Live a Live is an excellent RPG, boasting variety and quality in all of it's aspects.
Initially, the player has access to a chapter set during the Stone Age, one in Ancient China involving Kung-Fu, a Ninja chapter set in feudal Japan, a chapter set in the Old West, a Modern-day chapter about a man aspiring to become the strongest wrestler in the world, one set in the Near Future and involving the use of Giant war machines, and a Science Fiction chapter.
Each of Live a Live's chapters takes a different approach to the gameplay. For example, the Ninja chapter allows player to use stealth techniques to accomplish goals in the shadows while the Science Fiction one focuses more on atmosphere and story than gameplay. Each of the chapters is entirely unique to the others and plays quite well in it's own way. Furthermore, Live a Live has a very entertaining battle system, which has characters moving around a square based grid. Each ability that a character can use to heal themselves, defeat their foes or cause any other desired effect has it's own set range from the character using it and can hit foes from any combination directions. Overall Live a Live's battle system is enjoyable and surprisingly fast paced, with each of the game's playable characters being unique in their combat abilities.
Another strength of Live a Live is that each chapter's story and soundtrack is of good quality and fits the time period very well. The soundtrack is fitting when emphasising both atmosphere and emotion, and several of the chapters have very well -written plots and well defined characters, with some having surprising and often enjoyable plot twists.
Once the player clears all of the initially available chapters, the game gives the player access to a hidden Medieval chapter. This one plays the most like a traditional RPG with it's Medieval setting and it's use of random battles. However, though this chapter may initially seem cliched of uninteresting, it is perhaps the best in the game, boasting a superb plot with quite an interesting ending and a variety of enjoyable to use characters.
Once the Medieval chapter is cleared the player gains access to the final chapter, which brings the protagonists of each of the previous chapters together into one final plot, the content of which varies depending on which of the protagonists is chosen as the final chapter's protagonist by the player. This chapter is the most open-ended one, allowing you to form a party of any combination of the four protagonists (though one character is unavailable). It leads up quite well to one of four different possible endings for the game, though one ending in particular is considered the 'true' ending of the game. Alternately, this chapter has the player controlling the villains of all the previous chapters and defeating the heroes in combat.
Live a Live's biggest flaw is that it's short. Most of the chapters don't last longer than an hour, though there is quite a bit of hidden stuff for the player to experience if he or she chooses. Additionally, most of the chapters have at least two different ways to choose to play through the chapter (the Ninja chapter for example can be cleared without killing anyone at all or by killing one hundred people, or being somewhere in between these two goals.)
Overall, Live a Live is a top quality title with varied and enjoyable gameplay, a variety of strong yet short stories, replay value, and an excellent soundtrack, and can be recommended to anyone who is a fan of RPGs.