Play Live A Live Online

Summary

Live A Live feels like a love letter to the golden age of manga and the experimental spirit of early ’90s RPGs. Takashi Tokita’s directorial debut let eight very different protagonists share a single grid‑based battle system, yet each chapter sprinkles its own twist—stealth in the ninja segment, telepathy in the future, even a whole scenario without traditional fights. The art direction is a gallery of manga legends: Yoshihide Fujiwara, Osamu Ishiwata, Gosho Aoyama and others each took charge of a world, giving the game a visual flavor you’d only expect from a comic anthology.

Yoko Shimomura’s soundtrack mirrors that diversity, shifting from a pipe‑organ‑laden Odio motif to chiptune‑style fanfares for the Distant Future minigame. Her work was her first major RPG commission after moving from Capcom, and even drew a helping hand from Nobuo Uematsu on the medieval tracks. The battle grid itself, a 7×7 arena where skills can charge over multiple turns or imbue tiles with elemental effects, was designed to feel like "real‑time shogi," a term Tokita used to describe the strategic depth.

Despite its ambition, the original Super Famicom launch sold only 270,000 copies, a modest figure next to Square’s flagship titles. Critics praised the variety and the bold omnibus storytelling, though they noted the graphics lagged behind contemporaries. Decades later, a fan translation finally opened the experience to English speakers, cementing Live A Live’s reputation as a one‑of‑a‑kind, short‑but‑sweet RPG adventure.

Storyline

Live A Live (often just called Live A) is divided into seven distinct chapters that span prehistory, ancient China, feudal Japan, the Wild West, present day, the near‑future, and a distant future. In each era the hero confronts a powerful foe whose name contains the word “Odio,” and the chapters can be tackled in any order.

In the prehistoric tale, caveman Pogo rescues Beru from a dinosaur‑god sacrifice and together they defeat Odo. The Chinese chapter follows the Shifu’s last disciple as they battle the ruthless rival school leader Ou Di Wan Lee, with the Shifu sacrificing himself to empower his student. Feudal Japan’s story has trainee ninja Oboromaru slaying the demon‑daimyo Ode Iou and rescuing Sakamoto Ryōma.

The Wild West sees the Sundown Kid and bounty hunter Mad Dog team up against the bandit O. Dio, a possessed horse, while present‑day fighter Masaru Takahara defeats Odie O'Bright to become the strongest. In the near‑future, psychic Akira and his friend Matsu destroy the idol Odeo that the government uses for a forced peace. The distant‑future chapter follows maintenance robot Cube, who disables the ship’s murderous computer OD‑10 and stops a monster.

After these seven stories, a Middle‑Age chapter unlocks, revealing the knight Oersted’s tragic fall and his adoption of the name Odio. The final chapter, “Dominion of Hate,” brings all protagonists together to confront Odio’s true form, offering choices that determine whether hatred consumes the world or is ultimately repelled.