Developer: Level-5
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre: RPG
Players: 1-3 locally (multi-card)
Console: Nintendo 3DS
Hours Played: 50+ hours
Progress: Played 6 of the available 12 lives and reached Level 43
Fantasy Life originally seemed to be a combination of all the other turn based RPGs that I have played in the last number of years. While this may be true, the game exemplifies itself in a new refreshing way. This review is the result of approximately 50 hours of game play slogging along in half of the various lives Fantasy Life has to offer.
Overall my experience with Fantasy Life was a very positive one. I tended to look forward to my next available time for play and mentally reviewed what options I would employ during my time away from it.
There are 12 lives to choose from in this game and I was able to experience 6 of them during my time with it. Each life has different capabilities and levels. All the experiences from each life are carried with you and utilized in all of your life choices (ex: still able to wield a sword at an ?adept? level paladin when you are a ?novice? angler). This carry over may seem like it makes the game oversimplified, but the quests and monsters throughout are difficult enough that it never seems too easy. I really enjoyed this feature and am looking forward to my new lives and experiences that I have yet to discover.
The map features of this game were detailed and are probably very helpful to people who use them, but my personal preference is to wander so that the joy of discovery is constant. Enemy fights were more generous in dropping items than I have experienced in other similar games. A very wonderful discovery was that there is no penalty or instant death as a result of staying up all night being diligent in questing like there is in similar games such as Rune Factory and Harvest Moon. There are many save spots available in all the different areas, so you never feel stranded and the office where life changes are initiated from had branches in all the major towns so that you could switch at any time.
I found the graphics to be very good and everything was recognizable with clear functionality and purpose. There were no issues at all in this department. The sound was pleasant and there is a symphony played in your honour when you attain Master level in any given life. The only control element that I had a bit of an issue with was the ?Y? button that is used to reposition yourself when in a battle with multiple foes, but I imagine that most players will be able to adapt to this feature with more ease than I. The different controls and shoulder button functions used in Alchemy and Blacksmithing were easy to use and Angling is also easily mastered. Transitions from life to life were easy and accessible. I personally found the Mercenary life a bit challenging because the two-handed claymore does not lend itself to precision fighting as much as the more versatile Paladin weaponry.
Personal Recommendations:
- Start as a Paladin and achieve a minimum level of Adept before trying any of the other lives.
- The lives I experienced (and found to be the most interesting) were: Paladin, Miner, Angler, Alchemist, Mercenary and Blacksmith.
- I am currently above level 40 and there are still quests and monsters too difficult for me to overcome.
Observations:
- At the outset there seemed to be a lack of detailed life descriptions ? this did not hinder my experience, as most of the lives are as you would expect them to be and are played in a similar manner to those in other games (I also perhaps did not look hard enough due to my eagerness to start the game).
- In choosing the character I found there to be little to no distinction in voice tone options.
- Choosing male or female characters will affect your choice of raiment for the lives (I did choose female).
Three types of Quests (Extra, Butterfly, Life-specific):
- There are many NPCs that will have a bubble with dots in it over their heads to draw your attention to them ? these are the extra quests you can embark upon. If you have agreed to an extra quest, the person will have a handy red flag above their head so you can find them again.
- The extra quests do not affect your life directly, but will enable you to obtain a certain item and give you extra dosh (money).
- There are some quests that require you to be active in a specific life before you can undertake them.
- The best thing about the extra quests is that you can refuse them if they seem to difficult, and you can also cancel them if they end up being seemingly impossible to fulfill with no penalty from either action.
- Butterfly quests help you to obtain important items that help all types of life choices and help to advance the game’s plot.
- Life-specific quests are how you advance in the life you are currently active in and the game progresses as your abilities are advanced.
The one possible draw back to this game (and others like it in the same genre) is the time you have to spend playing it. There are few quick travel options to speed things along, but there are various modes of transportation (mostly of the animal variety). I do not recommend powering through the main story, as there are so many different peripheral happenings to enhance your playing experience and you would be missing out on the majority of the game’s best content. I would positively recommend this game to anyone who enjoys this genre as it has a great deal of depth and breadth to explore and to keep one?s interest.
[taq_review]
A review code for this game was provided to us by its publisher.