that so far the plot seems to be pretty one to one with the original, so if you didn't like it before, that probably won't change.
The remake does have a lot of other quality of life improvements though. Like a freaking map. The Edo Japan chapter used to be my least favorite, but with the new presentation being less disjointed and the presence of a map, I actually enjoyed the demo portion a lot.
They've also made the battle system you already seemed to like better and clearer with gauges showing how close each combatant's next turn is, and more detailed and accurate move descriptions.
All in all, I've also played through the original game twice start to finish. I enjoyed both times, and I was shocked and thrilled when they announced the remake. You've declared a lot of things as "bad" when it seems more accurate to say that you just didn't like them. That's valid and fine for you, but other people may feel differently. I would say if people play the new demo, and they enjoy the tiny slice of the game it gives them, they'll probably enjoy the game more than you did.
So glad that someone acknowledges this game~ I really love Live-a-Live and wished that it got some love like Trials Of Mana after many years, since I feel there's a lot of potential in their stories. But at last, hope is the last thing to die and seems like finally there's hope with the remake~
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Now I'm interested to know what people liked about it, haha. I'll still play it day 1. Looking forward to seeing the improvements they make.
You did ask me how I felt about it! LOL
Your entitled to your opinion and i disagree. I will agree that this game isn't for everyone. Yes this was an experimental title from way back in the day but we may not have certain games in this day and age without Live a Live, who knows what might have happened to Chrono Trigger had the director of this game not directed it too! You have your opinion and I will respect that. I admit as well the game isn't perfect, it's VERY niche and has a limited audience but we still love this game and all the good it's done. For one the game is a GIANT cultural reference to media of the 70's-90's which was the dawn of Media sharing across nations! The reason why the levels are so short is yes part of it had to do with limited budget and time but the director wanted it that way as well. Having each scenario as bite sized with it's own unique story and gameplay method is awesome! It gives variety across the game without getting boring (except maybe Cube's scenario for half) and they don't feel like they drag on. Do i hope some of them get longer scenarios, maybe a little but form what i've gleamed they probably kept a lot of the stories the same i imagine. I still want to get this game to support more HD 2D remakes but also because I love this game. I think it's unique, a wonderful experiment and it got some of the industry legends on the map like Yoko Shimamura! Hell! Even Toby Fox has referenced this game in part of the inspiration for Undertale! So i do hope you can enjoy the remake when it comes out, if not oh well but i'll still love it regardless.
Don't forget that the Western chapter draws heavily from For a Few Dollars More, which was 1965.
I can see some of your points could bother me but others not so much. After all If I would want to play Final Fantasy, I would play Final Fantasy. I'm glad the don't only bring the big names back.
Thanks for sharing your experience. Nice to have someone had gone through a lot of the old game. I think part of previous bad experience could be translational issue. Just as a frame of reference phantasy star in US had to include a full game step by step manual because some of the troupes and expected “given” in Japanese games were not so clear for Western players. Also difficulties were higher in Japanese games where expectations were you are suppose to solve figure how to get to next step.
It’s good if you look at it for what it was. An rpg experiment. I’d recommend this for anyone who’s never tried rpgs before. It’s rpg lite and it’s good For a portable system.
Rhapsody a musical Adventure for PSX and also ported on DS.... That should really be re done for switch I absolutely loved that game so much. Also it was made by Atlas
Thank you for your viewpoint on the game, David. I may make a purchase for it, but I actually just bought triangle strategy a few days ago(a little late, I know), and have been chomping at the bit to tear into it. If I buy, I may wait for awhile.
Not the best, true, but at the time of the release of the translation...quite good.
We only had forums at the early 2000s...
Thank you, as always, for your honesty. It's one of those concepts that's certainly intriguing "on paper". A "sampler" of unrelated settings, different play styles. A shame that it wasn't fleshed out or tied together better in its execution, for whatever reason.
While I'm still wanting to pick up the remake, I feel like the nature of being a "lost Square RPG" has given this game a sort of rose-colored tint in the eyes of enthusiasts
My hope is them choosing to remake Live A Live was to take the opportunity to bring out the game's fullest potential, and supplant the original as the definitive take on the game's ideas.
I dunno, I literally never heard of Live A Live before the announcement of the remake in late February, and then I streamed the entirety of it and you can tell I had a great time (though the vods aren't on my YT channel lmao) despite it being very old in places. Sometimes, games that are old can be good in places, even if you can see the duct tape holding it together. Personally, that adds charm.
Lmao we get it, you hate Live-A-Live
Very nice review on the original game. The issues you have with it are well justified. Can’t wait to hear your input on the remake!
I just want to know if we can get a 2D HD remake of Bahumut's Lagoon. I think that would have been a much better obscure game to update. At least it has some name recognition since the name Bahumut will most likely invoke thoughts of Final Fantasy.
Didnt we see this exact or similar video a week or so ago?
I pre-ordered just to keep this trend of 2.5hd remakes going.
I respect the opinion/take that Live-A-live is a bad JRPG, because it really doesn't fill the role of one. What I think people need to remember is that L-A-L is an RPG first, and a JRPG second. I think why I loved it so much originally is that it reminded me of playing D&D and other games with friends. I had a DM who was fond of the phrase "If we can go through 3 hours without having to roll a single die yet have multiple encounters, interactions, puzzles, or story, then I've done my job well". Yes, it can be fun to explore a dungeon and I agree, big numbers go BRRRR! But when it comes to actual role playing elements, L-A-L is one of the purest there is. Its unfortunate that the art style gives it a disservice on this front as the new one is very pretty, but if you expect to play it like a JRPG of grinding and dungeons then yes, you'd be disappointed.
It's not an incorrect take to be disappointed with it, but I don't think it's a fair one when you only look at the "J" part of JRPG. It's a fantastic role playing game complete with clever side/super bosses and odd quirks and features. Especially for a game that came out in the early 90s
To you point at the end where you wonder why they remade this game as opposed to others. I think you answered it yourself. Because the game is simple. Not very big. Furthermore, they already developed the engine and most of the assets they are using when making Triangle Strategy and Octopath.
Another point is the size of the games. They were probably able to push this game because it was made without a lot of effort (not saying it's badly made, they just didn't need as much time/people to make it).
Where as bigger games like DQ 1,2,&3 are taking a while to come out. Probably because of the immense amount of content in those games.
I'm loving this HD2D style. I'll probably pickup every damn game that comes out like this haha
I just wish it didn't have the same price tag as a AAA release.
I feel like LAL is one of those games that necessitates a walkthrough, because good lord, was I glad I had one with me during my playthrough. Do you want to get through Cube's scenario without stumbling around the (sometimes literal) dark? Want to successfully defend the town in Sundown's chapter? How about figuring out the best way to get EVERY skill in Masaru's fights--or how to best train your pupil in Ancient China? Oh yes, and let's not forget the TOOOOOOTALLY streamlined and 1000% user-friendly trading mechanic in Pogo's chapter (oh, right, it's neither of those).
Did you know that there's a trick you can do to get twenty of EVERY tradeable item? And you can do this trick as much as you want? Thanks, walkthrough!
Oh, and let's not forget how gracious the walkthrough is in telling you to NOT get any treasures in Oerstead's chapter, cuz guess what? If you do, then they ain't gonna be there when you return with everybody. Speaking of everyone, where are they in the final area? How do you get their best stuff? How do you see the "Best" ending? I sincerely can't imagine how anybody got through this game without a walkthrough, and I honestly don't know how the remake is going to fix that. Hey, you know what game I didn't need a walkthrough for? Parasite Eve. Why aren't we getting a remake of that, Square?
At least the music is badass.
Something that I've noticed in this is that there's no mention of the latter half of the game or even hinting at it. Sure, it's all one big spoiler, and there's something of a mention with how the Traditional JRPG comes into play, but there's also the implication that nothing ties these stories together when, if you played the last two chapters, you know that's just not true and something pretty significant ties everything up.
You're entitled to your opinion, of course, but like it's not that cool to just leave out information, especially when it helps with the storytelling and theming of the game.
Hey David! Unrelated, have you played Trouble Shooter? I keep thinking about buying it, but can't find any reviews on it I'd trust.
Almost 50k subs. Congrats
Besides the somewhat rushed ending and difficulty spike in the last chapter, I loved this game.
David, I know wrong video, but what are your thoughts on Bahamut Lagoon? Have you put out any videos on it?
In my opinion, no RPG is perfect. People love games like Final Fantasy VII, Undertale, and Earthbound, hailing them all as flawless classics, but they have too many warts for me to fully immerse if the gameplay. (though of the three of them, I tolerate Earthbound's flaws a little more) I am willing to go through Live A Live and purchase it, even if the remake keeps in some of the more frustrating aspects! If the demo was anything to go by, I've played way worse RPGs.
I cant remember any flaws in Chrono Trigger. Im surprised they havent done a 2D-HD remake of that. Actually its Nintendo. So I'm not that surprised.
@@JakeTaco83 I can think of a flaw in Chrono Trigger: Marle. :P
Half-joking but she really falls off quick.
I agree the original isn't a good game but I think people should support the remake if only to show Square that we do want classic JRPGs and are definitely interested in them bringing Japan-exclusive JRPGs to the west and also that we enjoy the 2D HD artstyle and that these kinds of games can still be profitable for them to continue making/remaking/translating because that's what we all really want even if this particular unique experiment was a miss
Jesus man come down
I tried to like it... most I liked was the china chapter.
There are definitely some times where I was playing a critically acclaimed game and wish somebody had warned me about this mechanic or 'that sequence' so that I was mentally prepared for it and didn't drop the game, thinking that this was indicative of the rest of the experience. But I am still interested in Live a Live, because it's not the simple port job of other Square re-releases, and I'm curious what they do with it.
The remake definitely fixed a lot of this stuff lol 😅 thanks for the video, awesome as always
I’ve never played it and watching you play it was enough for me as far as the original goes. Looking forward to your unfiltered opinion of the remake
New person here so how would you compare this to octopath traveler if you have played octopath?
It's honestly WAY better than Octopath.
I think Octopath is much better.
Lmao, i feel like this is a you thing, the game is what it is, why are you upset its not something its not.
If you dont like the game for what it is. Thats a you thing, doesnt mean its a bad game, and because the old game sucked ass doesnt mean the remake/remaster will. Look what vanilla ware did with odin sphere and its remake. Id like to call it a remake. Remasters are usually upscaled rereleases in my canon at least.
Was planning on buying due to hype, but I guess I'll wait and see. Finally bought a copy of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 instead since 3 is coming out soon. Believe it or not, it's the first Xeno game I didn't buy on release going all the way back to Gears back in the day; just didn't have my Switch at the time.
Tell me how you really feel!! Lol 😆
I pre-ordered it a long time ago but I only planned to play it till xenoblade comes out a few days later. I figured I would go back to it later.
I just finished Bahamut Lagoon last week and would love to see it remade. Strange choice, this one, but I look forward to seeing what the reviews say (especially this channel).
Hmm I first heard of this game from the direct it was announced in. My immediate reaction was that I was super intrigued by the remake graphics and the path style concept, but also that something seemed unusual about the combat. Like my impression was that this wouldn't be your usual jrpg combat and that there would definitely be "gimmicks" in the game that matter the most. Playing the demo I think I was correct I'm happy with that because I want to try something different and unique. For better or worse as you say, I'm all for it because god knows I think I'd like it far less if it was just another octopath or final fantasy style game with traditional combat not that I dislike that game. The weirdness is what is drawing me in.
Alright...I've come back to eat crow, lol. I've played the remake all the way through and...most of what you said still holds true today. The visuals, music and battle system in the remake are amazing. However the telling's of a good story, world, world exploration and good characters (i.e. the reason why we get invested in JRPGs to begin with) are completely missing.
The scenarios themselves can be interesting but after you've completed them, aside from a couple, the story doesn't stick with you at all. This was an amazing effort back then, but I think they indeed bit off way more than they could chew. I'd rate it a 6.5/10. Overall a kind of shallow experience.
You know, since you mentioned Final Fantasy VI, David, Live A Live was originally supposed to come out before Final Fantasy VI, but due to delays, the order of their release was reversed. Just thought you might like to know.
Having said that, I agree with pretty much everything you said here. I'll still pick it up if it gets a physical English release, but if not, then oh well.
The worst part about this video is not seeing David’s jacked shoulders. 😔
I don't always agree with this guy's opinions but at least he's honest.
Lol I like how many of these are literally just complaining about the games premise.
Square had great game but since they bought Enix, they could remake soul blazer and such
.... Terranigma. that would be the perfect thing to remaster. They had the ROM all ready to go, translated and everything and cancelled it just before they were due to release it. I'm sure quite a few people, esp. people who like games like that, would love to give that a go. I played a little of it, and it looked awesome. Should try to finish that someday.
I think this is just one of many games Square Enix is remaking into the Octopath Traveler style of Gameplay/Graphics leading up to Rudra No Hihou (Treasure of the Rudras) remake in the Octopath Style at some point, Along with the Strategy RPG Bahamut Lagoon following Triangle Strategy in the future. They are obviously going through their catalog of lesser known but sought after SNES Games that were Japan Only as well as some of their lesser known PS1 Games leading up to their greatest/most popular releases we never got in the West. I believe with Triangle Strategy, Bahamut Lagoon will be coming in behind it with a remake at some point. Look at the Saga Remasters, Seiken Densetsu 3 Remake (Trials of Mana) which actually got a good quality Remake in 3D, as well as its predecessor, and successor in a well done remaster albeit not 3D, they are definitely feeling out what resonates with fans by remastering and remaking these titles to see how to proceed into the future, as well as seeing what series they can revisit to proceed into the future instead of just solely relying on major Final Fantasy titles as their main money maker. I think with the Live A Live remake, Rudra No Hihou (Treasure of the Rudras) which was arguably the best of the traditional RPG Japan only releases that we never got in the West, it will be done at some point in similar fashion as they have done to Live A Live with its Remake. I would dare even say we are more likely to see that sooner than later . Whether we get Rudra, first or Bahamut Lagoon is a toss up, but I think they are building momentum up to it with the Live A Live remake, and will also be used as filler releases in between their more popular Remakes, FF7 Rebirth, FF9 Remake, FF Tactics remake, FF16, etc etc to keep the fans content to reinvigorate the old and new alike along with seeing whether these golden era releases they had, will be potential series mainstays in the future for them.
Only remake i would ever want is phantasy star 1-4 with a great art director in 2.5D and give people the space opera we deserve
I guess you never played FFXI online?
Sounds like Earthbound probably wasn't your cup of tea either? I don't want every RPG to be the same- I love Final Fantasy IV, V, and VI, but I also very much enjoy titles such as Super Mario RPG and Earthbound that step outside the box. I don't understand the length issue- each chapter is as long as it needs to be to tell the story it wants to tell- if the Street Fighter-inspired modern chapter was as long as the Bakumatsu or Near Future chapters, it just would drag on way too long. Also, I do find it odd that you describe the Bakumatsu chapter as being one of the smaller maps when it's probably the largest outside of the final chapter- yes, you're "just" exploring a castle- in the same way that Onimusha has you "just" exploring a castle, or that many Castlevania games "just" take place in a castle; it's pretty big castle.
As for myself, this is my favorite game of all time- I'm importing the CE from Japan and can't wait to do an unboxing. I respect your opinion, but vehemently disagree with it.
What an excellent review! This is why people like David are where I get my reviews because he is passionate about games as opposed to the corporate overlords of reviews.
No offense to David, I often like hi stake on games. His passion obviously shines bright at all times. This was just a biased rant though.
I have been going back and forth about buying the remake. I never played the original but the multiple style storylines seemed interesting. I might hold off on this one. I need to anyway with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 coming out anyway. :)
Speaking of fan translations I remember in the early 2000s when i first found ff5 had one and I played that game so much. It was my favorite ff for a long time. Plus ferris didn't have that awful pirate slang added like in the original square translation.
So you hate the game, get over it. Just let someone who enjoys the game have fun with the remake.
This was an experimental game that never left Japan. It got a translation and a cult following. It was obvious this game didn't do well.
Does the demo seem promising so far?
I bought it already
I think it's pronounced Live A Live instead of Live A Live.
I first played this game back a few years ago and i remember how obtuse progression was for most of the chapters, Especially when the game tells you sweet fuck all on where to go to next (I'm looking at you Far Future chapter).
But on the bright side the music is kick ass.
People kept comparing this to a octopath traveler saying how it did it "better" than Octopath. I finally tried it based on that hype and it was much worse. The writing and battle system both leave a lot to be desired. It's a pass for me.
maybe the near future chapter, but the rest of the writing is pretty good!
I played the Switch remake demo yesterday and wasn't feeling it. I like Oboromaru's chapter, though.
I want to see strategy videos for these super bosses!
Thank you for the insight good sir! Appreciate ya
Great channel! Update your profile pic though! It’s so random in comparison to the channel
Man i played it years ago and it was lit 🥰🥰
So this is about the OG game? I’d like to hear your review of the new game when it is released. I’m on the fence now. I will buy it because it’s an RPG, and that’s what I do, just not sure not if I want to dedicate any time to now though.
They're pretty much the same game. One just has a graphical overhaul and minimap.
@@davidvinc thanx for the info.
Hopefully they make good changes to make it more interesting. I'm still wondering why they chose this over Treasure Hunter G or Treasure of the Rudras.
Still buying it to get more HD2D remakes *fingers crossed*
I think it's because of Saga and Trials of Mana. The game's separate storylines remind me of it. It kinda signals that the ported games did well enough for Square Enix to try a physical release for this game in NA.
Live a Live is great. But you have to stick with it till the end for the real story and themes of the game to reveal themselves.
But yeah not all chapters are winners, the near future chapter is pretty bad.
This sounds like a sketchy game with some incredible ideas that would benefit more from a remake.
Kind of like Phantasy Star 3 or Xenogears (which needs less help, but could use a good remaster).
YES and that's actually why I like it. I love the experimental games. Xenogears is one of my faves, I love "odd bird" games and this falls into that.
@@questionablebackyardmeows I don't remember caring for this one when I had tried it 20 years ago, but it definitely deserves a remake.
The Front Mission games are also good choices in this respect, as was Saga Frontier (though they did not do anywhere near enough to demystify its mechanics and let its virtues shine through).
A Phantasy Star 3 remake with combat like 2 and 4 would be great.
Xenogears desperately needs a full HD2D remake since almost half of the games story had to be cut due to time and budget constraints and relegated to a LONG VN segment at the beginning of Disk 2. Sadly that will never happen since Square would likely need Takahashi to do on who has moved onto Xenoblade and is fully owned by Nintendo. Honestly Xenosaga is far more likely to be translated since Nintendo IPs already crossed over with Bandi Namco many times and Namco has directly developed multiple major Nintendo games such as both Smash 4 and Ultimate. Out of any company Bandi Namco is the company Nintendo is closest to, at least out of the ones they don't already own.
@@diegoarmando5489 Saga Frontier already got a port and Front Mission is in the process of being remade for modern platforms. If anything the Quintet Trilogy or Bahamut Lagoon is likely next.
Dude this game has been a blast that sucks for you
Treasure of The Rudras done HD2D. One can dream.