Having announced the remake to the 1994 SNES classic Live A Live (that was only ever released in Japan previously) in a February Nintendo Direct, Square-Enix utilised the latest Nintendo Direct Mini Partner Showcase to show more of the game, in the form of a lengthy 40-minute demo via the Nintendo Treehouse crew, as well as a shorter trailer via the Nintendo Direct itself.
From the press release: “Previously unreleased outside of Japan, the RPG game Live A Live is releasing on the Nintendo Switch system in the HD-2D style! Seven different stories featuring different protagonists, time periods and gameplay styles await. In the Wild West, a wanderer with a bounty on his head fights for his life. In the Twilight of Edo Japan, a shinobi undertakes a secret mission. Experience these tales in any order you choose – the adventure is yours to control. A journey of discovery awaits you when Live A Live launches for Nintendo Switch on July 22.”
Live A Live is the third in a series of HD-2D titles that we’ve seen from Square-Enix in recent years, with 2018’s and 2022’s Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy both launching as new IP. Live A Live is the first remake that we’ve seen developed with the HD-2D artstyle, while Dragon Quest III is set to follow sometime in the future. So far, all titles have come to Nintendo Switch, while Octopath Traveler arrived on PC via Steam in June 2019, and then stealth launched onto Gamepass for Xbox One/Series X|S in March 2021. The Xbox launch of Octopath Traveler perhaps serves as foreshadowing of what is to come for Square-Enix’s 2D-HD titles in the future. So far PlayStation fans have been unable to access any of these titles.
Live A Live launches on the Nintendo Switch on July 22, 2022.