Square Enix is bringing its enhanced version of the cult classic JRPG Live a Live to PS4, PS5, and PC next month.
The developer announced the news in a blog post (opens in a new tab) on its website, also sharing that a demo for these platforms will be released later today. You’ll be able to play three of the game’s seven main story chapters. If you like what you’re playing, that progress can carry over to the full game if you decide to pick it up on April 27.
Considering the original released for the Super Famicom in 1994 and remained local to Japan until the remake was released for Nintendo Switch with an English translation last year, it’s heartening to see a beloved JRPG available for those they couldn’t. to get your hands on it. Until last year, I was one of them.
Live A Live was considered a novel when it was released in 1994, as it contains many smaller stories that feature unique mechanics until it all weaves into one for a grand finale. Combat, meanwhile, features the turn-based combat you’ve come to expect from the era, with an added layer of strategy in that position on the playing field influencing who you can hit or get hit with.
The JRPG was also released in a hot streak for Square, before Enix’s part was added later after a corporate merger, after Final Fantasy 6, and before Chrono Trigger. In fact, Live a Live director Takashi Tokita also served as the latter’s director.
There’s a lot in Live A Live that makes for great timing, though its lack of availability over the past 28 years has ensured its status as a poorly-kept secret among die-hard JRPG fans until word of it. a remake breaks out.
So what do you get with the remake? The core of Live A Live is largely intact, though the most striking difference is the HD-2D visual style made popular by Octopath Traveler, a modern JRPG that borrows some ideas from how Live A Live handles multiple scenarios. You also get a rearranged soundtrack overseen by original composer Yoko Shimomura.
A Nintendo Switch release last year brought the game to hordes of fans curious to see what it was all about, though barriers remained for those who didn’t have the handheld. With Live A Live releasing for PS4, PS5, and Steam on April 27, those barriers are becoming less and less.
Legend of Dragoon game breaking bugs recently ruined the return of this classic JRPG, let’s hope Live A Live does better.