Life: The Ultimate Strategy Guide

Two years ago, just before Six Dragons, I wrote a featured article published in the March edition of ...If, a new age/spirituality journal. It was my first time being published and it really led to the creation of this blog. I thought I'd share it:

Life: The Ultimate Strategy Guide

This walkthrough is compatible with all versions of Life. Whatever platform you choose for Life, you'll find that the game is universally the same, and nothing is left out. We must warn you that this walkthrough contains spoilers. If you would rather not spoil the story of the game, then please do not continue reading. This guide should provide players with a good sense of how Life plays out. Overall, Life is a simple game, so some may refer to this guide just for information and pointers. Let's begin.
The opening menu of Life will be the character selection screen. Jill and Chris are the only characters to choose between. Other than subtle differences in player abilities (i.e. resiliencies to different types of damage), your decision will not affect the outcome of the game; only the course of it. Following the character selection screen will be another screen for level of difficulty: Easy or Hard. This is purely at the discretion of the player. Be careful! This ultimately will be the most important decision the player makes in the game. Unlike the character selection screen, the decision on this screen will directly affect the outcome of the game as well as the course of it. Press X to continue on.
The next screen will be a short cinematic clip introducing you to the game. You are not able to identify if the character in the clip is either Jill or Chris. As far as we are concerned, the opening sequence is the same for both, and it only changes towards the end in accordance with the chosen level of difficulty.

Level 1 (Easy):
Your character will begin training. In order to play Life effectively in this mode, the player must prepare their character for it. The player must learn to work with the elements of the game. Your character will come across other people in the game that are all crucial to your success. It is your character's responsibility to earn their quiet respect by letting it be known that your character is willing to relinquish its' self for them at any point in the game. Remember, without the reverence of these people your own character, whether it's Jill or Chris, will hold little value, and success is very limited. Remember that this is easy mode, so your character shouldn't have any problems being generally accepted by other characters in the game. However, success still lies within the decision-making ability of the player controlling the character in the game.

Level 1 (Hard):
You will also begin training, but your approach varies somewhat. Unlike easy mode, all external aspects are viewed as hindrances pitted against your definitive goal. As a result, the elements and people in the game must work with you instead of the other way around. All characters who have the inability to gain your respect are Insubordinates. The harder level of difficulty plays at a much faster pace, so one can not afford to be slowed down by the Insubordinates. They must be neutralized through the use of "armed" or "naked" tactics. These are clearly displayed on the "Weapons" screen after pressing the Start button. We'll discuss the use of these tactics later on.

Level 2 (Easy):
Your character will start to interact with the external elements. These elements are strictly meant for observation and practical use ONLY. This mode will not just allow the player to meddle with anything it comes across. Here, the entire physical universe must be left in its primitive state. The beauty of this mode is that most things can be replaced, but it can only be done using primordial methods. For example, this level provides your character with unwavering options for organic remedies to boost physical condition. Every time a particular plant is completely removed for use of herbal medicine, it becomes the player's responsibility to germinate from the same spot. This is an important concept to remember due to a rather larger flaw in the game. This flaw is the lack of an indicator, or some kind of status bar reflecting balance. The relationships between your character and the external elements/characters in the game must be balanced. Any imbalance, such as not replacing the plant your character used for medicine, will result in the player eventually losing the game. It is wise to keep the road of imbalance short, so the player can easily go back and fix their mistakes in order to succeed in the game. If a player practices careless imbalance for too long, the mistakes will be irreparable (Game Over).

Level 2 (Hard):
Contrary to easy mode, hard mode allows you to use the elements to your own advantage. You have one goal: Exploitation. The best ways to conquer this level are done by practicing the basic concepts of manipulating, altering, and interfering. Here, worrying about balance is not only tedious, but time consuming. Time is very significant in this mode. You must stay ahead, or keep up – there is absolutely no falling behind. One answer or solution presented by you in turn creates twice as many problems, so be on your toes! Your main objective is reached mostly through discontent. As long as one remains dissatisfied, he/she will strive for a more adequate resolution. Beware! You must remember that every answer or conclusion you come to will only lead to more questions. It is your job to keep coming up with endless answers.

Level 3 (Easy):
Here, your character's understandings of the first two levels are put to the ultimate test.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The REAL secret is to simply apply what your character has learned throughout the first two levels.
In order to successfully beat the game, the trick is to simply comprehend the fact that what's good for the goose is good for the gander. The player should have grasped the concept that the characters, as well as the rest of the entire physical world, determine your fate. Subsequently, the goal is to make EVERY character in the game understand this universal truth. Therefore, if any character in the game fails to recognize that his destiny is chosen by others rather than himself, then he ultimately will not understand that HE in turn decides the fate of everyone else. This is VERY critical. Life does an excellent job testing the character throughout this level leaving the player cognitively frustrated, and physically broken.
This is what makes Life a truly incredible game. Only the most virtuous players thrive. Be patient in this timeless world.

Level 3 (Hard):
You control your own destiny now. Your attempts at conquest are fruitless without using the basic principles of manipulating, altering, and interfering. These principles are directly aided by the constant use of armed and/or naked tactics. By selecting the weapons screen, you can assess plenty of options separated in two categories. Armed tactics involve physical assaults on adversaries while naked tactics, on the other hand, entails psychological assaults. Insubordinates are completely at your will. There are MANY ways to control and/or eliminate other people in the game, so we will leave it up to you to flex your creative muscles. We understand that it's best if you can effectively use the external elements to segregate characters first. You will see that united characters display more strength, so it is smarter to separate them. You can do this by selecting the "Divergence" option under the heading of naked tactics. This option will lead the other people in the game to believe that they are different to many degrees, which lead to the development of groups. Under "Divergence" you will find the "Benefactor" option. We find this to be very effective in controlling or taming the characters after they have segregated. Option "Benefactor" involves direct exploitation of the external elements (mentioned above as a key factor to completing this mode). This option allows each group to possess elements that the others can not. Put one in charge of the sun, and the other the moon. This tactic not only keeps the groups operating smoothly to support one another, but also reiterates the idea that if a group has something to gain, then they must also have something to lose. This appears to be the most efficient way to neutralize groups. (NOTE: During the use of naked tactics, don't be afraid to dip into the armed options. They usually speed up the process while making the walls that separate the groups unquestionably higher and stronger.)

**SPOILER ALERT**

The primary objective in this level is to take absolute control. How is this accomplished? It is accomplished by making almost every character in the game feel like they have something to lose. We showed you one way to get there. There are many proposed plans, but the policy is straightforward - Fear.
You can't conquer anything without it.