After a few delays, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is finally here, and has been winning the hearts of many players with its unique gameplay approach involving 14 Life classes to utilize. Just as in the previous Fantasy Life game for the Nintendo 3DS, each of these lives are essentially the same as classes and include several varieties of combat, gathering, and crafting skills. Throughout the game, players are encouraged to learn all 14 lives, but that doesn't mean people can't still pick favorites from the choices.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time released on May 21, 2025, although players who purchased the Deluxe Edition could start playing three days earlier. Learning the various Life skills comes early in the game, but players will want to learn each of the 14 individually, in whatever order they wish. From there, whenever they need to use a skill, the character will automatically switch to the necessary life, such as putting on their Woodcutter outfit to chop down a tree. Combat lives need to be chosen, but then characters automatically use the last Combat Life picked when fighting.

14 Angler: Where Would The World Be Without Fishing?

The Best Way To Get Food For Cooking Until Farming Is Unlocked

It pains me to list the Angler Life at the bottom of this list, as it is my personal favorite. The fishing minigame operates the same as all other resource gathering skills in Fantasy Life i, and is leveled up the same. Unfortunately, the resulting fish are not all that useful to the player other than to be used with the Cook Life for making recipes. It's good to have, as all the lives are, and a lot of fun, but not as useful as others are.

13 Farmer: A Must-Have For Any Modern Life Sim

Not Unlocked Until Near The End Of Chapter 4 In The Story

Farming has become somewhat of a staple for any life sim or cozy game these days, since the Stardew Valley farming craze has given players a taste for this activity. This is a new Life to the Fantasy Life series, but it does not appear until a bit later in the game, only being unlocked near the end of Chapter 4. The introductory story that brings farming to the game is a delightfully silly and fun experience, with players needing to remove a giant vegetable to save Edward.

12 Carpenter: For Those Who Love The Smell Of Sawdust

Building Masterpieces Out Of Lumber

As one would imagine, the Carpenter Life is devoted to turning wood into lumber and other items like furniture, weapons, and tools. Once players begin to work on decorating their own home and terraforming, this skill can become more useful, but ultimately isn't that useful overall, at least in comparison with some of the other skills. It is tied closely with the Woodcutter Life for obvious wood-related reasons. Carpenter uses the same basic minigame as all crafting skills use, where players jump between three areas of a craft table to either tap, hold, or press the corresponding button.

11 Woodcutter: Cutting Down Trees Can Be The Ultimate Distraction

Gathering Wood For Carpentry And Weapons

Gathering wood is surprisingly distracting in Fantasy Life i, as there are trees ready to be cut down everywhere the player goes. The little names and health bars over the trees are noticeable, and I seem to have a cozy obsession with chopping down every tree I see rather than just running by them to keep doing my quest. That said, it is a good Life to have, with a cute outfit and the ability to give useful wood resources that are necessary for so many crafting skills.

10 Artist: Making The World More Beautiful Through Decorations

Not Unlocked Until During Chapter 5 Of The Story

Similar to the Farming Life, players cannot become an Artist until a bit later in the game, with the option not being unlocked until during Chapter 5. However, once it is available, it can add a lot of cheer to the game. Artists can make paints and then decorations for their homes, such as wallpaper, flooring, paintings, potted flowers, and more. Although this may not be as important sounding as one of the Combat lives or even a cook, one should never disregard the importance of the arts.

9 Cook: Transforms Ingredients Into Food That Gives Buffs And Heals

Wields The Ultimate Tool, The Mighty Frying Pan

Rapunzel would be proud, as the Cook Life provides players with a frying pan as their tool of choice. Becoming a Cook is a good idea, as Cooks can make food that gives heals or buffs to the character that eats it. It can also be a good way of using the fish that are caught with the Angler Life. The minigame is the same as other crafting lives, such as Carpenter above, but hopefully with much tastier outcomes.

All crafting lives can be completed using the same workbench, Fantasy Life i will automatically switch to the appropriate table.

8 Hunter: Long Range Attacks To Play It Safe

This Fantasy Life Relies On The Mighty Bow And Arrow

Using a bow and arrow to attack from range is usually one of my favorite combat choices, but in Fantasy Life i the Hunter Life feels less useful than the other fighting styles. It seems as though it starts out a bit slow by not causing much physical damage until players are able to give their shots Status Conditions such as Sleep and Paralyze. Thankfully, it appears that bosses are affected by these status conditions as well, which certainly helps against heavy hitters.

7 Blacksmith: Forges The Items Necessary For Combat

Hammering Weapons, Armor, And Tools Into Existance

The Blacksmith Life is heavily reliant on the Miner Life, needing ores to forge other materials and equipment. Making ingots will be especially necessary for making items across many of the crafting skills. Interestingly, the Blacksmith Life isn't simply geared towards metals, however, with this also being the skill that makes leather clothing items and armor. Its minigame is once again the same as other crafting benches, even though the appearance of it makes very little sense when making a leather jerkin.

6 Alchemist: Making Healing Potions Can Be A Plus

Wielding A Flask For Turning Weeds Into Items

When in dangerous battles against monstrous foes, it is always a good idea to have a health potion or two on hand. That is where the Alchemist Life shines. Alchemy gives players the ability to make a variety of potions and accessories that can buff, heal, or even harm, which can be equipped before battle. These potions are a great way to use up some of the random weeds and flowers that are foraged across the world, and having this Life leveled up can allow for players to have a nice supply of potions readily available.

5 Paladin: The Classic Choice For Fighting

Strong For Tanking With A Longsword, But Slower Style

Choosing the Paladin Life as the main combat skill in Fantasy Life i is a good, evenly balanced, combat choice. Wielding a longsword and shield, they have good defense while also being decent at dealing damage. Paladins don't pack as strong of a punch as Mercenaries, but once they get their Sonic Blade skill, they are able to quickly take down their foes. Because of the blend of offense and defense, the Paladin Life runs best on balance, making managing the Skill Tree a bit cumbersome when trying to keep things level.