Don't worry I won't be giving any spoilers away, so read ahead.
This game is no exception, and the world is as colourful as ever. Lush green fields, luminous caverns and vibrant towns are all a pleasure to explore. There are times when I just find myself strolling around the field just because it is quite relaxing. Except when set upon by wolves, or having to sneak past the Nap Dragon; who despite always sleeping terrifies me.
Gameplay wise it is an RPG combined with a life simulator game. Imagine if Animal Crossing and Final Fantasy had a child, or if Skyrim was colourful and less adult. For those of you who those references bypassed. It is a game where you can live a peaceful town-based existence, buying a home, filling it with furniture and generally living a simple existance (Animal Crossing). But, to earn your money for this you go out adventuring, exploring dungeons and slaying beasts (Skyrim style).
Fantasy Life's main unique selling point is it's life license system. Where most games will give you a choice of the type of person you want to be: warrior, mage, farmer etc. Fantasy Life allows you to chop and change your life on a whim through exchanging your license. Your lives soon become intertwined, as a warrior you need armour so you become a blacksmith. Then you need ore for that armour, so off to mine you go. But wait, those swords also have wooden hilts, and wood chopper becomes necessary. It could be easy for you to pick two lives and then not try others, but Fantasy Life makes it rather integral, and enjoyable, to play many at once.
Not that you can't pick one life and stick to it. Yeah you may need armour, ore etc. but you can just buy them from merchants. You miss out on some great gameplay doing this though. Fantasy Life then attracts a minor annoyance with this too. When you begin a new life you need to go through a tutorial mission for that life. Which wouldn't be a problem, except they all follow the same pattern. Talk to Guild-master, go see a previous student, fulfill a certain request and then be on your merry way. After completing two or so it becomes rather repetitive. Thankfully it gives you the option to bypass these and doesn't penalise you for doing so.
Fantasy Life is an amazingly deep game. I have sunk almost fifteen hours into it already, and have barely scratched the surface. I have tried five of the twelve, or so lives. Exploration wise I have only unlocked the main town and it's adjacent field. The reason for this lack of progress is quite simply because I can't help re-exploring every area to ensure I uncover every secret; sometimes even twice.
The only downside I have found with Fantasy Life so far, apart from being a time-sponge, is that it does end up being killing small animals and harvesting natural resources. I don't exactly feel like the great guy all the towns folk are praising me as.
Fantasy Life box-art from Kotaku, Game-play image from Nintendo, Pretty field image from Hardcoregamer.
