LIVE A LIVE is a cult 1990s classic role-playing game from Square Enix, and last year an HD-2D remake released on the Switch to the surprise of many. Today, Square Enix announced that LIVE A LIVE will also be heading to Steam and PlayStation on April 27, 2023. And for those who are on the fence, a free demo is available today that will let you play through the opening sections of three stories in the game: The Wild West, Twilight of Edo Japan, and The Distant Future. At the time of publishing, the demo is live on the PlayStation Store but no listing on Steam just yet. There is a 20% discount available to PlayStation Plus members and Steam players who pre-order the game.
Originally released in 1994, LIVE A LIVE was exclusive to the Japanese market for the SNES and didn’t officially find its way to the U.S. until last year. Instead of a singular story, LIVE A LIVE focuses on eight different tales spread throughout time. It features a wonderful soundtrack that has been rearranged by the original composer, Yoko Shimomura. She’s well known for composing soundtracks for the Kingdom Hearts Series, Final Fantasy XV, and has contributed to Xenoblade Chronicles.
There’s no set path in LIVE A LIVE and you get to choose which character to start with and play through the individual stories in any order. Each of those tales brings its own special mechanics and setting.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of LIVE A LIVE and you own a Switch, we highly recommend grabbing it on there. But it is also the perfect Steam Deck game, assuming the port runs well.