Although I never picked up the original Fantasy Life for the 3DS back in the day, I did try the game out at Tokyo Game Show 2012. From my memories with the game (and re-reading my impressions over on Nintendo World Report), I enjoyed the short time I had with the game. Well, fast forward to 2024 and Level-5 is back with a new entry, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. We had a chance to try out the game on the show floor and are here to tell you all about it. Let’s get into it.
Booth & Demo
Level-5 always delivers when it comes to their booth at TGS and this year is no different. The Fantasy Life section of the booth is colorful and full of “vegetation” which fits perfectly with the game’s aesthetic. The tables that housed the demo units were shaped like tree stumps, which was cute. There were quite a few demo units available on the floor, too.
For the demo, players had a total of 10 minutes to explore, fight, fish and more. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out our direct feed gameplay of the entire demo below so you can see the game in action for yourself.
Gameplay
If you’re unfamiliar with Fantasy Life, I think the best way to describe it is as a cross between Zelda and Animal Crossing. The demo here exemplified that perfectly. Starting out in a desert area, you can fight monsters, interact with the environment and more.
Controls were pretty easy to get the hang of. Basic attacks were handled with Y, X initiated a strong attack, B was used for jumping and dodging, L to call and ride your horse and ZR and the stick for dashing. A special attack called “Tension Technique” could be used with a combination of L and X. A gauge on the lower right hand side of the screen indicates when this can be used. Once pressed, this releases a powerful attack that deals out quite a bit of damage. In addition to the combat, the demo offered logging, mining and fishing. Overall, this controls here felt great. In the short time I had, I made it all the way toward the big boss that the demo offered. I unfortunately ran out of time before I could defeat it. Regardless, I had more fun with this than I expected.
Visuals & Presentation
Fantasy Life i sports a bright, colorful aesthetic that feels welcoming. The character models themselves animate nicely and sport a decent amount of detail. While I think the art direction looks nice, the game does look a little bit blurry. I’m not sure if that was just the general look of this build or not, however, it didn’t take away from the gameplay whatsoever. In terms of frame rate, the game didn’t miss a beat and ran smoothly.
Conclusion
I had more fun with Fantasy Life I than I thought I would. The combat was fun, the game, for the most part, looks great and runs smoothly. From the comments we’ve received on our direct feed gameplay video, I know that a lot of you out there are looking forward to this one, and for good reason. This first look at the game has piqued my interest. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is set to hit the Nintendo Switch in April 2025.
But let’s turn things over to you. Are you a fan of the original Nintendo 3DS release? Are you going to pick up this game? Be sure to sound off in the comments down below. We’d love to hear from you.
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