When Pokémon X & Y released last year on the same date worldwide, all gamers were able to dive into the games with little information existent on the Internet. In fact, it felt like playing a game 20 years ago, prior to the double edged sword of information that the Internet has become for games. It was also a relief for those of us in the west, as preferential treatment was not given to the Japanese community due to the fact that American gamers often don’t appreciate specific genres as much as their eastern counterparts (I’m a self-proclaimed Japanese gamer wannabe).
Let’s face it, regional releases have their benefits for gaming companies (and have been around since the beginning of gaming) but are horrible for hardcore gamers such as myself. There are countless times where I wished I were Japanese due to exclusive releases only in Japan or delayed releases in the States (such as the recent “New” 3DS that was just released in Japan but region locked and not available in the States for an indeterminate amount of time). Don’t even get me started on Mother 3.
Fantasy Life is a prime example of a game that was released in Japan (much) earlier than its eventual release in the States. Released in December 2012 in Japan, Fantasy Life has (disappointingly) taken almost two years to arrive Stateside. Though we are getting a delayed release, is this successful RPG/Simulation game worth the wait for American fans?
Addictive “Life” System
I have long been the sucker over the years for time sinks. Both a gift and a curse, I can find myself falling prey to endless hours of grinding, side quests, and slow level progression with or without regard for a game’s story. This is why I can put over 100 hours into a game like Skyrim without encountering my first dragon, 50+ hours into Dragon Quest IX just crafting and leveling, and 100s of hours into games like Dragon Quest III, Advance Wars, Mega Man Battle Network 3, Diablo II, Diablo III, PlanetSide 2, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Pokémon beyond the main stories. Anytime a game successfully implements addictive RPG gameplay, it’s difficult for me not to get hooked on the grind.
Fantasy Life is the latest game to win me over with crack-like addictive qualities. Featuring 12 different “life” choices, players can spend the entire game playing as one of these classes if they choose, or can change class at any time to maximize their exploring and crafting. As you’d expect, the typical heroic classes exist such as the Paladin, Mercenary, Hunter, Wizard, Blacksmith, and Alchemist. However, Fantasy Life also takes pages out of the books of other addictive games such as Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Animal Crossing, and Minecraft, featuring more day-to-day careers such as Miner, Woodcutter, Angler, Cook, Carpenter, and Tailor.
Each of these careers has its own advantages and each has a strong amount of depth. In fact, Fantasy Life not only adds in Skyrim style level progression (where the more you use a technique, the higher the level and more effective the skill), but it also utilizes a multi-faceted quest system with three different types of quests. First, you have your main “Butterfly’s quests,” which involve satisfying the curiosity of your loud-mouthed butterfly companion to further the story. Next, there are the “Other Quests” which serve as your typical fetch quest style endeavor that is given to you by the various people you meet throughout your adventure.
Finally, the most lengthy and addictive of all of the quests are those for each individual Life called Challenges. These quests typically involve using the skills of the life involved and can range from using a spin attack to kill 10 enemies for Paladin to crafting 3 different types of small furniture for your room for Carpenter. In all, there are 60-70 different quests per Life class, which means there are somewhere around 700-800 total quests among all of the classes, with the latter ones becoming increasingly more difficult to accomplish (meaning full quest completion is a ridiculously long endeavor).
Each of the three styles of quests also results in rewards of the game’s three forms of currency: Dosh, Bliss, and Stars. Dosh is just another word for gold, and this is the main currency that can be used for just about any form of trading, purchasing, and goods contained in the game. The other two currencies are more for character progression. Stars are earned for each of the quests done involving your life and ultimately lead to leveling up in the respective class (essentially these are like job class experience points). And, to go along with these job points, you can gain traditional levels from fighting enemies and add two stat points into the stat of your choice.
Finally, Bliss is earned by doing Butterfly’s Quests as well as for major milestones in the game like earning over 10000 dosh, buying a new home, etc. These points also lead to increased Bliss levels which allow you to choose game changing mechanics. For instance, you can up the size of your storage or bag up to 3 times with one of these levels, unlock the ability to have pets, get a renter’s license for riding a horse (much faster mode of transportation) and increase the number and variety of items sold at all shops in the game. This is a wonderful mechanic that also appeared in Rune Factory 4 and incentivizes progress through the game’s story.
In terms of the game’s overall gameplay focus, I’ve heard this game be compared to a number of different games and franchises out there. Aesthetically, the game reminds me a lot of Animal Crossing (character and house customization-wise as well). However, beyond that and the similarities between a few basic movements, that’s where the comparison ends. In terms of overall gameplay style, Fantasy Life most resembles Rune Factory, which has many of the same types of classes, mechanics, and gameplay crossover (minus the Harvest Moon style farming). Many will notice the comparison to MMORPG style questing and even Dragon Quest IX’s loot system.
Jobwise, the game feels a little more like a mix between Final Fantasy V or a tactics RPG where each class has its own inherent benefits and the more you use a class, the more techniques you unlock. Finally, level progression actually reminded me most of Skyrim or Final Fantasy II, in that each of your classes level up based upon the amount of individual use of their techniques. The moral of the story is that Fantasy Life successfully combines a wide variety of game styles into one addictive package.
Self Aware Story
Another aspect of Fantasy Life’s appeal is its lighthearted, self aware storyline. The game does feature a good vs. evil conflict that arises later in the story but from the beginning, the game sets the tone that its story is second to its addictive gameplay. This can be seen as both a weakness and an advantageous relief, depending upon which perspective you take. For one, the game does little to sell the idea that your actions have any really important ramifications. Unlike Skyrim, where books of lore were written to captivate you within the experience, Fantasy Life always points you back to how awesomely deep the game is.
Along with emphasizing the ease and greatness of changing classes at any time, Fantasy Life also sticks to its lightheartedness by allowing you to skip the introductory quests of each of the lives you embark on. These quests typically involve around 3-5 different people and around 3-4 different events showing you the everyday aspects of that specific life. So, for the carpenter, you’ll begin by seeking out the master carpenter, then finding the wood vendor, using the carpentry work bench to craft some items, and finally selling at the market place. These quests aim to show you the different areas and actions you’ll be doing and can be skipped entirely if you just want the tool and skill and don’t care to get involved with the various players.
Another way I found the game to be very refreshing was in the game’s extremely witty dialogue. You can tell that Nintendo’s translation team had a wonderful time porting this game over to the States and I found myself laughing and smiling at the dialogue and themes throughout the game. However, despite the wonderful dialogue, the characters are extremely garrulous, almost to a fault. As with other aspects of the game, there is value to reading the conversations but these can just as easily skipped over by button mashing the A button.
Exploring the game is another interesting phenomenon as despite the fact that there is so much to do in terms of Lives and their various gameplay styles, you never feel rushed, or for that matter like you need to be doing anything but your own desires. There is a day/night system that is independent of the actual time and doesn’t affect the progression of the story (plus, you’re never bugged to further the story at any time). If you’re in the mood to explore the terrain fully and hunt for treasures, you can (though areas are locked off until you progress through the story). If you’re in the mood to focus on the townsfolks’ quests, by all means, do so. I found myself trying out all of the Lives, embarking on each of their introductory quests, and exploring the terrain multiple times before setting in for the next story element. Many days passed and yet I felt no pressure to do anything but screw around.
This aspect of the game reminds me of the laid back lifestyle present in Animal Crossing, and it’s Fantasy Life’s ability to combine depth with light hearted gameplay that ultimately provides a superior experience for the completionist, in my opinion. Animal Crossing has always been enjoyed because of simplicity and playing over a course of time but Fantasy Life shows that you can enjoy similar experiences with much more to do over the course of a day and still retain the same relaxed style of gameplay.