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.

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.

Checkpoint GamingCharlie Kelly

9/10

A fisher. A woodcutter. An artist. A farmer. A hunter. A Paladin. A hero. Fantasy Life I: The Girl Who Steals Time is the sequel to the cult-classic Nintendo 3DS life simulation game, where you can take on many jobs and live multiple lives. Now, after a few delays and a lengthy wait, the latest Level-5-developed joint is finally released on multiple platforms, with high hopes weighing on it. Thankfully, it pulls off those ambitions, not just presenting a vibrant and charming new RPG adventur...

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...

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.

DBLTAPDave Aubrey

8/10

If you haven’t been keeping your eyes on the horizon for a new Fantasy Life game like I have, then a certain Animal Crossing spoof may have piqued your attentio

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.