Live A Live – Takashi Tokita (the game director) talks about the development of this remake – Nintendo Switch

Very long awaited and hitherto unpublished in Europe, the remake cult game Live A Live is scheduled for July 22 on nintendo-switch (on the eShop or in box version). With its release date approaching, the developers of the remake of this cult game released In 1994 on Super Nes answered some questions from the Japanese magazine Famitsu. From the choice of HD-2D to the development of this remake going through the duration of such an undertaking, these few pieces of information should reassure fans who are waiting for this game. Here is the translation:

It’s been around 28 years since the game was released on the Super Famicom, and now that the highly anticipated HD-2D remake has been announced, could you start by explaining how you came to develop the remake?

Tokita: I pushed several times internally for a remake or a sequel, but circumstances never quite worked out and the idea was dropped. One of the main reasons we were able to create the remake is that we joined the team of Mr. Asano, who was responsible for the HD-2D RPG Octopath Traveler, four years ago. When planning the project, we wondered if we could use HD-2D to create a remake of Live A Live, and after talking it over with them, we made it a reality.

As an outside observer, Octopath Traveler made a very big impression on me. It made me realize that some sort of remake was possible. I think a full 3D remake of the game would have changed the look of the game too much, but an HD-2D remake merges the beauty of pixel art with the unique effects possible with 3D.

There are several storylines from the start in Live A Live. Sci-fi sections might be better suited to 3D, while hand-drawn art can be used to highlight more important elements. HD-2D allows for great variety, which we kept in mind from the start of development.

When did development on the remake begin?

Tokita: Early 2019, and it took us three years.

Although it’s been three years, the development cycle is shorter compared to how long it takes to develop an HD-2D game. Has the development of other games using this technology made it possible to reduce development time?

Tokita: Yes, but the main reason is that we went with HD-2D from the start and didn’t spend time exploring other art styles.

Deciding whether we should go for 2D or 3D in pre-production alone takes about six months and the fact that we didn’t have time for that was a big deal. We had no doubt that an HD-2D remake would be a good fit with the original Super Famicom.

However, when it came time to implement it, Live A Live had a different system for each of the game’s scenarios, which turned out to be more difficult than expected. To top it off, it was in the midst of a pandemic. COVID-19 was in full swing as we entered the pre-production and production stages. Being in the middle of a pandemic meant it took us a while to complete the project.

What was the most time-consuming part of the development process?

Tokita: Fine adjustments like the end of Edo Japan and the Prehistory arc took a long time.

We did the motion animations according to how we had done things before, but the pixel art staff liked Live A Live so much that they drew twice as many motions as expected. Even during the development period, everyone had 1.5 times more passion and momentum. We were able to develop passionately to the end and it turned out to be something beyond our expectations. I hope everyone will look forward to the final version!

So we learn that the choice to redo the game in HD-2D was clear from the start and that the development of this remake took 3 full years in order to completely recreate the game, in the best possible way and using wisely this new technology. Enough to hope for an excellent remake of a cult game paying homage to the original game and to fans of the title.

LIVE A LIVE, originally released on Super Famicom in Japan, comes back to life on nintendo-switch ! The legendary RPG comes to the West for the first time in an HD-2D style similar to those ofOCTOPATH TRAVELER and of TRIANGLE STRATEGY.

Meet seven heroes with different talents across seven distinct time periods and uncover shocking revelations as you follow their stories in any order you want:

• Prehistory: the member of a tribe enters adulthood in a world without words.
• Far West: a vagrant whose head is put on a price fights for his survival.
• Imperial China: A kung fu master is looking for a worthy successor.
• End of Edo Japan: a shinobi embarks on a secret mission.
• Present: A martial artist seeks to become the strongest ever.
• Near future: a young man with psychic powers fights against evil.
• Distant future: A barely built robot is caught in a space tragedy.

This remake, which includes remastered music by original game composer Yoko Shimomura and is produced by Takashi Tokita (the director of the Super Famicom version), retains all the aspects players loved from the original version and is also designed to be accessible to neophytes.