#I wanted a brand new chill sport to play, and now I can not cease taking part in Fantasy Life i – Destructoid


Screenshot by Destructoid
What can I say? I really like cute and comfortable video games.
Life is nerve-racking. I don’t learn about you, however my days often include working, getting ready for the following day, after which operating to the gymnasium for a few hours an evening. Typically, I simply have to unwind, flip off my mind, and immerse myself in one thing enjoyable and refreshing.
That’s the place Fantasy Life i: The Lady Who Steals Time is available in. Whereas I by no means bought the prospect to play the unique Fantasy Life on the 3DS—by this time limit, I used to be shoulders deep right into a Minecraft obsession that lasted over seven years—I made a decision to check out this newest entry on a whim.
Fantasy Life i is an informal sport the place you, the protagonist, stay in a fantasy world revolving round “Lives.” These Lives are day-to-day professions, from cooks and blacksmiths to highly effective sword and magic-wielding warriors. Not like most people who concentrate on one or two Lives, you have got the liberty to discover all 14 out there choices whereas tackling the sport’s predominant storyline and exploring a number of in-game worlds.
Don’t get me incorrect; I’ve performed dozens of informal, cozy video games that principally include questing, grinding for assets, and testing my design abilities by slapping random decorations in every single place. Currently, although, I’ve been burnt out of those video games and desperately wanted one thing completely different. No less than, that’s till I hopped into this and remembered simply what, precisely, makes me so completely happy whereas taking part in these.

I wasn’t anticipating choosing this sport up in any respect. It seemed enjoyable, however I wasn’t desperate to deflate like a balloon after watching USD to CAD conversion charges flip a $60 sport into over $90. Nonetheless, I wanted one thing to get my spirits up after a collection of nerve-racking life occasions, and boy, my temper is greater than it has ever been.
I went into Fantasy Life i pondering I’d spend about 5 hours finishing its story, 10 to fifteen hours to max out my stats, then return to it a 12 months later if I discovered time. As an alternative, I’m 25 hours in on the time of writing, and I’m nowhere close to carried out with my playthrough. I haven’t even gotten my first maxed-out ability, not to mention all 14 on prime of a predominant questline and non-compulsory requests. There’s extra to this sport than it initially lets on, and it’s straightforward to sink dozens of hours in with out noticing.
I even have it open on my different monitor as I sort this. You already know I’m swapping proper again to it as soon as I’ve completed spilling my ideas on this web page.
There’s one thing about taking part in lovely video games that makes me completely happy. Possibly it’s from spending most of my life taking part in a majority of these video games, or it might be the snowball impact of life’s stress that makes absolutely anything cute have an effect on my thoughts and temper greater than ordinary. At this level, I’m not apprehensive about pondering very laborious about it. And but, I’ve managed to play this for 25 hours in three days.

Why? What makes Fantasy Life i so completely different from different informal farming and life sim video games I’ve performed beforehand? Admittedly, not as a lot as you’d suppose. The place there’s an fascinating story, lovable characters, and humorous puns scattered about, there’s repetitiveness in almost each ability behaving the very same manner. At occasions, it looks like I’m leveling the identical abilities repeatedly. Do I say that as a nasty factor? In no way. There’s nothing I would like extra in the mean time than familiarity, simplicity, and an excuse to sit down again in my chair with a controller in hand as I spend a number of hours straight chopping down some timber. I even skilled an lovely scene with dancing leaves, which I fortunately confirmed my greatest pal the second I found it.
I adore it all. I’m the identical sort of one who’s invested over 1,000 hours into video games like Disney Dreamlight Valley, The Sims franchise, and even MMOs like Runescape, so it shouldn’t come as a shock that I’d take pleasure in acquainted, albeit considerably repetitive gameplay loops, inside a cute, cheerful sport. My solely remorse isn’t taking part in the unique Fantasy Life to drag at some nostalgic heartstrings, however actually, that could be for the higher.
This has been a recent expertise that I’ve loved excess of I anticipated, and I’m completely happy to lastly have some stress aid. Now, don’t thoughts me; I’m simply going to return and construct up my Base Camp for the following couple of hours.
Do you have got a enjoyable, enjoyable sport you’ve been taking part in just lately? I’d love to listen to a few of your favourite tales within the feedback under.
Printed: Might 23, 2025 04:24 pm