RPG classic Live A Live hops to PC on April 27th
The former Switch exclusive is also getting a Steam demo later today
Fans of Octopath Traveler have likely had their eye on Live A Live for some time now. Last year, it came to the Nintendo Switch as an exclusive remake of the 1994 RPG. Bu that exclusivity period has been brought to a surprising end as Square Enix have announced Live A Live is hitting PC and PlayStation consoles on April 27th. A demo is available now for PS owners and later today for those on Steam, if you want a preview of the first three stories from the time and genre-hopping adventure.
If you’ve yet to live through Live A Live, the remake shares Octopath Traveler’s beautiful HD-2D art style, combining SNES-type sprites, polygonal environments, and semi-realistic lighting effects to create gorgeous scenes. The remake has more in common with Octopath Traveler than simply aesthetics, though.
Live A Live’s structure is split between eight mini-stories that you can tackle in any order. Each of them follows a different character, but the real twist is that each story inventively hops through time. You’ll go from turn-based battling with prehistoric cavemen, to gunslinging with cowboys in the Wild Wild West. From Imperial China to the near future cities, there’s a smorgasbord of different genres and inspirations here. It’s essentially what would happen if Octopath and the time-travelling Chrono Trigger had a baby, I think. It was beautiful, epic, and very experimental for its time, and you can read more about seven of its stories over at Squeenix’s blog post.
The game received positive reviews around release - both for 1994’s original Japanese release and 2022’s remake - and it has my RPG-fan stamp of approval, too. I’m warning you: the bonkers final chapter isn’t one to miss. Plus, with a Steam Deck, I can imagine Live A Live’s structure of eight mini-RPGs is perfect for on-the-go play. Or curled-up-in-bed play.
Live A Live will be with you on April 27th, and there will be a Steam demo going live at 5pm BST today, March 30th, that will let you carry over your save file if you decide to buy it in full. The Steam page isn't live just yet, but we'll update this post with a link as soon as we see it. (update: the Steam page is now go, along with the free demo).