There are 7 chapters in Live A Live — 7 choices with seemingly no specific order. You can play through the chapters however you want, and the story really doesn’t matter. There are hints to an overarching narrative, but you won’t learn what’s really going on until the end. And you won’t unlock the end until you’ve finished these first 7 levels.
If you can’t decide what chapter to pick first, we’ll break down what you need to know with absolutely zero spoilers. There are essentially two types of chapters — pure story chapters and grinding chapters. In pure story chapters, you never need to level up and will (almost) always have everything you need automatically to complete the scenario. Grinding chapters are more like classic JRPGs. To win, you’re going to need to grind enemies and level up. Those are the longest chapters with the most gameplay.
More Live A Live guides:
Endings Guide | O. Dio Boss Guide | Wild West Chapter | Odie O’Bright Boss Guide | Present Chapter | Secret Mimic Party Member | Edo Period Chapter | Lord Iwama Boss Guide | Edo Period Chapter | All Item Combinations | Prehistory Chapter
What Chapter To Start With? | Level Order
We’re going to break down the chapters into three categories — easy, medium, hard. Easy chapters are basically impossible to fail. Medium chapters take work, but they won’t provide any unusual challenge that you won’t be able to overcome. Hard chapters are especially difficult — not that any chapters of Live A Live are too hard for a regular player experienced in JRPGs to beat. We just think you’ll be better off avoiding the harder chapters until you’re prepared for the challenge.
- Easy Chapters: Start with these.
- Near Future: A strong chapter that introduces all the mechanics of the game. Gives you time to learn how the battle system works and involves a little grinding. You basically can’t lose against the final boss.
- Distant Future: A story chapter with very little combat. There are some scares — and an optional battle minigame. I don’t recommend playing this chapter first. Save it for second. You can’t fail against the final boss.
- Medium Chapters: Leaning more ways to play.
- Imperial China: A medium-length chapter that doesn’t require grinding. You start with a powerful protagonist — but the battles at the end ramp up in difficulty.
- Present Day: A challenging boss rush that doesn’t require any grinding at all. This chapters is a series of fights — with a twist. You need to bait the minibosses into performing their special attacks.
- Wild West: Surprisingly difficult final boss. A very short chapter that mostly revolves around a big puzzle. Definitely play this chapter in the middle of your adventure.
- Hard Chapters: Save these for last.
- Prehistory: One of the hardest chapters. Pogo the protagonist starts weak, and you’ll spend most of the playthrough without a third party member. Requires a lot of grinding and running away from monsters that can easily crush you.
- Twilight of Edo Japan: The sprawling castle environment is complicated and tricky to navigate, with tough fights that can kill you instantly if you’re not careful. Use stealth and flee when a battle is too tough.
- Middle Ages: The unlockable chapter. Requires playing all 7 previous chapters before it becomes available. Naturally, it is one of the longer chapters.
Really, you can play these chapters in any order you want. In this updated version of Live A Live, you can save your game anywhere you want. Make multiple saves to avoid getting yourself trapped in an unwinnable situation, and you’ll make it through every chapter. Even the toughest bosses can be defeated with the right tactics.
