Slaying monsters in a fantasy world has its perks, but a new frontier is opening up in the realm of action-RPG chefs.
The “fantasy” in the action role-playing game Fantasy Life, from Level-5 and 1-UP Studio, provides for just as much culinary exploration as it does sword-swinging or spellcasting. Your role is your profession (or “Life Class”), which can range from the expected fighter or wizard to more domestic roles like a fisherman. More than 12 classes are available from the start, and you can freely switch between them at any time.
Taking a life class
All of the available lifestyle and career choices center on the game’s Life system. Each Life Class has its own Master, an NPC expert in each field that can grant access to each profession. A weary bounty hunter only needs to find a Master lumberjack and undergo a few preliminary quests to make a career transition. Once players receive the title of lumberjack, new skills and unique quest-lines become available.
Progressing in your chosen Life Class nets you greater rank within that specific career. You move up the ranks by completing various quests and reaching a threshold of stars, which are given out based on quest completion. The higher the player’s rank in their class, the better the quality their goods or services end up being. Higher degrees of mastery also unlock unique quests and objectives exclusive to their current in-game career.
This isn’t a game that locks you into a role during the tutorial and keeps you there through the credits. Minor quests will pop up constantly for multiple professions in the same places you will find your story missions regardless if you have taken on that Life Class. My brief demo in the earlier part saw my warrior bombarded with just as many NPC requests for dishes to make or homemade items to build as bringing them evidence of someone’s defeat. Just like in real life, I could have gone into a shop or tavern and just bought each item, or I could have taken up the tools myself.
A warrior one day, a lumberjack the next
Life Classes come in multiple sub-categories that indicate how the gameplay will shift to support your dominant profession. Gathering classes offer a more exploratory gameplay style. The ingredients and raw materials that you need to collect for certain jobs could be riskily scattered around the world map. If you decide to switch to a crafting class, a multitude of new minigames will crop up as you go through the process of carving wood, for example.
However you make your money in Fantasy Life, you may express your earnings with customizable housing. If you choose to spend your time buying and designing houses, what feels like The Legend of Zelda could become more like the low-key antics of Animal Crossing. Players can even adopt a pet if a loyal puppy is what your grizzled fighter requires.
The adorable open landscape of Fantasy Life could provide something for everyone, whether that means battling with malevolent wizards or even trickier fish soup. If you’ve ever grown tired of the adventurer grind, fret not. Here, you can be a warrior one day, and a lumberjack tomorrow.
