Fantasy Life

I really enjoyed this game, and while the game might have a few issues, such as terrible puns, it is really drawn out and is an extremely fun to-do list. The storyline could have been better, but everything else kinda makes up for that.

Fantasy Life is just too big for its own good. It offers a wide variety of activities to take on, but they’re all heartbreakingly shallow — after tackling your first bounty or crafting your first end table, you know exactly what to expect from all future bounties and end tables. In lieu of depth, the game almost always substitutes repetition. It may have ample charm and smart progression systems, but life in Fantasy Life is more mundane than fantastic.

The game play is simple and varied with just enough hooks to keep you coming back. Fantasy Life is game that I wish more RPGs were. It echoes the freedoms of an MMO style game without the subscription fee, and does it all with a smile. Action, adventure, foraging, crafting, and a house for your cute…anime…chibi…something-or-other character, Fantasy Life has got it all. Time to get living!

There’s a lot that can be done in Fantasy Life, but writing about it all does the game no justice. ...It’s less hardcore than Monster Hunter, boasts more features and quests than Disney Magical Life, and is definitely more exciting than the serene Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It’s a great mix of social simulation with the roleplaying game genre, and I hope to see Fantasy Life endure far into the future. Or at least, until its next iteration.

Still, I’d lay waste to claims that it remains firmly in “kids gaming” territory as the writing winks and nods at adults just as frequently as it leans on slapstick humor or dramatic action driven by a guard looking for a specific chicken or whatever the day’s MacGuffin is. For handheld gamers this holiday season, the pickings remain slim, but Fantasy Life offers an idealized imaginative antithesis to all-out action like you’d find in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS.

The lighthearted characters, accessible story, and variety of activities will appeal to younger and more casual players, while the expansive world and surprisingly deep RPG systems will hook older, more traditional gamers. This is Level-5 at its best, creating attractive, humorous games that are easy to pick up and play but are bursting with optional content that keeps gamers coming back for more. Go get a Life already, it's a real good time.