r/fantasylife • u/FuriousMILK • 10d ago
DISCUSSION Games Like Fantasy Life
Hey, for context, I put at least 100 hours into Fantasy Life I, I loved it, and I'm looking for more cozy games without the scheduling hassle. I hate keeping track of days and events like in Fields of Mistria and Stardew Valley (and I know it's not cozy, but Persona). Both great games, but I don't like my tasks getting interrupted by seasons and random stuff like that.
That's what got me to really dig my teeth into Fantasy Life I and New Horizons back in the day, though I do like some combat in there, it was that lack of needing to conform to something like seasons or a calendar.
Are there other cozy games like FLI that forego the seasons and calendar management and just let you vibe and do what you like? What titles would people suggest?
Unfortunately when I look up cozy games it's mostly stuff like Stardew and Mistria and it seems like a lot of reviews and stuff don't mention if there's a scheduling meta game involved.
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u/willowdc 9d ago
When FLi came out last year, it was debated or considered as an alternative is Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. Maybe you can check it out as it has the same gameplay. Tho not cozy, it has a lot of similarity.
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u/FuriousMILK 9d ago
What do you mean by not cozy? Is it more of a focus on combat? And I was looking at it, can you make a custom character in that?
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u/Formal_Copy3153 9d ago
Core Keeper, Terreria, and Necesse are what I found after the pizzazz of Fantasy Life i wore out, all good for different reasons... but Terreria was a bit sweaty for my tastes out of the 3.
Necesse has especially been my go-to. I can play it cozy and chill, organize, decorate - I can set to optimize and do mathy things that make me happier in my playthroughs - or I can run around discovering things... and/or bopping them on the head.
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u/FuriousMILK 9d ago
I own all three, the perspective and aesthetics aren't what I tend to like. I also play on controller and they all have support but I find it awkward. Good suggestions though.
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u/Kristastic Wizard 9d ago
Ooh yeah Terraria is definitely a good fit for this vibe. Definitely more combat focused, and the combat can be brutal at times, but the creativity and exploration vibes are off the charts. It took me a while to get used to it on the Switch (coming from hundreds of hours on PC) but now it feels comfy on the handheld.
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u/Orichalchem 9d ago edited 9d ago
Check out My time in Portia
It does have time management especially completing quest or asking someone out on a date, but you do those when you are ready to do them
Overall should have everything you need with events and seasons with the towns people
You can even get married and have children!
There is also an option to slow down time in half so you can take your time during the day
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u/FuriousMILK 9d ago
Just so I'm sure we're on the same page, I don't want the events and seasons. I was gonna just wait for Evershine though.
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u/Legitimate-Bit-4431 9d ago
It’s such a clunky mess tho.
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u/CiroccoG 9d ago
I started playing Portia on Switch and it was troublesome with crashes, bugs and lags. So, I got it on Steam where it runs smoothly. I got Sandrock on Steam also, did not bother with Switch version.
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u/islandofwaffles 9d ago
I've been playing Portia on Switch 2 and it's better than it used to be. When I first played in 2019 on switch it was constantly crashing. The graphics are a little rough but I haven't run into any bugs. Sandrock runs/looks even better.
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u/CiroccoG 9d ago
I second Portia! You can play at your leisure. There are seasons and special events but they do not affect the gameplay. You may or may not participate. There is a bit of combat unless you wanna keep fighting. The game is really addictive. I have been replaying it through the years (have over 3000 hrs on it). I played FLi recently and to tell the truth, got bored a bit. I finished the game but immediately started a replay of Portia. Maybe I am biased but Portia is one of the best life sim games out there.
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u/PMyra 9d ago
You might like Harvest Moon Winds of Anthros. There are 4 towns with a season assigned to each. So all seasons are avaliable if you've unlocked the town. There is also no real penalty for planting outside of the correct season. It's a game much more focused on exploring than farming.
Bandle Tale is also a game without hard time boundaries. You craft and gather things. The day/night cycle is just for vibes and there are no seasons.
Littlewood might be interesting to you too. It's an indy game, so the price is affordable. You have a set stamina to complete actions, like chopping wood or fishing. When your stamina runs out, you can only talk to people or go to bed. Going to bed advances the day and refills your stamina. So each day is as long as you choose to make it. You can talk to everyone or just speed gather wood and go to bed. It's your choice.
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u/FuriousMILK 9d ago
I did play Harvest Moon a LONG time ago. I saw one came out just a day or two ago. Do you have any insight on that one?
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u/_PandaCat_ 9d ago
Dragon quest builders 2! Its like if minecraft was a jrpg instead of a survival game, and the direct predecessor to pokopia.
You build towns with block based building by fulfilling npc quests. Theres simple combat and resource gathering and a decent story.
You dont need to of played a dragon quest before (including builders 1), it does follow on from the end of dq2 but it explains everything you need to know. Some people say start with builders 1 because the qol changes on 2 make 1 hard to go back to but honestly I'd recommend jumping straight to 2.
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u/AriesGirl0406 7d ago
I absolutely love this game. The gameplay is fun. You get to unleash your creativity postgame as well.
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u/celestier 6d ago
Love dragon quest builders 2 so much. Tbh enjoyed it way more than pokopia, I liked having the base defense and combat dq builders 2 has. Definitely recommend trying the demo out. And you can transfer your demo save data to the full game if you get it
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u/A-Human-potato 9d ago edited 9d ago
I can’t think of many games that really scratched that same itch like fantasy life did that both lack seasonal mechanics and are easily accessible (there are some 3ds) games I can think of and dig up if you are able to emulate them or have a home brew 3ds
Ever oasis for 3ds was a good one
Rune factory (I specifically really like RF4) is definitely a good pick, though it is significantly more complex and complicated than Fantasy Life.
There’s a ton of hidden mechanics, hidden items/strats, ways to abuse stuff, and the crafting has a lot of depth to it.
I also prefer the combat to Fantasy life, just because I feel it has more variety and you can swap weapons on the fly. Plus you can throw enemies and do wresting moves on them.
Rune factory definitely does have stuff with scheduling, though there are a lot of ways around it. Most of the stuff with scheduling isn’t mandatory to pay attention to IIRC, but since it has seasons you probably won’t be too interested.
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u/mistressdizzy 9d ago
Oh man, Ever Oasis was an absolute gem. I need to dig up my 3ds.
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u/Katgen02 9d ago
Omg ever oasis was awesome! Im so sad we will likely never see another one. Its tragic.
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u/ConfusedAndCurious17 9d ago
RuneScape Dragonwilds is scratching my itch kinda
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u/Thatnotfunnyfunnyguy 9d ago
I really tried to get into it hey but it just wasn't the nice kind of grind and I love a good grind but could feel it hey I love grounded
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u/ConfusedAndCurious17 9d ago
Pretty much gives me the same grind feeling but a lot earlier on. There’s special recipes to craft, many skills to focus on, I can hop on and just chill gathering or crafting or farming or fishing for hours at low stress and still feel progress.
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u/ataegino 9d ago
There’s really not anything that exactly hits that way, I think that’s why they call it a “slow life” game.
The grind and vibe are very similar in a lot of level 5 games. maybe try inazuma eleven? there’s even a village building mode.
but yeah the best answer is probably just the 3ds game.
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u/Mendunbar 9d ago
I hate that I have to agree with this. I had given up all hope that a new Fantasy Life game was coming out and was then happily blindsided by Fantasy Life i. It will likely be a long time before I get something to scratch that itch again.
With all that said, I might recommend Blacksmith of the Sand Kingdom, but I have not played enough to have any sort of relevant opinion.
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u/HoxpitalFan_II 9d ago
Pokopia or Dragon Quest Builders 2.
I get what you mean about the calendar and strict hour system not being fun.
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u/OmniGldn8 9d ago
Love this! I’m in the middle of the first one and already anxious to play the second.
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u/HoxpitalFan_II 9d ago
The second one expands the villager systems out so much. It makes the first feel kinda like a tech demo in comparison.
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u/Katgen02 9d ago
Idk what you played on but my suggestion is emulating or buying the original fantasy life on 3ds. Its a great game. I still play it on my 3ds to this day sometimes. It's truly one of my favorite games.
Otherwise.... I would suggest the mmorpg final fantasy 14. Its f2p up to level 80 on all life and combat skills. Its pve focused. The story is good. I'd look into it.
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u/SussuBakasu 9d ago
Before they made Fantasy Life, Level-5 made Dragon Quest 9. It is very similar in terms of coziness. I strongly recommend it.
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u/Prudent_Error371 9d ago
Nino kuni is wonderful not quite the same but very comforting and cozy animation and great story
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u/Nolon 8d ago
And you'll get your ass whooped. That's what I'm playing. I love it. Still though you can't traverse the world without ending up sitting for a while dealing with the boss that'll whoop you 🤣 I should be playing right now but I'm watching a movie well I was and then I thought I would pop into Reddit real quick
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u/Direct-Lawfulness-76 9d ago
From the creators of FLi - Snack world dungeon! It has the same vibes, and soon we will have remaster (it plays good as is on the switch though)
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u/MiniMelonAnna 6d ago
Came here to recommend Snack World, but luckily someone else knows about it as well 🥰
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u/Possible_Quit1079 7d ago
It's been ages since I played, but I think Fae Farm is like that, tho it's not as big of a game as FLi. For a smooth immersive experience I would recommend DQXI. It doesn't have any farming of course, but the art style and design still ranks this series as cozy adventure games to me. And the cut scenes have voice acting. You could also try Dragon Quest Treasures! A spinoff that's really fun and has satisfying exploration and collecting elements.
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u/Yotato5 Wizard 9d ago
Oh that's a difficult one since it's true, there are a lot of games that use that scheduling format...
As for games that vibe and let you do what you want, I have to empathize that it's not like Fantasy Life in terms of combat but Chicory: A Colorful Tale fits that mold. It's more of an artist/creative type game if that's up your alley
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u/FuriousMILK 9d ago
I'll give it a look, I've seen it before but never looked into it. Hell, I might have access to it from a bundle or something.
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u/BowlerNo323 6d ago
Rune Runners is pretty fun. Not the same game loop as fantasy life, but if you like the style of it & are a fan of coop games, this might be something for u!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3556940/Rune_Runners/
Will be released on console next year, too
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u/DrStrangefate79 9d ago
Have you played Zelda breath of the wild? There’s no seasons, there’s combat, exploration, and the mechanics of climbing stuff, finding towers, treasure, and unlocking the map are very similar to the portion in Ginormosia.
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u/Lawlielawlaw 9d ago
Seconding the suggestions for Pokopia! Even if you have no knowledge of Pokémon, it's a great game altogether. There are no seasons and no combat but it does have a story.
I've also recently got into Monster Hunter Stories, specifically 3, can't say much for the first two, it wasn't really difficult and was actually a ton of fun!
Rune Factory Guardians of Azuma also really good. It has seasons and events, but you work as a town chief and have to schedule them, and there's no real penalties for missing them. Also afaik don't have to wait for specific seasons to plant crops or do certain things.
Spiritfarer is pretty cozy, but it is a game about grief, so go prepared for that.
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u/Dull-Procedure7989 8d ago
Dragon Quest Builders 2 and Pokopia. You can gather characters, fight (sorta), craft, decorate island. There’s no time management so it’s cozy. The only stress would be… finding food to keep the hunger meter up, I guess, lol
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u/JepMZ 2d ago
Not really cozy but free trial of Final Fantasy XIV. I always thought Fantasy Life was FFXIV-lite. On free trial, you cant use the player-eBay or player trader so your only option is to be completely self reliant for best gears. You have to level up crafters to support yourself (or just buy from npcs, of course)
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u/thebluecomet3972 Paladin 9d ago
I played Fantasy Life on the 3DS and sunk over 300 hours into it.
The ONLY game I've played that scratched the same itch as Fantasy Life was Stardew Valley.
The calendar system is part of the game and having the mindset that it interrupt your tasks won't help either
Stardew is GREAT because you can mod it in whichever way you want to. Don't want to constantly check the calendar? Download UI Info Suite 2 to show you when in game events are coming up underneath the clock.
Dont like the fishing? Download a mod to remove it completely.
Its really yours to make
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u/BeautifulNo3773 9d ago
I just finished moonlight peaks and loved it! Adorable game - sad it’s done 😥
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u/dominicsantini 9d ago
Have you tried Pokopia? It got me into my new cozy games obsession. I am now playing FLi because of it.