Live A Live: What Chapter Should You Start With?
The brand new "Live A Live" is a remake of a 1994 Super Nintendo JRPG that never made its way out of Japan. This isn't like the "Final Fantasy 7 Remake," though, as hyper-realism wasn't the goal. This new version was designed to maintain the look and feel of those sprite-based games from the SNES era, only enhanced with all the benefits of modern lighting effects and high-definition rendering. It comes from legendary game director Takashi Tokita, who was the lead designer for "Final Fantasy 4," as well as the director for "Parasite Eve" and "Chrono Trigger." Takita's name alone has been enough to get many fans excited, but others who might not have previously been invested have been drawn in by the stunning visuals and lovingly crafted character animations. Critics reviewing the game have been loving the design, giving particular praise to the chapter layout.
See, the "Live A Live" narrative is structured similarly to "Octopath Traveler," which is to say that it isn't exactly linear. There are eight playable characters spread across nine chapters – and the player gets to choose what order they want to play them in. Upon starting the game, they are immediately taken to a chapter select screen without any insight into which of the seven stories they should choose first or even what kind of story those chapters may have in store. It might be tempting to simply pick the most interesting looking one and dive in, but some are definitely better to start with than others.
Imperial China is a great place to start
Players jumping into "Live A Live" will want to start with a chapter that showcases everything the game has to offer — one that will get them accustomed to the unique themes and mechanics that they will be interfacing with. Some chapters, such as the "Wild West" and "Distant Future," have a much heavier emphasis on story and may not give players a good feel for the game as a whole if played first.
This is what makes "Imperial China" (AKA Inheritance) such an excellent starting point, though. This chapter puts the player in the role of a Kung Fu master called the Earthen Shifu as he attempts to decide which of his three pupils will be a worthy successor to inherit his martial art style (via RPG Site). The player's time is split between exploration and training segments, giving the chapter a decent balance of story and gameplay, and in turn, giving the player a good sampling of what "Live A Live" has to offer across many of its other sections. It's also shorter and more digestible than many of the other chapters, ensuring that the player won't burn out before they have a chance to give the game a proper shot.