In fact, I spent the bulk of my playtime with Fantasy Life becoming adept at the four jobs I just mentioned, and had a blast while doing so. As a result, only a handful of Fantasy Life's career opportunities-such as the Angler, Hunter, Miner and Woodcutter-feel truly fresh. For example, the combat classes like the Mercenary and Paladin are awfully similar, and too many of the crafting classes like the Alchemist and Carpenter revolve around mini-games that are nearly interchangeable. After all, not many games allow players to take up the tools of blacksmiths, cooks, miners, tailors, woodcutters and more.Īlthough each of these jobs (they're called "lives" in the game) are considered unique, they're not as distinct as they initially seem. The game finally hit North America late last year, and it certainly promises players something different-the hook is that it allows folks to follow as many as 12 different career paths, with a good number of those employment options being far from typical. I wouldn't say that's my main reason for wanting to go off the beaten path JRPG-wise now and then, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a smidge interested in being able to do something new in a genre that generally treads the same ground over and over again-which may explain why I've been keenly interested in Level-5's Fantasy Life since it was first announced way back in 2009. Why is it that so many people-me included-pine for RPGs that allow them to spend at least some amount of time in the shoes of a shop owner or weapon maker? Is it because we've played so many by-the-numbers examples of the genre that we're tired of controlling sword-wielding warriors, bow-carrying thieves and wand-whipping magicians?
WTF Each song that plays when a job is mastered. HIGH Toppling a ferocious dragon with a massive, exhilarating combo.