Why popular series die is a mystery but it happens sometimes, such as in the case of Fantasy Life. The first game came out on the 3DS and did fairly well for itself, and the mobile-only sequel ran for several years before eventually succumbing to the fate of all games-as-a-service and shutting down. Finally, though, a proper sequel is in the works with Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, reviving a series that easily deserved better than it got.
Fantasy Life is a crafting-action RPG where you play as someone who can do just about any job they set their mind to. Whether it was combat, crafting, or gathering resources, each type of activity had multiple jobs with their own levels of capability, with each upgrade giving access to new skills. There was no time pressure so what you chose to do wouldn’t interfere with the main storyline, assuming you felt like blowing off an in-game week or two to fish or craft, but new areas held new resources so there was always a reason to push forward with the plot. It was a solid base for a great series and then just kind of disappeared, but Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a new chance and a full-console adventure being released for the Switch. The hook for the new game is that of a run-down island and a girl who sends you back in time 1,000 years to counteract the decline. The trailer shows Minecraft/Dragon Quest Builders-style earth block moving, which will be interesting to see the effects of as you move between past and present nurturing the island’s revival. The trailer also shows Animal Crossing-style room decoration, but it seems a bit much to expect that nobody’s going to touch your house in the thousand-year gap between eras.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is slated to release at some point in 2023, although whether that’s for Japan or the whole world hasn’t been specified yet. Either way, after a full decade it’s great to finally see a new entry in a series that shouldn’t have been lost in the first place.
