I still remember sinking an entire weekend into Fantasy Life on my Nintendo 3DS without even realizing it. What started as a casual interest turned into a full-blown obsession once I figured out I could be a Paladin one minute and a Cook the next. I wasn’t chasing high scores or rare loot. I was just having a good time doing a little bit of everything. That same feeling came rushing back when I started Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time.
This new entry builds on the 3DS original while offering new worlds, updated gameplay, and more freedom in how you approach each task. After spending time with the game, I found myself slipping into familiar rhythms. Whether I was mining, fighting, or just fishing for an hour, there was always something that pulled me forward.
Let’s take a closer look at how Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time builds on what worked and where it falls short.
Two Timelines, One Cozy Adventure
The story in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time kicks off with you and Edward, an archaeologist, heading to a mysterious island. Not long after you arrive, things go sideways. A fossil dragon comes to life, a dark dragon attacks, and you get pulled through a portal into the past. It sounds dramatic, but the game doesn’t take itself too seriously. You end up in a quiet village called Eternia, where most folks have no idea what’s coming.
From there, the story moves between two timelines. You’ll explore both the present and the past, uncovering how things went wrong and what you can do to fix them. It’s not a complicated plot, but it works well for a game that’s more about doing than watching. I liked how characters showed up in both timelines, especially Rem, who appears as a ghost in the present and a regular kid in the past. It gave the story a small emotional hook without making things heavy.
I didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did. The humour is silly, with characters breaking the fourth wall and making fun of typical RPG tropes. One scene had a statue repeat a speech because it “bit its tongue,” and that kind of writing kept the tone relaxed. The game clearly isn’t trying to be dramatic or deep, and that works in its favour.
Most of the quests tie into unlocking new areas, systems, or Lives, so the story ends up feeling like part of the overall gameplay loop. It’s simple, light, and full of charm. Not every moment lands, but I was happy to follow along.
One Life Leads to Another
The core gameplay of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time revolves around its Lives system. There are 14 to choose from, split into combat, gathering, and crafting roles. Each Life has its own skills to level, quests to complete, and rewards to chase. You’re free to switch whenever you want outside of combat, which makes it easy to experiment or focus on what you enjoy most.
I started out trying everything but eventually settled into a mix of Angler and Tailor. There was something satisfying about fishing up rare ingredients and turning them into gear or meals. At one point, I returned to an earlier zone I had struggled with and finally gathered the material I’d been stuck on for hours. Progress like that doesn’t happen fast, but when it does, it feels earned.
Every Life feeds into the others. A Blacksmith might craft a sword that helps a Mercenary clear a dungeon. A Carpenter’s tools improve gathering speed for a Miner. That loop is what kept me coming back. The mini-games for crafting and gathering are simple, usually involving button timing or holding down inputs. They get repetitive, but the gameplay behind them is solid.
Combat feels more like a side dish than a main course. You get some basic moves, dodging, and charge attacks, but it stays pretty simple. The Strangeling companions help a lot. Some of them boost your gathering, while others fight alongside you. They’re useful, and collecting them becomes its own mini-goal.
It takes time for everything to come together, but once it does, the mix of Lives, tasks, and goals creates a satisfying loop that’s easy to lose hours to.
Cute, Clean, and a Bit Clunky
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time keeps things simple visually. It’s a clear step up from the 3DS original, with smoother lines and brighter colours, but it’s not aiming for realism. The chibi-style characters fit the game’s tone, and the environments look clean, if a little plain in some spots.
There were times when the world felt a bit stiff. Some areas looked blocky or under-detailed, and I noticed the occasional awkward animation. Farming stood out, since it wasn’t always clear what my character was doing, and that pulled me out of the moment a bit.
Voice acting pops up now and then but isn’t consistent. Most of the time, dialogue plays out in text, and when voices do appear, it’s usually just short phrases. I didn’t mind it, but it would have been nice to hear more from the characters, especially in key story scenes. The music suits the pace of the game. It blends into the background and supports the relaxed atmosphere. Nothing stuck with me after I stopped playing, but it always felt right in the moment.
It’s not a technical showpiece, but the presentation does enough to keep the experience pleasant. The charm comes more from the writing and world than from visual polish.
Fun With Friends? Not Really
I was excited to try out multiplayer in Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. It sounded like a great fit for co-op, especially with the relaxed pace and cross-play support. But once I jumped in with a friend, the limitations became obvious almost right away.
We were stuck on a small part of the map chosen by the host. I couldn’t check my quest log, turn anything in, or switch Lives. When I tried to explore a little on my own, I got booted back to the hub for straying too far. After about 20 minutes, we gave up and called it.
There’s some flexibility, cross-save and cross-play work fine, and Patch 1.1.3 fixed a progression issue where accepted quests wouldn’t count, but the core design still feels like a missed opportunity. With time limits on each session and limited interaction, it doesn’t add much to the experience. If you’re hoping to adventure with a friend, this isn’t the game for that. The single-player side is much stronger and better supported.
A Familiar Life, Worth Living Again
I didn’t expect Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time to pull me in the way it did. The early hours felt slow, but once I found my pace, it was hard to stop. I’d log in planning to do one or two things, then end up fishing for rare ingredients, upgrading my gear, or chasing a quest I picked up on the way. That loop of progress felt familiar, like slipping back into something I’d missed without realizing it.
Playing on your own just works better. The Life system is flexible and rewarding, with each role feeding into the next. You’re constantly building toward something, whether it’s a stronger weapon, a better dish, or a new area to explore. It’s the kind of game that gives back as much time as you’re willing to put into it.
The presentation has its limits, but the charm comes through. Some animations feel stiff and the voice acting is light, but the writing and world are easy to enjoy. It’s not trying to impress you with scale. It just wants you to stick around and settle into the rhythm.
You can play with others, but it doesn’t work well. If you’re coming in for co-op, you’ll probably leave disappointed. But if you’re in the mood for a slow, satisfying solo adventure, this one’s easy to recommend.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
Summary
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time brings back everything I liked about the original and gives it more room to grow. The job system is still the star, and it’s easy to lose hours just doing a bit of everything. Some parts are rough, and the multiplayer doesn’t really add much, but the solo experience more than makes up for it. If you’re in the mood for something relaxed and rewarding, this one’s worth checking out.
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