At long last, it’s finally here. Nearly 28 years later, Live A Live has finally been localized in all of its glory, wrapped up in a brand new package as one of Square’s many plans for remastering old content that missed the broader global market in years past. It’s a welcome effort considering the love and care put into it and the merit in making former media that was legally inaccessible open to a much broader demographic. Before I get into what this remaster brings to the table for fans both old and new, I’d like to address the importance of reintroducing a title like this to the current gaming era. It’s a move that I hope pays off not only because of the legacy Live A Live represented at the time of its release but also because of what it represents now as a zeitgeist of early 90’s experimental game design in an era of gaming that feels increasingly corporatized in terms of game production. Yet because of its previous exclusivity, it’s a title that often feels neglected in the pantheon of more “influential” titles at the time such as Final Fantasy VI when it rightfully deserves its place in that

The HD2D remake of Live A Live releases on Nintendo Switch tomorrow, and Square Enix has shared the final trailer along with celebratory messages from director Takashi Tokita and composer Yoko Shimomura. (See below.) A highly experimental RPG developed by Square in 1995, it never released outside Japan until now. Featuring several different protagonists with their own stories set across time and space, each scenario is wildly different than the last. It features a grid-based battle system in which characters can use special abilities that different areas of effect. If you want to check it out for yourself, a demo is currently available that features the opening chapter of three different scenarios: Imperial China, the Twilight of Edo Japan, and the Distant Future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ06xMcVgs8 Takashi Tokita (Director) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olY85AWG9Lc Yoko Shimomura (Composer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFjRj5JbwM4

If you had your pick, what kind of movie would you want to see? It has to be something exciting or adventurous or thrilling. Would you pick the Spaghetti Western? A kung-fu classic? Horror in deep space? Dinosaur... comedy? These are the kind of settings you’ll find in Live A Live, a unique RPG developed by Square and released for the Super Famicom in 1994. Their previous offerings in the genre, such as Final Fantasy, hadn’t strayed too far from conventional fantasy settings. Knights, mages, dragons… you get the idea. However, with Final Fantasy II, which leaned into its scenario taking heavy inspiration from the Star Wars trilogy, you caught a whiff of desire. To bring filmic elements to RPGs — to ponder: “wouldn’t it be cool if this film was like a console RPG?” To take that further: “What about A Fistful of Dollars? Enter the Dragon? Alien? Ultraman? What would that even look like!?” Developing games inspired by films, not merely to make films — but to make them games is a Rosetta stone for much of Square’s storied history. Live A Live is very much the next step in that lineage that bridges us to Final Fantasy VII integrating

Live A Live fans can check out the beginning of three chapters of the game starting today. Nintendo's offering up a demo, available on the eshop, to give players a taste of what's to come when the full game launches on July 22. Said chapters include Imperial China, Twilight of Edo Japan and The Distant Future - which are just part of the game's major time period locations. Spanning across seven different eras, players can go through them in any order they wish – each of them unique in their own right. Save data from these locations in the demo can be carried over to the full game. Recently, it was revealed that the game will feature an exclusive theme song, “Go! Go! Buriki Daioh!” sung by Hironobu Kageyama of JAM Project and Dragon Ball Z fame in both Japanese and English for their respective versions during the Near Future chapter. Those looking to experience said song will have to wait for the final game when it releases on July 22.

Square Enix has provided a new look at the upcoming Live A Live remake ahead of its July 22 release for Nintendo Switch with a set of new trailers focusing on several different eras players will traverse through the story. These include the Wild West, the Middle Ages, the Near Future and the Twilight of Edo. Spanning across seven different eras, players can go through them in any order they wish - each of them unique in their own right. Additionally, it was revealed that the game's Near Future scenario lets players take control of a character that can control the Steel Titan using psychokinetic abilities. This is noteworthy because the Steel Titan features an exclusive theme song, "Go! Go! Buriki Daioh!" sung by Hironobu Kageyama of JAM Project and Dragon Ball Z fame in both Japanese and English for their respective versions. The Wild West https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FZNN-J1pAQ The Middle Ages https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1tbY0XzLmU&t=2s The Near Future https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ncqrnw29PE Twilight of Edo Japan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsIRXbaOi2c&t=1s Theme Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSxdxgdloQE&t=1s

Classic 90's Super Famicom RPG Live A Live is being re-imagined for release worldwide with a HD-2D remake heading to Nintendo Switch on July 22. Like the original, the game follows several scenarios scattered across various time periods featuring exploration and turn-based battles. Specifically, seven different stories featuring different protagonists, time periods, and gameplay styles await. In The Wild West, a wanderer with a bounty on his head fights for his life. In the Twilight of Edo Japan, a shinobi undertakes a secret mission. Players can experience these scenarios in any order they so choose. Catch the announcement trailer below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtSxPv-xUSc