The chapters may vary drastically in gameplay. Positioning the characters is crucial in many battles, as enemy attacks often have area effects weapon range also plays a role in combat. Unlike most games of its kind, the battles take place on a single-screen field, on which the player can freely navigate the characters.

The main gameplay system in Live a Live is that of a Japanese-style role-playing game with turn-based battles. The player can choose to play the scenarios in any order, but must complete them all in order to unlock the eighth scenario, and eventually the final chapter - both of which explain the connections between the separate stories and deliver the grand finale.

These stories appear to have no common points at first each one has its own protagonists and goals: the prehistoric chapter is dedicated to love and friendship that existed before humans invented language the Chinese chapter is a tale of an old master who must choose a perfect apprentice the Japanese (Bakumatsu period) episode stars a ninja that infiltrates a warlord's castle the Old West scenario is a classic tale of rivalry and revenge modern-day story is a simple recounting of a fighting tournament near future chapter deals with urban life and psychic abilities finally, the space episode is a horror story in which a robot must investigate mysterious deaths of the crew members. In Live a Live, the player controls seven main characters and plays through seven different chapters set in seven different time periods: prehistoric age, old China, feudal Japan, American Old West, modern-day environment, near future on the Earth, and a sci-fi space scenario.

Download live a live nintendo