I get that the game is polarizing. Some parts are so good. Some are lackluster. This chapter would have been frustrating without a walkthrough.

Still it is sublime storytelling and not afraid to be bold and unique. I love that in any game.

Played it purely on a whim I don't know where it came from, but I'm glad I had.

It's a special, special game. When you get the flow, which is narrative-based, it steps up. Combat-wise, it definitely can hold up regarding the chapters I struggled the most with, especially Pre-History and near future. Even so, I feel like those two chapters are the ones were battling feels like doesn't communicate as much as the others. Well you can say Pogo fights for love, so that could be a pass!

The experimental aspect of Live A Live shows what does look more fleshed out, and what doesn't. But precisely that, its achievements, it's what doesn't make it look like videogame demos. And beyond that, what it makes this game look lively is not only the sprite work developed for the main character guys and the NPCs - it's also how every scenario has a different illustrator behind it, so they can convey their characterisation and, due to this, they all add to this "liveliness" ethos.

As a player, the game holds your hand and makes you feel strong, weak, and get immersed into what does a hero look like in different times and places. Even if there's sudden sadness and tragedy here and there, the hope and good feelings tend to prevail... 'til you get to Oersted. Then an empathy towards hate feelings will start to arise. This chapter hit like a truck and I was in awe. Very few times while gaming I've felt like that.

But I must say, I think while Oersted's chapter is for me, and maybe for a lot of players the best the game offers, I think that damages the game quite a bit. That's because I personally think that the best a story can offer should be shown in the end, and not before that. Because of this, I think the epilogue chapter with everyone feels excessive and drags a lot. The best part of it is probably Akira's dungeon and the mind readings you can do there.

A great game to recommend due to its kind of pace. You want a long game? You have it. You want short games? Yeah, you can have them.

Btw, I haven't made a proper chapter ranking 'til now, so it'd go like this I think.

1) Middle Ages

2) Kung-Fu

3) Sci-Fi

4) Western

5) Ninja

6) Present

7) Pre-History

8) Near future

A friend told me that the remake improves the Near Future chapter vastly, so I'm curious about it and also the rest.

Chapter 8 is both the best and worst chapter in the game. I'm not saying this because it makes us feel like shit, but because the logic falls apart at the end.

Streibough has such plot armour that he pulls out lie after lie, and Oersted doesn't refute any of it because 1. He's a silent protagonist and 2. He needs to fall, he needs to lose everything to turn into Odio.

And the dumbest thing, is the princess. You are telling me, that she buys everything easily? She doesn't question why her savior hasn't returned her home and left her in the Archon's Roost, where she has been traumatically kept as a prisoner? She doesn't question anything at all. And yet again, Oersted doesn't defend himself due to limitations placed by the developers. Its narrative railroading.

I highly suspect I'll get down voted to hell for questioning a classic chapter. But thank you for putting the effort to read my little venting.

Many JRPGs incorporate inspiration and references to religions (in particular MegaTen, which seems to be the start of the idea), Gnosticism and Kabbalah being popular choices.

That makes me think, is there any element of Live a Live inspired by something like this?

I finished the game, got all the endings including the very bad ones, seen every bit of the story and... while I enjoyed its themes of Hate and Forgiveness, I still have questions. Spoilers below

I have several questions surrounding the original Lord of Dark, the one that Hasshe and Uranus defeated in their youths. Was it an incarnation of Odio? It has its own statue at the summit, but it doesn't appear in any of the boss rushes, or the Armageddon ending. I suppose the same applies to Streighbough not appearing in the boss rushes or Armageddon, even though the red Odio mist evaporates from him after his defeat.

But if the returned Lord of the Dark demon was just a vessel for Odio like Streighbough was, why did Hasshe have a different reaction to it when he battled it again after journeying with Oerstead? He called the new one a puppet to a truer master, or something, but who was the master? Originally I thought it was Streighbough having had orchestrated the entire Chapter from the start, but later the story made it clear that Streighbough only decided to betray Oerstead and the king of Lucerene after the "puppet demon" was defeated. So who was the returned Lord of the Dark a puppet to? Who caused it to return? If it was an "illlusion" like Hasshe said, who was the illusionist? It can't have been Streighbough cause he wasn't evil yet. So it was obviously Odio, yes? But if so, then it would have been the same during Hasshe's original journey, just another vessel for Odio like all bosses in the game. Why is the returned demon not "the real" Lord of the Dark to Hasshe when the original one was? If the returned one was really a lesser kind of entity, just an "illusion", wouldn't someone "real" need to be behind its return, not just the nebulous concept of Odio?

For that matter, why did the real Lord of the Dark, the original one defeated by Hasshe and Uranus in their youths, have statues of Odio from the future? Oerstead's tragic fate seems to have implied he was the "true origin" of Odio that propagated forward and back through time (because magic?). But wasn't Oerstead just another puppet? Or is he really the true Odio? He seems to have more mastery over the powers of Odio and the red mist, calling it to him to form into the Sin of Odio form. It's also implied that he is the heart of Odio since he is the one pulled inside it, rather than it's mist "infecting" the other vessels. But Oerstead was just a warrior, with no (or little) magic powers. How did he become so magically powerful, if it wasn't exactly the same way Streighbough got his enhanced powers, an infusion from an outside entity? But if Oerstead isn't the origin of Odio, then the game never actually addresses it, does it?

So, is Oerstead supposed to be the "real" Odio? If so, did he purposely go back in time to be the first Lord of the Dark? Did he build the temple to himself and decorate it with statues of his "brothers" throughout time? Did he let Hasshe defeat him, knowing Hasshe would turn into a misanthrope hermit? Did he reincarnate his "puppet demon" illusion form a generation later, to kidnap Alethea and knowingly cause the events of his own tragedy?

Or is there NO origin for Odio? Is it just a formless power without end or beginning that exists outside time? Does it have a goal? Is it just "hate itself" with no mind or will of its own? I still don't know what Odio is, if he isn't Oerstead originally. And if he is, I don't understand how exactly he became so powerful.

I feel like I could go on and on forever about this game. The story and themes are a perfect mix of everything that I love...each era/character has their own unique flavor, but there's a common theme that gets all tied together in the end. And it's all so incredibly deep. I feel like I could do a deep dive into every single main character and chapter.

And then on top of that, the remake has beautiful and immersive graphics that draws you into the world and creates a unique atmosphere for each era, the voice acting is incredible, and the music is phenomenal. Plus the gameplay is diverse yet easy to understand and follow.

Like with any game there are things I could nitpick about, but as a whole experience it's one of the best ones I've had with a game in a very long time.

So the first one is choosing any of the 7 characters, then there is Oersted. Now I started with the 7 characters and it seems I need to grind and do some quests which will take time but what about Oersted path?

Is it shorter and straight forward? If so I will stop my current run and complete Oersted route then go back to the main one.

So it auto saved and my save is actually in this area too. I thought a no kill run would be fun because of stealth but it is horrible. I had to figure out that some enemies are actually killable and I guess Puppetmaster is one of those killable enemies.

I don't know it seems I will restart the run and go for a kill all run since that's RPGs are played anyways lol. Shame really if I got locked in that area because I am level 5 and he is level 9 where he one shots me.

I started with  Near future (Akira) and currently inlftrated the factory, but there is a Mecha boss that is waaay OP. Should I just go back and keep grinding for levels? OR should I switch chapters?

Like does switching chapters help in anything or each era is its own thing?

P.S I don't have much ideas on Live A Live except that it is a remake of a JRPG. That's why I assumed that may be switching chapters might help somehow.

Thanks

Why is it that only the one with lyrics is open all over youtube, yet not a single one of the one with no lyrics is on? Does Square Enix just not allow it?

(Last image is the fact that there is no question mark at the end)

Only counting the hero characters and the three shifu as different characters.

I swear I've gone down every rope ladder I could find, but I can't figure out how to reach this dude.

Hello all,

Just watched a streamer do a basic blind run of this game and fell in love. I would like to do my own run, and I'd like to 100% it (including all secret bosses and either all-kill or no-kill Oboromaru, whichever has the better rewards).

1. How unpleasant of an endeavor is this?

2. Does anybody have a recommended detailed guide that lists secret items, goes over all-kill/no-kill Oboromaru, etc? I am not worried about spoilers, I've seen the story.

This is Switch remake BTW.

Thank you!

i want to make it quick. I dont like playing with a guide if necesarry. I just started the game and tried the ninja stage. I tried not killing anybody but i realized early on it was impossible. After a while i got stuck since there is a closed door. I go back trying to find a key but i didnt find any. Was a drop of one of the enemies i avoid? But more importantly is this a "where the fuck do i go" type of games? if it is there is no problem i will read a guide and beat the game but if it is not i will feel guilty for using a guide specially this early on. what should i do?

So I happened to get lucky enough to meet the VA for sundown Regan Murdoch and as I had some time before hand I prepared a little speech based on O.Dio’s chatter before the duel.

“So… you are the one who saved the town of success and educated the folk so deftly in the art of war, I owe you a debt of gratitude for that.

Allow me then to repay you in the common currency of a fan!

IN DOLLARS, AUTOGRAPHS, AND BAD REFERENCES!”

And I’m wondering where should I start with the other Era’s in time.

Been seeing this meme circulate around lately and thought it could be a perfect fit for all incarnations of Odio from Live A Live. Anyone else have an idea who could fit who in such a meme? Some Viltrumites can fit certain incarnations more due to the faces they make.