Larger enemies will take up more spaces on the grid, not only potentially blocking your way but also leaving themselves more vulnerable to attack from more positions. I know some don’t enjoy the stylized appearance of having small main characters and gigantic detailed enemy sprites, but in this game they have a functional purpose, too. However, if they take another hit in this state, they’ll be out of the match completely and the enemy AI knows this, so it’s important to keep party members within range of each other to avoid losing units in battle. When a party member is knocked out, a little halo will appear above them, which means they can still be healed and return to the fight. Certain enemy patterns are built around this mechanic, such as a weaker enemy having surrounded themself with self-destructing machines. Occasionally victory conditions in battle will be shaken up, as some enemies will flee if their leader is defeated. It sort of feels like a hybrid between a turn-based or active time battle system with elements of tactical RPGs. Certain attacks will require more charge time, and these can be interrupted if the charger is moved or hit with a strong attack. However there’s a total lack of skill or magic points, and instead, your “turn” is determined by a bar that fills as characters move or use abilities.
At first glance, it seems to be your typical grid and turn-based combat with buffs, debuffs, weaknesses, and party members. While what you do as the different heroes can vary from chapter to chapter, the game’s combat systems are largely the same throughout.
You can start with any one of seven chapters and tackle them in any order - though it’s no spoiler to say that once you complete them all, some additional hidden chapters appear that will begin to draw disparate story threads together. Each character has their own enclosed story with no carry-over between them, though as you progress you’ll begin to notice some common threads. Live A Live has one core gimmick that separates it from other RPGs of its era: you get to play as several different heroes at different points of time and places on Earth (and beyond). It also meant I could go in and be surprised by this experience in other thrilling ways. This also meant I went into this review with unclouded eyes - free of the scourge of the rose tint. While other, more elderly contributors to RPG Site gushed about Live A Live’s importance, I hadn’t even heard of it prior to its announcement.
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