Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has been a long time coming. The original Fantasy Life was a hit nearly two console generations ago, first charming
Now, more than a decade later, Fantasy Life i has arrived. To be as transparent as possible, review code for the game arrived very close to release, so I’ve only managed to dive into the first 3-4 hours of content. But what I’ve experienced so far promises a very compelling take on the Fantasy Life formula, with improvements on all fronts.
As with the original Fantasy Life, you may take on a variety of “Lives” in Fantasy Life i. You start as an adventurer and archeologist, before a mysterious portal transports you to a new region, where you’re asked to take on a variety of jobs or “Lives” to help your local community. At first, you’re pressed into service, complete with a Tom Nook-like cash obligation, but as the story advances, you can really own your path through various careers.
To start off my journey, I chose a life as a chef. Over the course of my first hours, it proved to be the best pick of the bunch (I’ve also become a woodcutter, angler, and miner so far) because it comes with a very fun cooking mini-game, where you can create all sorts of treats. This determination is based solely on personal preference, but I’d strongly recommend jumping into this Life early on.
Read: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time – Review Roundup
Food in Fantasy Life i looks absolutely delicious, so there’s real pleasure in running around, collecting ingredients, and whipping up some new fancy.
Of course, you can’t just retreat into the many pleasures of cooking. To get certain ingredients, you’ll need to turn to other career paths, including being an angler to find fish. So, you switch your outfit (after completing an introductory quest) and hey presto, now you’re living a whole new Life.
It’s funny. Fantasy Life‘s jobs system is a lot like that of any other RPG. But in the act of changing clothes and equipment at a button press, it really does feel like you’re breaking free to embark on a whole new story. Having each job siloed also means you can focus on individual quest lines, building up skills at your own pace, and with a freedom of choice.
All along, you’re also guided by a surprisingly complex story that charts multiple time periods. As the title of the game suggests, Fantasy Life i involves time travel, and you’ll chart many dimensions as you explore the mysteries of your surrounds. You might find yourself perfecting your baking skills, and in the next moment, you’re facing off with a strange magical girl, uncovering hidden secrets in a ruined future.
The best part of this mix is you can choose when and where best to take your next steps. Major story moments arrive at your whim. If you want – and I do – you can spend countless hours perfecting the skills of your chosen Life, without really striding ahead in the main story. You’ll want to do both, because both parts of the game are equally compelling. But the choice is at your fingertips.
There’s temptations all around, whether they arrive in the form of ever-growing character quests, the desire to perfect your cooking skills, new exploration options, or pursuing the multi-dimensional mystery that makes up the overarching plot.
With a fairly snappy approach, Fantasy Life i brings all of this in its opening. It knows exactly how much setup is needed, and while it can occasionally be dialogue-heavy in approach, it knows how to balance its many parts.
I’m only at the start of my journey through Fantasy Life i, but it’s already wrapped me up. It evokes the original Fantasy Life very well so far, in a way that brings me back to those bright, early days of the
Stay tuned for a full review of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. A code was provided by the publisher and played on a Steam Deck for the purposes of these early impressions.
