After a handful of delays, we are slowly creeping up on the April 2025 release window for Level-5's much-anticipated Fantasy Life follow-up, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. With the countdown officially on (assuming it isn't pushed again, of course), Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino has taken to Twitter to share a fresh look at the game — and it's looking really rather swell.
Translated via Google, Hino prefaced the screenshot drop by stating that major information reveals for the game have been slightly delayed by issues with "compatible models and new hardware" (what could he possibly be referring to there, eh?), but the visuals and content have developed to make the upcoming title "one of the best RPGs out there". No pressure there, then.
What's more, the caption teases that Level-5 will have more Fantasy Life information for us "soon", so keep watching the skies for that one.
While the Level-5 CEO didn't specify which platform the above screens were taken on, he has since shared a further three posts, which apparently show the game running on Switch. You'll find these additional Switch screenshots below, showcasing the single-player and multiplayer modes in action:
We'll be keeping an eye out for this supposed big information drop over the coming days. We still haven't completely ruled out the possibility of a February Nintendo Direct, but perhaps Level-5 has another Vision Showcase planned where it will finally give us a secure release date. Only time will tell.
Aside from Fantasy Life, the studio is currently sitting on Professor Layton and the New World of Steam and Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road for 2025 releases. The crime-fighting RPG DECAPOLICE was delayed to 2026 late last year.
What do you make of these new Fantasy Life screens? Will you be picking it up later this year? Let us know in the comments.
[source x.com]
Comments 31
Nice screenshots, so looking forward to the upcoming information and of course the game itself (along with all the other ones by Level-5) whenever it comes out - as much as I don't mind delays if it means getting better games from the get-go, of course I still have my fingers crossed that despite the issues with "compatible models and new hardware" (yeah, would be surprised if they didn't mean also Switch 2 with that) it won't be delayed further!
I don't know, looks pretty ugly to me.
Will be pleasantly surprised if it's been optimised for Switch 1, but it's looking good, fo-sure.
Need that blue fish hat!
Hopefully the PS5 and Switch versions are cross play.
imagine they delay it by a few more days just to screw with everyone after the playstation store debacle. really hoping we dont end up getting a seperate switch 2 version, shipping the game with switch 2 improvements baked in would be great though. they seem surprisingly confident about the game though, im bracing for disappointment regardless but maybe ill be pleasantly surprised
Who needs this when Hello Kitty Island Adventure is available?
I'm so excited for this game, but maybe don't have the free time for it right now so I'm kinda glad it's not out for a little while. Also can't wait for the new Layton game! Hope it's as good as the old ones.
Never did play the older games in the series but this could be good.
So freaking hyped for this game. The only thing that would make this game better for me is being given the option to wear whatever clothing or equipment over your strongest equipment, which is "Equipment-Hiding Fashion" in TV Tropes' case.
@Anti-Matter
1: your physical release will not be on the disk. It'll mostly be a download.
2: why even post here if you are such a blatant anti-nintendo person?
@StephenYap3
I agree!
I hated the hunter/fisher hat in the first game...
I always prefer to be "helmetless"
I think the "new hardware" bit could in part be referring to PS5, no? Didn't they just open the exclusivity to include that console with Switch?
These screenshots look pretty!
It's kinda f'ed up if they kept constantly delaying the Switch version just because they wanted to make it multiplatform, especially when everyone in their mother knows it will sell the best on Nintendo regardless.
Looks polished. I hope it runs well, too.
@Itachi2099
Yep, that's been my complaint too.
And it happens all the time!
I don't see Level-5 getting any sort of Gen 10 boost. For one, Level-5 is lucky to even still be alive after the North American money laundering. For another, Level-5 explicitly aims at a demographic even younger than Mario, meaning they're target demo is going to be entirely on Switch and iPads. Mostly iPads because people have given up on parenting.
And now I want the apocalypse again.
Crazy how big of a difference I perceive when I see the camera tweaked to appear more 3rd-person rather than top-down! The closer perspective helps me appreciate the characters much more than the earlier footage, and everything looks more polished. All of a sudden I'm much more excited for this game!
@Zeebor15 Speak for yourself; I'd much rather trudge on in our world's current form of Bread and Circus than suffer in a Mad Max wasteland.
This could be our house game of the year!
It just looks like such a carbon copy of the original. What exactly is new that's supposed to excite anyone, an "artist" class that I assume will be another cut/copy of cooking/smithing/sewing/etc? And placing furniture outside? I wanted to see WAY more from this, like a bunch of new enemies and ways to do combat and ways to interact with friends. Literally every enemy they've shown so far is ripped straight out of the 3DS game. Good for anyone who never played that I guess.
Too bad Level 5 uses Generative Ai in their game development now. Makes this game one that I don't want to even remotely purchase.
@Spider-Kev This isn't remotely true. Majority of PS5 games are still on the disc in full. Sure, you have to "install," but that is different from downloading- as installing a game is copying the data from the disc over onto the console's storage. PCs used to do this before the move to all digital gaming.
I can take my copy of Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth on PS5 and play it without even needing to connect to the internet once. Sure, it won't have the day 1 patch- but majority of the game's content and such are still found on the two discs that come with the game. Same with something like Final Fantasy XVI, Shadow of the Colossus, Ni No Kuni, and most likely the new Fantasy Life (if I were to even buy it in the first place).
@VoidofLight
Okay, i mis-understood
I thought it was just a key/license on the disk and the game had to be downloaded.
@Spider-Kev Some games do that, but not all. Usually it says on the package if it requires a download.
@SpaceboyScreams Looks like a major upgrade to me.
@SpaceboyScreams
All/Most of the NPCs look the same as well!
Laura is there and a bunch of others.
Hopefully the game will not get delayed again.
@Jack_Goetz
I will get both Fantasy Life I and Hello Kitty Island Adventure.
I can't wait for this game, it looks better and better. The battle between this and Rune Factory will be epic.
Now give us a proper release date, Level 5!
@abbyhitter What about it specifically?
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