Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

As one Steam review pithily, yet totally accurately put it: “It’s like if Runescape was fun.” Fantasy Live i has that big MMO feel to it, yet throughout the adventure never becomes exhausting. Whether the post-game stuff is for you or not, the journey there is such pure, wholesome, moreish escapism that it doesn’t matter. Level-5 took many years to get this out the door, but the wait has been more than worth it.

GameGrinMike Crewe

9.5/10

An enchanting journey with a huge amount of things to see and do, FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a must-play that has something for everyone to enjoy.

Gamer Social ClubKrystle “Toasty” Lim

9/10

Typically, a game that dips its toes into many genres and attempts to accomplish many things at the same time is unable to deliver on it or at best is mediocre. I went into this game, with such fond memories of with the IP, with high expectations, and has surprisingly exceeded them all! This is a game that is fun, looks great, and runs well! A triple threat! If you’re into cozy, fantasy RPGs, I would highly recommend it! It’s Level 5 at their best!

Loot Level ChillAdam Cook

9/10

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is addictive and has numerous quality of life improvements for the genre. It might suffer from a slow start and repetitious voiceover work, but that’ll fade away and you’ll soon find yourself lost in its systems and loving every minute.

XboxEraGenghis "Solidus Kraken" Husameddin

8.5/10

Imetay Ermanentlypay Olenstay

WayTooManyGamesAaron Price

8.5/10

Fantasy Life originally released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS and since then, the series’ output has been a bit dry. There have been mobile releases in between, but Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is the first proper sequel after all this time to the this neat hybrid between a JRPG and a slice-of-life simulator. That’s right, in a world filled with every roguelike, deckbuilder and metroidvania you could imagine (often times mixing these three styles at once), Fantasy Life provide...

RPGFanNiki Fakhoori

80/100

What Fantasy Life i does best is bringing together different game styles and having them work together in such a way that it becomes very easy to get caught in its cycle. Although some minor hiccups are afoot, the game is ultimately greater than the sum of its parts, just like what happens when you bring together all sorts of experiences to contribute to a rich, intricate life tapestry. The implementation of gameplay from some of the Switch’s “greatest hits” also makes Fantasy Life i feel like a spiritual send-off, synthesizing blasts from the system’s past in a way that keeps them fre…

Nintendo World ReportNeal Ronaghan

8/10

I was nervous for Fantasy Life i, because I truly loved the 3DS original and was not that optimistic that Level-5 could capture the same magic a decade later. For the most part, they did. This has the addictive gameplay loop of completing quests and furthering your lives in tandem. This has the seemingly endless parade of adorable touches filled with cute writing. In a way, even the ambitious scope that threatens to sometimes take down the whole thing is reminiscent of the original and the era that its developer Level-5 was going through with the success of Professor Layton and Yo-Kai Watch. I...

Console CreaturesBobby Pashalidis

8/10

Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time should not work with so much content crammed inside of it, yet it remarkably does. There are two storylines to follow between two timelines, tons of optional content to find and complete, and it is clear the delay has elevated the experience with excellent additions like the open-world shrines, the village builder, and of course, the numerous Lives you can enjoy as you complete your ideal Fantasy Life. 

TheSixthAxisMiguel Moran

8/10

I never played the original Fantasy Life on the Nintendo 3DS, so I jumped into Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time completely unaware of what I would be signing up for. As my customised character was tossed through a time portal to an ancient island, I gradually found my feet, settling into a quaint life-sim fuelled by a choice from over a dozen job-altering Life selections. This was plenty interesting, but by the time I got used to that loop, I was whisked through another portal and dropped onto an entire other island where the entire ebb and flow of the game completely changed.

Final WeaponEstelle Mejia

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a good revival of a series that delivers as much content as possible to its fans. However, this can be a detriment as parts feel unfocused or too disparate to work together. Regardless, the charming nature of the title shines above all else, and with so much here, there is something for everyone to fall in love with.

Lords of GamingRandy Rhodes

Unscored

Drawing heavy inspiration from Nintendo heavyweights, Fantasy Life i enhances the gameplay of its predecessor while introducing fresh ideas.