Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time |OT| Level-5 Dragon Crossing Stardew Fantasy XIV

About 25 hours in with my Magician, Miner, and Woodcutter classes in their mid 40s with all other classes lagging far behind, especially the ones focused on crafting. I don't really like how segmented the areas/dungeons are which isn't a problem in of itself, but does become an issue in that everything respawns on a load and as far as I can tell, everything (items, gathering points, monsters) are all placed in the exact same spots. There might be some variance in fish sizes and maybe levels of those monsters/collections points, but for the most part everything feels incredibly static instead of a living/evolving world. If you explore every nook and cranny, you will reset dungeons you are in somewhat inadvertently for side "boss" gathering points. Depending how you approach the game, the repetition might weigh on you more heavily than if you are just trying to complete the story which probably isn't the main draw of the game for most. There are some other minor things about the progression that bothers me as it feels like spinning plates on top of spinning plates and while there is a ton of systems in the game, it feels like an instance of a a mile wide but an inch deep. And the crafting system which does seem to have some depth, really isn't crucial to progression as of yet which feels like a missed opportunity. That said, I really haven't engaged much in the town building aspect which is probably one of the more in depth systems and the experience is compelling enough to push me forward with its' campaign.
I'm not that far in but I did find it a bit disappointing that the caves do not seem to randomly generate or at least randomly spawn mobs/loot/gathering points. I used the first one to complete a couple of quests needed for apprenticeship. The good, I know exactly where to go. The bad, no surprises.
 
I've unlocked the third area/island of the past storyline but I've stopped making progress going farther in the story to level up my Lifes from fledgling and apprentice rank to adept rank. I love seeing the new outfits. Adept magician is my favorite fit so far but base mercenary is excellent too. I just want to keep playing this game
 
To people that are stressed to advance in the story don't worry there are hardcaps unlocking more story only makes the game more fun.
So grinding like crazy super early is not really helping you
 
Only played a bit today stopped when I unlocked my 3rd buddy the watering can. Didn't realize the present island had a ranking system to it. I wasn't really placing stuff that methodically.

Haven't been back to Ginormosia whatever it's called. This game is so much bigger than I expected based on the previous one.
 
To people that are stressed to advance in the story don't worry there are hardcaps unlocking more story only makes the game more fun.
So grinding like crazy super early is not really helping you

Yeah I was gonna mention that it's bad advice to not progress the story. The game just gives you more and more to do and more ways for progression to loop in on itself the more of the story you do. No problems stopping to grind a level here or there but I think the game is best played bouncing around between the various systems -- do a story quest, mess around leveling up some Lives, work on your island, explore Ginormosia a bit, repeat.
 
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Yeah I was gonna mention that it's bad advice to not progress the story. The game just gives you more and more to do and more ways for progression to loop in on itself the more of the story you do. No problems stopping to grind a level here or there but I think the game is best played bouncing around between the various systems -- do a story quest, mess around leveling up some Lives, work on your island, explore Ginormosia a bit, repeat.
Aye.. the game will tell you when you can't progress..

I just tried a boss that took me a good 20 min long to beat. reminded me a bit of those final fantasy 12 boss battles.
 
Pretty close to the end and still discovering more quality of life stuff!

When switching life (which you can also do via right on the d-pad) you can press square when hovering over a life to teleport straight to the relevant life master, I was running back and forth like an idiot, it also skips the dragon cutscene so I sometimes use it for just fast travelling quicker.

In the menu there is a giant purple door that teleports you straight to Ginormosia, then if you use it again it returns you to the exact location you left, so if you want to farm a boss which respawns every 5 minutes, defeat it, then use the door and play around in Ginormosia for 5 minutes, then use it again to return straight to the boss room, rinse and repeat, It also remembers where you were in Ginormosia so it's much better than fast traveling.
 
Just picked this one up on my PlayStation. Spent the past like hour just chilling, and vibing while mining. There's a lot of fucking charm to this game.
 
This game should be studied as an example on how to create an addicting gameplay loop, because holy shit the hours just fly while playing this.

cocaine GIF
 
More info on the Switch 2 version here:


This enhanced version takes full advantage of the hardware's capabilities, offering significant improvements.

● Reduced Load Times: Enjoy smoother scene transitions and faster game launches for a seamless experience.
● Improved Graphics and Frame Rate: Visuals are more beautiful and animations more fluid than before.

Players who already own the Nintendo Switch version can upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition by purchasing the Upgrade Pack for just USD 2.59 or EUR 2.27.
 
Currently doing the colosseum and for how easy the game has been up until now, I'm finding myself using healing items and whatnot. Cool stuff, seems like the post-story stuff might be more challenging fun than I was expecting.
 
Still slowly going through it. My highest lvl is 28 I think and the lowest is 6.

Did my first Treasure grove and got a lot of better stuff and exp. Ran out of time to do all the floor though.
 
I haven't played the game yet, but I've watched a lot of videos about it - so I might be able to answer this.

The game is essentially split into two different modes / maps, story mode and "open world" mode. You use the same character for both modes, and in single player you can swap between them basically at any time that you're not in a story cutscene. Think of it like being able to swap between A Link to the Past and Breath of the Wild gameplay, in Zelda terms.

In story mode, you have your base. It's where you change jobs and progress the story. If you played the first game, story mode is a lot like that - it has its own map that's pretty linear. Open world mode takes place in Ginormosia


This is where you uncover Ubisoft-style towers, find dungeons that are randomly generated, but you can also visit to just farm EXP for your jobs, cut down trees, fish, etc.

So, multiplayer - You can invite other players to your base (think like inviting someone to your Animal Crossing island in New Horizons, basically to show off), but there isn't any shared single-player progression. While in multiplayer mode you can travel to the open world and explore together, battle through dungeons, basically do all the open world stuff. Every player's progress carries over - that is items, job exp, etc. I'm not totally sure, but I think fog of war on the map and locations you find while in multiplayer will also carry over to your own save when visiting again in single player.

As I mentioned before, I'm planning on getting this for the Switch which unfortunately doesn't have early access, so I won't be able to fully test this for a few more days. Hope this helps maybe clear things up until someone who is playing this in early access can clarify.
Is it worth it buying this game if I'm willing to get to the part you need to play multiplayer on and then only playing co-op?
 
Is it worth it buying this game if I'm willing to get to the part you need to play multiplayer on and then only playing co-op?
I would say no. In co-op you're still (as of the current patch) not able to turn in life quests, so you'd literally never advance. This will lock a bunch of skills on each of the skill boards - meaning you won't fully unlock the game's mechanics. Crafting and gathering jobs would hit hard limits even if you were level 99. Additionally, the farmer and artist jobs would still be locked behind story content, so you'd never get those.

There are also lots of aspects regarding the city building that you wouldn't be able to do, like the ability to move water tiles on your island happens WAY later in the story. Or unlocking the treasure dungeons.

Unfortunately, it seems that multiplayer was a massive afterthought in this game. With the way the game has key gameplay components locked behind story progression, this is very much a "play through the story and then do multiplayer as a post-game activity" type of game.
 
I would say no. In co-op you're still (as of the current patch) not able to turn in life quests, so you'd literally never advance. This will lock a bunch of skills on each of the skill boards - meaning you won't fully unlock the game's mechanics. Crafting and gathering jobs would hit hard limits even if you were level 99. Additionally, the farmer and artist jobs would still be locked behind story content, so you'd never get those.

There are also lots of aspects regarding the city building that you wouldn't be able to do, like the ability to move water tiles on your island happens WAY later in the story. Or unlocking the treasure dungeons.

Unfortunately, it seems that multiplayer was a massive afterthought in this game. With the way the game has key gameplay components locked behind story progression, this is very much a "play through the story and then do multiplayer as a post-game activity" type of game.
Thanks for the detailed explanation. To the multiplayer being an afterthought, I was hoping for otherwise since the game had cross-platform multiplayer. Oh well.
 
Thanks for the detailed explanation. To the multiplayer being an afterthought, I was hoping for otherwise since the game had cross-platform multiplayer. Oh well.
Definitely a disappointment. My wife wanted to play but only really cares about the "Animal Crossing"-style part of the game (building and shaping her island, crafting items, decorating it, building houses, etc.) but I think she's given up on the game completely after realizing it's going to take her quite a while to even get to that part of the game and having to go through "a regular-ass RPG" (her words).

The first game had campaign co-op, which I would have preferred here so that I could help power-level her to the part she actually cares about.
 
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Finished the story and the last mission before the end fights is really frustrating in how it makes you feel like you wasted your time by leveling. Those last fights are poorly balanced to say the least. Ginormosia, the most open world of the locations, is also barely used in the story. Structurally a lot of the game feels like it needed a lot more time in the oven.
 
I tried the cross save setup on switch. To maybe link it to the pc version or the ps5 pro.

Setting up epic games cross save requires me to pay for nintendo online service.

Basically taking my savegame hostage.

This is next level shit 😂😂
 
Game got a new patch, releasing on the 29th at 15:00JST.


Best thing imo is finally being able to put more than 8 bridges and slopes in town. They've increased the limit to 20.
 
I tried the cross save setup on switch. To maybe link it to the pc version or the ps5 pro.

Setting up epic games cross save requires me to pay for nintendo online service.

Basically taking my savegame hostage.

This is next level shit 😂😂
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Beat the game's story, which was pretty fine, cute and kinda touching. Very simple but still well delivered.

Game's been quite enjoyable so far, with the OST being a highlight for me. The grinding loop is very fun and I can't wait to dive into the endgame stuff.

My only gripe is how easy the game is, but I think part of the appeal of those kind of games is the comfy feel to it so I guess I can't complain lol.
 
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This is definitely not my type of game. I prefer games like Ghost Recon: Wildlands or Mercenaries. Games where I'm sniping, slitting throats and blowing shit up.


Still no Mercenaries 3????

Time for drastic measures

ai9uxil.jpeg


YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

Quick question, can I turn these islander assholes back into a hat stand or a bucket or whatever so I can place them in my house and point and laugh at em?
 
Quick question, can I turn these islander assholes back into a hat stand or a bucket or whatever so I can place them in my house and point and laugh at em?
Kinda. Once you get to max affinity they might gift you their strangeling form so you can use it to decorate.
 
The main story really likes to rush you. I went from the 2nd island to the 3rd before doing anything on the 2nd. Had to go back once I'd unlocked the artist stuff.
 
I tried the game thanks to a shared account and I enjoyed it quite a bit right until I reached the final chapter. First the game forces you to unlock & master various jobs and then it "strongly recommends" to visit a number of shrines to unlock an important dungeon. Not a fan of grind or artificial walls preventing story completion. My attitude would be much better if this was simply offered as part of endgame content. I feel like the pacing is all over the place. You don't even visit the main island that much when doing the main story and then it suddenly pulls a massive handbrake so you won't finish the main story too quickly.

Have to say the world is beautiful and the music is just spectacular... and I don't mind that it kinda takes over. It just doesn't get boring and there tons of great tunes.
 
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I tried the game thanks to a shared account and I enjoyed it quite a bit right until I reached the final chapter. First the game forces you to unlock & master various jobs and then it "strongly recommends" to visit a number of shrines to unlock an important dungeon. Not a fan of grind or artificial walls preventing story completion. My attitude would be much better if this was simply offered as part of endgame content.
Have to say the world is beautiful and the music is just spectacular... and I don't mind that it kinda takes over. It just doesn't get boring and there tons of great tunes.

If you are talking about the fest quest to obtain multiple items for a recipe, you can complete those job activities when those jobs are WAY under-leveled. It actually makes grinding levels feel kind of pointless, so the design decision is a double edged sword.
 
No I'm talking about
clearing 20 shrines to unlock the castle and get the item to weaken the final boss
. Sure it's not completely out of place, but it's just another example of the game trying to make it harder on you to complete the story.

As for the crafting objectives, my first reaction was to level up my character, but I learned that delegating buddies is much quicker since they level up with you and you can quickly repeat their failed attempts.

I think I'm just not used to grind (even a mild one) or 'preparations' for the last boss since I don't have a lot of experience with jRPG's or games with jRPG elements.
 
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I finally just now after playing for 20 hours realized that you can fight enemies with a ranged combat class (hunter or mage) and when they drop the little orange EXP orbs, you can stay far enough away from them where they won't get automatically gathered. Then, when the battle ends, you can switch to another class (like blacksmith) and pick up the orbs to gain that amount of EXP.

I had been ignoring the crafting classes because the grind for EXP in them is such a slog. I did the above trick in the open world section for like an hour and got them all up to level 15ish so far, without even crafting anything.
 
I tried the game thanks to a shared account and I enjoyed it quite a bit right until I reached the final chapter. First the game forces you to unlock & master various jobs and then it "strongly recommends" to visit a number of shrines to unlock an important dungeon. Not a fan of grind or artificial walls preventing story completion. My attitude would be much better if this was simply offered as part of endgame content. I feel like the pacing is all over the place. You don't even visit the main island that much when doing the main story and then it suddenly pulls a massive handbrake so you won't finish the main story too quickly.

Have to say the world is beautiful and the music is just spectacular... and I don't mind that it kinda takes over. It just doesn't get boring and there tons of great tunes.
Have you played the first game? This is much less fluid than that. It's a lot of different parts cobbled together through development troubles.

I'm still having fun but it's less finding the hub of a new region and basing yourself there until everything is done, and more just running around wherever doing whatever you like. Which I imagine is annoying if it then gates you late on (I'm not that far yet)
 
I'm planing to get this with Switch 2, I usually don't play Animal Crossing type game but this one comes JRPG elements I enjoy and I like Level 5's after school anime art style.
 
I'm planing to get this with Switch 2, I usually don't play Animal Crossing type game but this one comes JRPG elements I enjoy and I like Level 5's after school anime art style.
Honestly, the Animal Crossing type gameplay seems to be 100% optional to finishing the game's story. This is like 90% action RPG with 10% animal crossing / sim.
 
Have you played the first game? This is much less fluid than that. It's a lot of different parts cobbled together through development troubles.

I'm still having fun but it's less finding the hub of a new region and basing yourself there until everything is done, and more just running around wherever doing whatever you like. Which I imagine is annoying if it then gates you late on (I'm not that far yet)
Nope, my first time, I enjoyed playing the main story up until the final chapter. Heck, even dealing with high level enemies was fun and some challenge for a change. I'm just not a fan of barriers, same reason why I hate region levels in modern AC games.
 
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3 more codes for May from IGN
T2GC6EQL
A56LCE87
E47LWJGP

I sold my Xbox Series S for $200 and bought a PS Portal and I'm playing Fantasy Life from my bedroom and loving it. This controller feels so good to hold.
 
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Load time comparisons between Switch and Switch 2:


Switch 2 still seems pretty slow compared to my PC, but it does seem like it's a pretty good improvement over Switch 1 at least
 
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I'm planing to get this with Switch 2, I usually don't play Animal Crossing type game but this one comes JRPG elements I enjoy and I like Level 5's after school anime art style.
I agree with jshackles in that the Animal Crossing part is more of a distraction than a core game mechanic.

If you like the gathering materials part of a game like Monster Hunter, enjoy games that are about making the numbers go up and exploring dungeons and an open world that's kinda like Zelda BOTW but in a Link's Awakening style then you'll like the game.

Game is mostly about grinding, but it's enjoyable and it's loop is quite fun and addicting.
 
I agree with jshackles in that the Animal Crossing part is more of a distraction than a core game mechanic.

If you like the gathering materials part of a game like Monster Hunter, enjoy games that are about making the numbers go up and exploring dungeons and an open world that's kinda like Zelda BOTW but in a Link's Awakening style then you'll like the game.

Game is mostly about grinding, but it's enjoyable and it's loop is quite fun and addicting.
Yeah looks like it's gonna be fun game, I decided I'm gonna buy it for Switch 2 and grind nature of gameplay loop handheld mode is good fit for it.
 
Speaking of addiction. I was thinking about uninstalling the game after putting in 80 hours, since I feel like I've seen most of the game and the only thing remaining is the slower end-game grind.

But instead of uninstalling I ended up playing until 4:00 AM. :lollipop_content:

Yeah looks like it's gonna be fun game, I decided I'm gonna buy it for Switch 2 and grind nature of gameplay loop handheld mode is good fit for it.
It's also a very cute and even funny at times. The Level-5 charm I've seen in games like Dark Cloud or DQ 8 is definetly there, with many references to a lot of stuff even including one to Ocarina of Time which is the funniest thing.
 
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Yeah looks like it's gonna be fun game, I decided I'm gonna buy it for Switch 2 and grind nature of gameplay loop handheld mode is good fit for it.
I thought that too, and bought the Switch version, but it's hard to play handheld knowing how great it looks on my PC

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