Everytime you examine Steam’s International High Sellers, you’ll be able to count on just a few normal suspects; the most recent live-service hit, upcoming high-profile releases, or the present standard sport everybody’s keen to speak about. Open it up this morning, although, and you may need seen an fascinating entry climbing the ranks: Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.
The newest from developer Degree-5 is out now in superior entry for individuals who purchase into the marginally dearer model, and accessible for all on Could 21. Introduced throughout the February 2023 Nintendo Direct, Fantasy Life i noticed just a few delays and a reportedly strenuous growth cycle, alongside the departure of producer Keiji Inafune.
As of this writing, although, it is at the moment holding a #2 spot on the Global Top Sellers list of Steam and, on a Monday morning, boasting a decent 26.6k viewers on Twitch. For those who’re unaware of what Fantasy Life is, you is likely to be curious as to the place this all got here from, so let’s discover simply how this new slice-of-life sim sport managed to bottle lightning twice.
The Life Implausible
The first Fantasy Life was launched for the Nintendo 3DS roughly a decade in the past, arriving for the west in Fall 2014 after a December 2012 launch for Japan. Developed and revealed in Japan by Degree-5, and internationally revealed by Nintendo, its set-up is straightforward: stay a fantasy life, mastering a sequence of fantasy jobs.
There is a plot to observe, centered across the “Doomstones” and the darkish power they emanate, however the main draw of Fantasy Life has largely been its cozy life-sim elements. It makes use of varied Life paths as “jobs” or “courses” for the participant, giving them commensurate duties to perform. You could be a Paladin or Magician for fight, positive, however you can even delve into the lifetime of a Miner, Woodcutter, Cook dinner, or Tailor.
In truth, the best way every of this seemingly disparate jobs may hyperlink collectively finally ends up forming numerous the enchantment. “I may even mix my Life expertise to finish particular duties for individuals, like utilizing my searching expertise to forage for honey, then utilizing my prowess as a gourmand chef to make them a honey pudding,” reads IGN’s 8/10 assessment of the unique Fantasy Life.
Whereas Degree-5’s life sim got here out to a 73 average on MetaCritic, it nonetheless garnered love from those who clicked with it. Alongside Rune Manufacturing facility 4, it gave the 3DS two strong cozy life sims, years earlier than Stardew Valley would revolutionize the style.
As time went on, Degree-5 would strive just a few follow-ups. Fantasy Life Hyperlink! was launched as an enhanced model for Japan in 2013, and most of its content material was included within the worldwide version a 12 months later. A cellular follow-up Fantasy Life 2 was deliberate and then became Fantasy Life Online, arriving in 2018 for Japan and 2021 for the west. Its on-line providers have been shut down in December 2021 for Japan, and in February 2023 for the west.
Feedback from the time were bummed over the state of the series, so seeing a brand new, premium entry within the Fantasy Life sequence would doubtless invigorate the affected person and hungry devotees. However the diploma of sudden reputation right here does not appear solely based mostly on nostalgia.
The Sport That Might Steal Your Time
It is laborious to disclaim that video games like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing: New Horizons catapulted the life sim style to new heights within the common consciousness. Harvest Moon was actually standard earlier than, however it would not be laborious to see a “rising tides raises all ships” argument for why Fantasy Life i is catching a bigger wave the second time round.
Fantasy Life i additionally appears to be doing fairly effectively by itself deserves, too. Early opinions level to this being a worthy successor to the 3DS debut. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time picked up a 36/40 from Famitsu (by way of Gematsu), with a 9/9/9/9 break up from the 4 reviewers. And people selecting the sport up early on Steam appear enthused, too.
“Gameplay is rather like Fantasy Life on the 3DS however refined and polished to an insane diploma,” reads one of many top reviews on Steam. “The entire sounds and music are again and higher than ever and it is simply nostalgia intestine punches one after one other.”
Another Steam review notes that Fantasy Life i runs fairly effectively on Steam Deck, and lists out a litany of causes for why one may like Fantasy Life, together with no breakable instruments, save anyplace, NPC occasion members, and unlockable options over time.
It isn’t all roses, as there are apparently some gripes with the co-op mutliplayer. This explicit reviewer discovered the choices wanting compared to the 3DS’ multiplayer capabilities, because it appears to be like like story quests and Life Challenges have limitations on them whereas in multiplayer. “Working across the overworld feels completely pointless apart from doing challenges after all, however that is a (perhaps) 1hr gaming session vs. mainly taking part in the entire sport collectively (with out the principle story) which is what we had on the 3DS,” the reviewer wrote.
Other than the widespread chorus of multiplayer issues, the consensus on the single-player facet is that that is precisely what longtime Fantasy Life followers have needed: quality-of-life changes, strong polish, and a brand new Fantasy Life to discover.
For these followers, it is good to see this piece of Degree-5 historical past make it by all of the tumult and out the opposite facet, maintaining the sequence alive. However even when you have not heard of the sequence prior to now, or solely in passing, these on the lookout for a chill summer time sport to move the hours may discover one thing to love in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is out now for individuals who wish to purchase into the Digital Deluxe Version. In any other case, you’ll be able to choose it up on PC, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox Collection X|S, and Nintendo Change on Could 21, with a Switch 2 version additionally within the works.
Eric is a contract author for IGN.