A simple punch, for example, might work in any square adjacent to your character a long-range gunshot might require you to line yourself up diagonally from many squares away. Each attack has a different range and pattern, which means you'll have to position yourself accordingly - and hope that the enemy doesn't move out of the way before you do. These range from offensive kicks and punches, to powerful elemental magic, to valuable healing techniques.Ĭombat gets most of its depth from positioning. You, and up to three allies, can move around the battlefield, one square at a time, and make use of your combat abilities. You appear on a separate battle screen, where you and the enemy occupy a grid.

Every so often, you'll run into an enemy while exploring a town, dungeon or overworld area. But once you get past the novelty of controlling each new character, combat can feel both repetitive and arbitrary. There's nothing really wrong with the game's battle system, and it's a diverting enough way to break up the story cutscenes every so often. Like many other JRPGs, Live A Live has a turn-based battle system with some light positioning elements - and that's about it. The only thing that every chapter in Live A Live has in common is the combat system. When that happens, there's nothing to do but grin and bear it.

At the same time, I imagine every player is going to dislike - if not despise - at least one section. It's easy to appreciate Live A Live for its incredible range of characters, settings and gameplay mechanics.

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