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Live a Live: Difference between revisions
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An ambitious game by [[Square]], featuring multiple story lines set in seven time periods ("chapters"), which can be played in any order before culminating in one hell of a [[Wham! Episode]]. These story lines each provide a different setting and genre. Although the storylines are mostly standalone at first, they eventually combine into a single plotline that ''thrives'' on well-executed [[Player Punch]] moments.
The plot itself is an interesting example of [[The Rashomon]]. The chapters of the game each draw on influences from different sources, as wide and varied as 80's anime, spaghetti Westerns, fighting games, ''[[
[[Live a Live]] also deviates somewhat from the usual Squaresoft games when it comes to the battle system, being somewhere between standard turn-based combat and a Tactics-style system. Although the battle system stays the same throughout the game, each chapter has its own distinct atmosphere and art style. They are, in chronological order:
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* The (initially hidden) [[Wham! Episode]] {{spoiler|medieval fantasy quest chapter, starring the young knight Oersted}},
* The Japanese Bakumatsu [[Stealth Based Mission]] political revolution [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|ghost robot]] maze chapter, starring the ninja Oboro and {{spoiler|[[Historical Domain Character|Sakamoto Ryouma]]}},
* The [[Spaghetti Western]] time trial puzzle chapter, starring [[Butch Cassidy and
* The modern day arcade fighting game chapter, starring the wrestler Masaru,
* The near future [[Humongous Mecha]] [[Gainax]] [[Mind Screw]] anime chapter, starring... well, [[
* The sci-fi silent space [[Survival Horror]] [[The Computer Is Your Friend]] chapter, starring the robot Cube.
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''[[Live a Live]]'' was [[No Export for You|never officially released outside Japan]], but following two English [[Fan Translation]] projects, the game has picked up something of a [[Cult Classic|cult following]]. The latest [[Aeon Genesis]] translation patch can be found [http://agtp.romhack.net/project.php?id=lal here].
Compare ''[[
Not to be confused with the [[
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=== Live A Live provides examples of the following tropes: ===
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* [[Apocalypse How]]: You can pull off a Class Z by {{spoiler|choosing the Armageddon option when your health is low in the final chapter with Oersted.}}
* [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]]: Odie Olbright
* [[As Long
* [[As Long
* [[The Atoner]]: {{spoiler|Straybow becomes one after he betrays Oersted. Only noticeable in Akira's dungeon in the final chapter, where you can find his soul. Alicia too, but not as much.}}
** {{spoiler|Matsu}} qualifies as well, having performed a [[Heel Face Turn]] some indeterminate amount of time after he {{spoiler|killed Akira and Kaori's father.}}
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* [[Fetch Quest]]: You don't have to go through the character dungeons in the final chapter, but if you don't, you'll have a difficult time with Odio and {{spoiler|you can't get the best ending.}}
* [[Fighting Game]]: Masaru's chapter.
* [[Fun
** It's the former, but a few early English translations screwed it up.
* [[Game Within a Game]]: Captain Square in Cube's chapter.
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* [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: {{spoiler|Matsu does this to power the Buriki Daioh so he can save Akira and Kaori.}}
** {{spoiler|Straybow fakes having one during Oersted's chapter}}
* [[Hoist
* [[Hot-Blooded]]: Fittingly, both Akira and Matsu. Masaru doesn't talk much, but he reveals his nature to fit this in a particularly epic moment at the end of his chapter.
* [[Humans Are Bastards]]: {{spoiler|The insane AI in the Sci-Fi chapter killed off the crew members because it feels this way. Later, there's the Medieval chapter...}}
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* [[Old Master]]: The Xin Shan Quan Master. Unusually for the trope, he is his chapter's protagonist, rather than a side character. {{spoiler|At the end of his chapter, he dies, and it's his prize pupil who goes on to participate in the final chapter.}}
* [[Omnicidal Maniac]]: The game has a fair number of these, but {{spoiler|Odio}} in particular.
* [[One-Hit Kill]]: Attacks that cause stone count. Pure Odio has the attack [[Exactly What It Says
** O. Dio's Gatling Shots, which do [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|always does 999 damage]].
* [[One-Winged Angel]]: {{spoiler|Ode Iou turns into a giant frog-like monster holding a cobra.}}
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** There's also {{spoiler|Fight / Pass / Item / Armageddon. Guess which option gets you the worst ending?}}.
* [[Pro Wrestling Is Real]]: Masaru's chapter.
* [[Psychic Powers]]: Akira has them. Telepathy, Telekinesis, [[Playing
* [[Puzzle Boss]]: In Cube's Chapter, Earth from Captain Square counts, as you need to defeat a Fire Elemental and a bunch of Water Elementals. {{spoiler|The Fire Elemental can kill you with one hit, but if pushed onto Water panels (Which Water elementals make with their attacks), it will die from Water damage}}.
** Even better is the second boss in the Demon's Peak from Oersted's chapter. {{spoiler|Attacks that strike from the front will not deal enough damage to kill her (as her attacks sap your health and Strength), but Oersted has one attack that can strike from behind without moving, which can kill her easily.}}
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* [[Sdrawkcab Name]]: The title itself. As written in the artwork, it looks a vertical mirror is centered on the A, creating a perfect palindrome (LIVE A ヨVI」). The fact that "live" backwards spells "evil" is not a coincidence.
* [[Self-Imposed Challenge]]: In the Cowboy chapter, you set traps to prevent having to fight O. Dio's goons. Of course, you don't have to set a single one and fight the guy with his entire ensemble, which take up most of the field, AND O. Dio himself. Observe: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lf0Gq-D1pg The reason why Sundown's the most badass of all the main characters.]
* [[Shout-Out]]: Plenty of them, ranging from diverse sources (mostly movies rather than games) such as [[
** "[[Shane|Sundown Kid! Come back, Sundown Kid!]]"
*** "Sundown Kid" is a take on the name of a famous [[wikipedia:Sundance Kid|outlaw]] in American history who has had at least [[wikipedia:Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid|one well-known film]] made about his life.
** Decking yourself out in [[Kamen Rider|Rider accessories]] in Akira's chapter. Besides its namesake, it's just full of lovingly corny, Japanese retro sci-fi in general.
** There is no possible way that Gori's constant snickering wasn't a reference to [[Dastardly and Muttley
** If you play the piano in Akira's chapter he'll play the [[Final Fantasy|Chocobo Theme]].
* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]: Largely idealistic.
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* [[The Smurfette Principle]]: Li is the only female protagonist. She's only one of two playable female characters in the entire game. On top of that, she's optional; depending on the player's choices in the Kung Fu chapter, Sammo or Yuan could take her place.
* [[Somewhere a Paleontologist Is Crying]]: Surprisingly averted in Pogo's chapter. {{spoiler|The final boss is a dinosaur, but it's also the ''only'' dinosaur in the entire chapter. It makes sense for Zaki's tribe to worship the last living tyrannosaur on the planet as a god.}}
* [[Spiritual Successor]]: [[
* [[Start of Darkness]]: {{spoiler|Oersted's chapter.}}
* [[The Jimmy Hart Version]]: Buriki Daioh's theme is a rearrangement of the theme of [[Mazinger Z]].
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* [[Wham! Episode]]: {{spoiler|And once again, Oersted's chapter.}}
* [[Wham! Line]]: You probably guessed it long before, but after a certain point in Cube's chapter, inspecting any database terminal, computer, or anything electronic displays the message {{spoiler|"Resistance is futile. [[Master Computer|I]] have taken control of the ship."}}
* [[What Happened to
** {{spoiler|The real demon king -- that is, the one Hash killed previously -- never came back from the dead at all; he was never present at any point in the chapter. It was all a ploy by Straybow, at least up until the point where Oersted takes up the mantle himself. Hash's comment is a hint that Straybow's was an illusion without the Demon King's real strength.}}
* [[When All You Have Is a Hammer|When All You Have Is A Gun]]: Whereas the rest of the characters in the game get a pretty good variety of attacks, Sunset's and Mad Dog's attacks can pretty much be summarized as "shooting people," "shooting multiple people," and "shooting multiple people many times."
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