Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Review

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The Nintendo 3DS game “Fantasy Life” was my most frequently played title on the system and is among my all-time favorite games. At that time, a friend of mine persuaded me to try it by comparing it to a blend of “Final Fantasy XIV” and “Animal Crossing“. I found it so engaging that I even imported the soundtrack, and I also enlisted another friend’s help in locating the Japanese-exclusive guidebook. “Fantasy Life” transformed me into a loyal fan of Level-5 to the extent that I eventually purchased every game they released for both the 3DS and DS systems. I never imagined I would encounter such a unique game, one that appeared to tailor perfectly to my preferences in an MMO while also being devoid of stress.

Over a decade since its original release, the long-awaited sequel, “Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time,” has arrived. As suggested by its title, this game has certainly been a ‘time thief,’ with me clocking in over 75 hours of playtime across multiple platforms within just two weeks. In fact, I’ve gone so far as to set it up on every screen in my home, allowing me to jump into the game from any room or even take it on-the-go when I step outside. I’m still far from satisfied with Fantasy Life i and can foresee myself easily investing over 100 more hours before considering additional updates and the free downloadable content.

If you’re just starting this series, it stands out by merging features of MMORPGs and tranquil life simulation games seamlessly. Fantasy Life effectively enhances the initial 3DS game with innovative mechanics, user-friendly upgrades, and an intricate network of systems that work together without feeling overpowering. What’s more, I was taken aback by how well Level-5 executed this blend, considering it can be challenging to balance such a variety of systems without the game collapsing under its own weight at some point. Level-5 refers to Fantasy Life as a “slow-life RPG”. While I agree with that description, I was surprised by the game’s flexibility, allowing you to do virtually whatever you desire, whenever you choose.

In Fantasy Life 1, there’s a particular structure for the main storyline that controls access to certain content and mechanics. However, I’ve been pondering over the fact that the initial chapters of the main story serve as a tutorial for the game. If you enjoy crafting in MMOs but don’t care much for combat, Fantasy Life 1 offers an NPC system that allows you to create your own party, enabling you to concentrate on what you prefer. Are you someone who appreciates ticking off tasks and delving into a vast world to explore? If so, Fantasy Life 1 could well be the game of your dreams.

Normally, I’d discuss how you adhere to a particular gameplay pattern in life simulation RPGs. However, Fantasy Life I offers various gameplay routines that you’ll engage with to some extent. Once you start the story and pick your initial class or Life, you go through a brief tutorial, after which you’re given freedom to explore. Although you’re initially confined from venturing everywhere, there are numerous activities available such as gathering resources, hunting, side missions, and more.

The game “Fantasy Life i” is designed primarily for a younger demographic, yet it manages to avoid being overly simplistic. In fact, it brilliantly embodies what I admire about Nintendo’s style in games like “Animal Crossing: New Leaf” and 3DS RPGs, all while providing ample depth in its various modes for those seeking a more substantial gaming experience.

Though the storyline itself isn’t particularly groundbreaking, it left a lasting impression on me due to its well-crafted characters and unexpectedly impressive cut-scenes. The game Fantasy Life effectively employs Unreal Engine to create stunning visual effects and framing in these scenes that surpassed my expectations.

In a spoiler-free manner, Fantasy Life 1 offers you the chance to traverse among three significant regions. Initially, you’ll find yourself on an island that serves as your primary hub, where you interact with various masters for your diverse Life professions and immerse in the game’s main storyline. As the tale unfolds, additional islands open up, each teeming with unique NPCs and new Life classes to explore.

In the second zone, you’re given the freedom to create your own island, engage in multiplayer activities, and interact with a host of NPC companions you gather during the main storyline and exploration. This part of the game has a striking resemblance to “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” due to its customizable terrain, decorative elements, and the opportunity to boost your island’s rating to earn perks. Reflecting on my initial enthusiasm for Fantasy Life 3DS, which was marketed as a fusion of “Final Fantasy XIV” and “Animal Crossing“, the parallel is even more evident now.

As I delved deeper into the world of Fantasy Life, I discovered that its third expansive realm, Ginormosia, was nothing short of colossal. At first glance, it bore a striking resemblance to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s open landscape, with towers scattered across the map and shimmering orbs – a familiar sight indeed. However, Fantasy Life set itself apart by ensuring that there was always something fresh happening within its borders. This ranged from engaging in battles with monsters, gathering precious items, and even stumbling upon reenactments of classic fables featuring the game’s unique creatures.

Every encounter earned me valuable area points, which I could use to elevate Ginormosia itself. With each level increase, the realm became more vibrant and full of surprises, making it a thrilling adventure to explore every corner.

Increasing the region level in Ginormosia makes the foes more formidable, yet it also boosts the quality of the rewards. This enhancement applies to gathering spots, bosses, chests filled with treasure, and other aspects. Initially, I assumed that elevating several regions within Ginormosia would be tiresome, but instead, it often felt like a repetitive task when reaching certain levels. Despite this, I find Ginormosia an ideal setting for social gaming with friends or as a companion during podcasts. It’s astonishing to me how Fantasy Life in Ginormosia seamlessly incorporates features from games I appreciate, offering the experience of three complete games that work harmoniously to keep me engrossed in it, almost consuming all my leisure time.

In games such as Fantasy Life or Monster Hunter, I tend to specialize in a select few characters I find enjoyable rather than spending extensive time with every character available. In Fantasy Life 1, for instance, I primarily focused on one combat class (Magician), while also dabbling in all the gathering and crafting classes. However, I felt that farming could have been more engaging compared to the others. The game offers a vast array of activities across side quests, optional dungeons, boss battles, multiple tiers of enemies, and different skill trees for each character class. Additionally, it features extensive Life quests to complete in order to advance your rank. What I appreciate most is the ability to instantly teleport to your life master from the menu, which makes navigation a breeze.

In essence, Fantasy Life 1 might initially appear to be a game primarily focused on checklists, but to simply categorize it as such would be an understatement. The game truly shines by frequently introducing fresh elements to keep players engaged. It’s hard to imagine that even after thirty or forty hours of playtime, most players won’t have encountered just a tenth of the diverse content this game offers.

As a dedicated fan, I can’t help but underscore the impressive foresight of the developers in crafting the diverse gameplay systems within

The debut of Fantasy Life 1 was just as enjoyable! Unlike the original Fantasy Life on the 3DS, which came out in North America in 2014 but had been released in Japan two years prior, players this time around have a level playing field due to a simultaneous release. This means we’ve all been exploring and figuring things out together every day, which has been an amazing experience! The Fantasy Life community is always discovering new ways to find unique items or earn money within the game, adding to the overall enjoyment of Fantasy Life 1. I often wake up to messages from friends who’ve leveled up in Ginormosia to its maximum level, suggesting we venture out a bit or even delve into the Treasure Grove dungeons because they’ve prepared a specific dungeon for multiplayer. This sense of community truly enhances the Fantasy Life 1 experience.

Regarding multiplayer, Fantasy Life isn’t a game you team up with friends to progress the story. Instead, consider it as an enjoyable side activity or something to engage in during the post-game stages when you’re working towards 100% completion. Initially, the multiplayer had some issues, but since the release of the Digital Deluxe Edition, it has significantly improved, addressing most of my concerns. I don’t appreciate the time constraints on multiplayer sessions, but overall, it operates smoothly and efficiently.

Just experienced the launches of two major multiplayer games: Elden Ring Nightreign and Monster Hunter Wilds. Unfortunately, while the former has seen immense success, it lacks cross-play and cross-progression, a significant letdown for me as someone who uses multiple platforms. Conversely, Monster Hunter Wilds does support cross-play but not cross-progression. Ideally, I’d enjoy playing Elden Ring Nightreign on Steam Deck and then resume my progress on PS5 without any interruption. Similarly, the lack of cross-progression in Monster Hunter Wilds has prevented me from investing much time into its Xbox version, given that I’ve already sunk hundreds of hours into my PS5 save, which I’d love to continue on Xbox if I were to play it in another room.

In Fantasy Life, Level-5 introduced an extensive RPG with built-in cross-platform online multiplayer and cross-progression features. I’ve been enjoying the game on various consoles and Steam, seamlessly transferring my progress without any complications. This feature was also present in Megaton Musashi W: Wired, but it’s great to see it in Fantasy Life too. The ability to play on Steam Deck or Switch when out of the house and then continue from where I left off on PS5 or Xbox is truly remarkable. Fantasy Life has now been added to my “Always” folder, which consists of games that I always want to have installed, alongside titles like No Man’s Sky, Spelunky, and Monster Hunter Wilds.

Amongst various platforms where I’ve played Fantasy Life I, I find the PC version on Steam to be my undisputed favorite. While the game is not subpar on consoles, it’s only the Steam edition that provides an option to turn off the depth-of-field blur effect around the screen, which seems peculiar. Apart from that, Level-5 has excelled in adapting the game for console platforms, with impressive DualSense features and Activity Cards support on PS5, boasting swift loading times and even haptic feedback on Nintendo Switch. All things considered, Fantasy Life I offers my preferred gaming experience. I’ve previously reviewed the Switch and Steam versions, and plan to update that piece once I try the upcoming Switch 2 version.

In simpler terms, I’ve often felt regretful about the transition of many exclusive Nintendo 3DS games from their dual-screen format to single-screen HD platforms, as they didn’t adapt well visually to newer screens. For instance, Bravely Default II, a game with its own merits, failed to maintain the original’s visual appeal on modern displays. However, I still find pleasure in playing it. In contrast, Fantasy Life managed to create a game that looks stunning on high-resolution screens while preserving the charm of the initial release. Given that it was developed using Unreal Engine, I anticipated some technical issues, but the game runs smoothly on PC, maintains the series’ aesthetic, and skillfully incorporates modern visual effects in its cutscenes without appearing disjointed.

In Fantasy Life 1, while there isn’t complete voice acting, you have the option to switch between English and Japanese voices. During combat, exploration, and certain main story scenes, you’ll hear NPC exclamations, similar to Animal Crossing. However, I find myself torn about this, as some dialogue I anticipated hearing was not voiced. This is the primary concern for me in the game.

Transitioning away from voice acting, the soundtrack of Fantasy Life I is a blend of classic and contemporary melodies. The original game’s soundtrack, composed by Nobuo Uematsu, is evidently included in scenes similar to battles, specific areas, dungeons, and so forth. The newly composed pieces seamlessly fit alongside them, but I must confess that I anticipated more fresh tunes. For a newcomer to the series, this won’t be an issue at all. Occasionally, the music departs from its cute vibe to provide a grand orchestral feel during specific boss battles, and it never fails to bring a chuckle when you hear one of those songs while hacking away at a boss tree.

In many instances, I’ve sung the praises of Fantasy Life, yet it’s not flawless. Fortunately, the game doesn’t impose fixed camera movement, but the camera does encounter certain troubles in specific scenes. This can make spotting points of interest in the sprawling city of Ginormosia quite frustrating. To be frank, that’s my primary concern with the game at this moment. The main story isn’t a masterful tale, but it steers clear of overwhelming players with cut-scenes or forcing them down a predetermined path. I appreciate this balance. What I don’t want is to spend too much time in a game like this watching cut-scenes or being guided excessively. The characters are well-crafted, and the English script undoubtedly shines as one of the game’s standout features.

Despite penning numerous articles about the game over several months, I never thought Fantasy Life would surpass the nostalgia I held for the original game. As a sequel to one of my all-time favorite games and the first major game I played following Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, it carried an immense burden. Yet, Level-5 managed to hit it out of the park. It comes with my highest possible recommendation.

After two weeks of diving into Fantasy Life daily, if not more, it’s hard to believe this game is real. I’ve heard the term “Dream Game” tossed around a lot, but never truly felt that magic until now, aside from a few remake announcements. Level-5 has crafted a game that I can’t get enough of and plan to stick with for years, both solo and with friends. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Fantasy Life feels like it was tailor-made for me, continually surprising and delighting me with each play session.

When pondering over modern adaptations or enhancements of timeless video games, I’ve often wondered how creators strike a balance between catering to contemporary players and fulfilling the expectations of original enthusiasts. After re-exploring the 3DS version and ultimately playing Fantasy Life i, my initial impression of the original game was quite grandiose. It’s amusing to reflect now that Fantasy Life i not only provided one of my most cherished gaming experiences in recent years but also surpassed my nostalgic expectations.

As a long-time fan, revisiting Fantasy Life feels like running into an old friend you haven’t seen in years, only to find they’ve blossomed and grown even more captivating with time. Somehow, Level-5 has managed to create a game that has cemented itself as one of my all-time favorites, a title I can always turn to when I need a pick-me-up. It effortlessly encapsulates the essence of the original while expanding upon it, crafting an expansive RPG teeming with charm in every detail.

10

Version Tested: PC. The Girl Who Steals Time (Fantasy Life i) is also playable on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X & S, and Nintendo Switch.

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2025-06-04 22:57