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LIVE A LIVE originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan all the way back in 1994, and that’s where it stayed for literally decades. The game never saw localization, leaving RPG fans around the world feeling quite disappointed. Thankfully, we now get to enjoy the game through the dazzling Switch remake, and it turns out Nintendo’s the reason why this remake came about.

In an interview with LIVE A LIVE director Takashi Tokita, we learn that Nintendo requested the Super Famicom version for the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console back in 2015. According to Tokita, this was the moment that spurred on the initial idea of a remake, which eventually led to the HD-2D Switch release last month.

You can read a few more snippets from the interview below, as translated by Juburn on Resetera.

  • This was the first game Tokita directed
  • Tokita is very attached to it, but as a producer he recognizes it was a commercial failure and never thought it’d come up for a remake
  • the game is a melting pot of influences, as Tokita wanted people to experience all kind of situations
  • Tokita also wanted to show what games could bring to the table as a medium
  • The game’s script was purposefully wrote to be impactful in a very manga/anime way
  • Tokita wanted to be a voice actor before entering the game industry and is very knowledgeable about Japanese VO culture
  • Tokita had specific voice actors in his mind back when writing the characters
  • the team took extra care in the remake to try and enhance the way the script works
  • this included breaking down some dialog differently and timing music changes
  • DraQue is the game that pushed Tokita to the game industry
  • Tokita says LIVE A LIVE’s structure is 100% lifted from Dragon Quest 4
  • the reveal of the HD-2D engine was a “you did it!” moment Tokita
  • LIVE A LIVE’s development went very smoothly
  • a lot of thought was put into handling the game’s soundtrack, taking care to decide which tracks should have live instruments and so on

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Comments (3)

sligeach_eire

1+ y ago

It's reviewed really well, unfortunately it hasn't sold very well.


I'm not totally sure where you're getting that info, but going my the only sales number I'm able to find it was the number one selling game in Japan, and Nintendo doesn't release digital sales to factor in to that. So I'm not sure where you're getting your info


stephane_akumajou_fr

1+ y ago

I played it as soon as released, loved it from beginning to end. This game is a love letter from the Squaresoft of the Golden Era. The 2DHD treatment gave some wonderful results, the sprites are absolutely gorgeous, and Yoko Shimomura's OST is just phenomenal. The combat system mixing Active Time Battle with Strategy is working very well, and the sound design during fights makes them very dynamic. I can't recommend this game enough! I hope Square Enix will consider Bahamut Lagoon, Treasure Hunter G, Rudora no Hihō, Final Fantasy IV V VI and Chrono Trigger remakes too...

Edited 1 time