Level 5’s newest game Fantasy Life is a whole new take on the JRPG genre. In the vast majority of RPGs, you play as either a magic user or a melee/ranged fighter killing every living creature you come across.
But while you can still play as combat classes like a knight or a mage in Fantasy Life, you are also able to choose from a myriad of non-combat classes as well. Fisherman, woodcutter, carpenter, needle worker, miner, blacksmith, cook and alchemist are all jobs from which you can choose.
And unlike other RPGs, where these jobs would be secondary to the combat ones, these non-combat classes are as effective a way of levelling up as it is to go out monster hunting — i.e. catching a fish nets you as much exp as killing a few monsters. And as each job is accompanied by a simple mini-game, whether that is carefully managing the tension on your fishing line or taking a log of wood and turning it into a usable plank.
In addition, each and every class has a ton of quests for you to complete, netting you large exp bonuses. What’s more, you can switch classes whenever you are in town, allowing you to mix and match jobs to get you the best gear and items for when a fight is inevitable.
To see what it’s like to live life in a non-combat role (as well as a combat one), check out the video above.
Fantasy Life was released on December 27, 2012, for the 3DS in Japan. While the name “Fantasy Life” has been trademarked by Level 5 in both the US and Europe, there has yet to be any official word on an international release. Stay tuned for the full import preview later this week.
Leave a Reply