Live A Live

Released exclusively in Japan for the Super Famicom in 1994, Live A Live marked the directorial debut of Takashi Tokita, who later co-wrote Chrono Trigger. The game features character designs by seven legendary manga artists including Gosho Aoyama (Case Closed), Yumi Tamura (Basara), and Yoshinori Kobayashi (Mobile Fighter G Gundam).

Each of the seven chapters offers a radically different experience: Pogo the caveman communicates without words in Prehistory; the Earthen Heart Shifu trains disciples in Imperial China; Oboromaru the shinobi employs stealth mechanics in Twilight Edo; Sundown defends a town in the Wild West; Masaru battles in a worldwide martial arts tournament in Present Day; Akira uses psychic powers in Near Future; and Cube the servbot navigates a spaceship horror scenario in Distant Future.

Upon completing all seven chapters, the Middle Ages chapter unlocks, bringing together eight heroes—each named after a virtue—in a final confrontation that recontextualizes everything. The game's non-linear structure, genre-bending scenarios, and Yoko Shimomura's iconic soundtrack made it a cult classic that remained Japan-exclusive for nearly three decades.

Live A Live's ambitious anthology format and mechanical diversity have earned it a devoted following among retro RPG fans. Its 2022 HD-2D remake on modern platforms introduced a new generation to this overlooked masterpiece, cementing its status as one of Square's most creative and ambitious projects.