Level-5 Is Really Getting My Goat

[EvilTheCat6600]

Then again, they can have the goat. It's why I don't have canned food around the apartment anymore. All joking, aside, I read something today that has me a little more then miffed.

Ever played Fantasy Life for the 3DS? If you haven't, I highly suggest you do. It's a wonderful game. Well, ever since it's release, Level-5 has continued the franchise...in Japan only...mostly in the mobile phone market. With the latest installment, the MMORPG version Fantasy Life Online releasing in summer 2018...in Japan only.

I would absolutely love to see more Fantasy Life come to the West. Phones, Switch, 3DS...maybe even get the other consoles in on the action. But what are your thoughts on Level-5's refusal to bring more Fantasy Life games out of Japan?

 

[KAnaliseY]

I feel your pain, but I don't play Fantasy Life
I play Yo Kai Watch (also by Level 5), and the Japanese version is WAY ahead of ours. They have a few more main series out, plus side games and an updated mobile game (while ours was deleted a few months ago).

I guess it's a Level-5 thing?

 

[EvilTheCat6600]

I guess it could be a Level-5 thing. Although, I never even knew YoKai Watch had a mobile game lol. All I know is I played a little of the first game and it wasn't so much my cup of tea.

 

[Rupleteaser]

Level-5 in general just haven't really been doing it for me, namely in how they've been handling Layton and Ni no Kuni lately. That being said, that's more in the realm of quality rather than localization. I know I enjoyed Fantasy Life enough when I got it (it ended up just getting overshadowed before I got too far) and certainly think it would benefit from a sequel, but if all there is is a mobile game, I can easily pass.

Though I'm not surprised it never came over here, considering that the brand isn't particularly well known. It got a bit of hub-bub around the release, but from a mobile market perspective it would be pretty unknown. My guess is they just don't think it would be very profitable to go to the effort. Doesn't stop a lot of companies though.

 

[EvilTheCat6600]

Well I just looked into it and apparently Fantasy Life Online started out as Fantasy Life 2: Two Moons And The Village Of God, but it's been delayed several times and since then, it's been reworked into Fantasy Life Online. As to why the game is only coming to smart phones, I looked into that as well. Apparently Level-5's CEO had this to say:

"I’d say Fantasy Life has elements and mechanisms which adults find soothing. Although children play games on dedicated game systems, recently many adults have been playing on smartphones … The supported hardware for this game was decided based on thinking of an environment where more adults play."

I think if they considered localizing it, they'd find that there is a market for adults playing game consoles in the West, however, and could very easily port the game to one, or several, consoles. Though I'm willing to bet it's best home would be on Nintendo consoles.

I've never played a Ni no Kuni game myself so I don't know much about the series. And the most experience I have with Professor Layton is the Phoenix Wright crossover game. But I did like the puzzle solving elements. A bit challenging at times.

 

[SolarInferno]

I wouldn't hold out much hope for it personally. There's quite a number of games that haven't made it outside of Japan simply because they believe that it wouldn't be popular/profitable enough to warrant the cost of localising it for the West - that's including games that have been fairly popular on other consoles including Monster Hunter and Phantasy Star. Pretty sad because there's been a fair few things that have released over there but never made it outside of Japan or Southeast Asia.

 

[DJStarstryker]

I agree with you. Fantasy Life is great and I'd love to see another regular Fantasy Life game. Even if they released the mobile and online games outside of Japan, I would have no interest in those. I don't think we'll see another regular Fantasy Life game though. I could just be being pessimistic, but Level-5 seems pretty obsessed with mobile and online in general at the moment so...