The exciting news that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time has multiplayer may have been one of the deciding factors for many purchasing the game, but it could be more complicated than they realize. Getting to friends in this "slow-life RPG" is, at first glance, the perfect fit. Running around a colorful world while completing quests and defeating monsters together online or even side by side on the couch sounds enticing, and is a lot of fun to experience, but prospective players should be warned that there are a few hoops to jump through first.

Fantasy Life i builds its foundation on the concept of players learning the skills of 14 different Life options, ultimately having all of them available to quickly and easily jump between. These include combat, crafting, and resource-gathering abilities that can each be leveled up and have their own quests and skill trees.

Learning from these Life Masters, completing Story Missions, and other such activities make up the bulk of Fantasy Life i's gameplay. However, when multiplayer is active, many of these functions are unavailable. Multiplayer is still an entertaining endeavor, however, with some instanced activities to do with your friends.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Has Online Multiplayer, But It Takes A While

Online Co-Op Multiplayer Isn't Unlocked Until Several Hours In

The biggest struggle facing new players who purchase Fantasy Life i with the plan of playing with friends online is that unlocking multiplayer is something that doesn't happen until several hours into the game. To get to this feature, players will have to first reach Chapter 3 and be able to access the Base Camp and Guild Hall, where the friendly Colm will then be happy to help make these dreams come true. This allows players to first take their time unlocking each of the lives, but if players were hoping to play together right away, it could be frustrating.

Once the Guild Hall is available at the Base Camp, players can find the adorable NPC, Colm, inside the very back room of the Guild Hall. Colm will provide the option to choose Online Play. From there, players can Recruit , meaning that you will create an instanced session and invite up to three other players. This also allows you to personalize the choices of the instance, such as what activity, island, time of day, and even require everyone to have certain Life abilities unlocked or at a certain level.

This lobby can be public for others to , or can be kept private just for you and your friends by using a Keyword and .

Couch Co-Op Can Be Enjoyed Right Away

Unfortunately, The Second Player Is Stuck Controlling Trip

Local co-op, or couch co-op, is available fairly early on in Fantasy Life i, but has a few drawbacks of its own. With local co-op, two players can play together on the same screen, using the same device and only one copy of the game. Two controllers are needed, but otherwise it is incredibly simple to begin as the second player can simply jump in the game.

Though this could be ideal for some situations, the second player isn't exactly getting to have the full game experience. Rather than creating their own character, Player 2 takes over the role of the otherwise AI-controlled companion named Trip. This means that they are very limited in the actions they can perform. They can fly around on their own, but the screen will follow Player 1, and if Trip gets too far away, then he will instantly teleport to the main character's side. Trips' only actions are to pick up items, attack enemies, and help Player 1 with chopping trees, fishing, mining, and other gathering activities.

Having this setup available can be fun for families with young children or other situations where Player 2 doesn't need to have too much involvement, but it is more an aspect of being a companion character to Player 1 rather than getting to equally enjoy the game.

Limitations To Online Multiplayer, Including Time Limits

Cannot Play The Normal Campaign, Only Specific Activities

With online multiplayer, up to four players can form a party to play together in pre-defined instance scenarios. The host will talk to Colm to start an online game and choose to have the group explore an island, such as Eternia Village, part of Ginormosia, or tackle a Treasure Grove together. Other players looking to the game can select the Head Out option and enter any keyword and , if there is one, or search for a game.

Despite looking as though they are in the same world and game as the host player was just in before starting the online session, players will not be able to check the Skill Board, speak to Life Masters, or complete any of the Story Missions in the game until multiplayer has ended. Additionally, the game sets specific time limits, depending on what activity was selected initially by the host. This makes it hard for friends to just plan on hanging out together in the world and chat endlessly, as the game will automatically end the multiplayer session after 30 minutes or however long the timer dictated.

During these multiplayer gaming sessions, players do get to keep any items and experience earned, which is particularly useful for Treasure Groves or Boss battles. Also, there are several in-game emotes and interactions to enjoy. Although players can give a gift to their multiplayer partners, doing so is a bit challenging as it can only happen when they are back at the Guild Hall and talking to Colm, and the receiving player cannot be in any menu during the conversation.

Crossplay And Cross-Platform Play Are ed

Multiple System Types Are Just Fine

Despite all the restrictions on the multiplayer formats of the game, at least all platforms can enjoy playing together. Crossplay and cross-platform play are fully ed by Fantasy Life i, so a player on PS5 can easily a game started by someone on Steam, for example. Each player must have their own copy of the game, and there is a box that must be checked when either creating a multiplayer game or searching for one that will allow for crossplay .

So, while the multiplayer options may not be as all-inclusive as many had initially hoped, it is still a nice feature to have available. Particularly with the crossplay functionality, it is easy for players to ask their friends or online strangers for help if they are stuck at a boss or other point in the game and need a little help, and friends can still enjoy running around gaining experience together.

The local co-op could be ideal for families playing together, and works much like Mario Odyssey's setup. Ultimately, even though it would be nice to play through the full storyline of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time together, I'm glad that there is as much multiplayer as there is.