Zelda Meets Animal Crossing In New 10/10 Open-World RPG That'll Consume Your Life
Cozy and RPG, while not mutually exclusive, don't always go together, which is why Nintendo has yet to make a full-blown Animal Crossing RPG akin to The Legend of Zelda. Sure, it would be fun to give the player a sword in New Horizons and set them off on epic adventures alongside some of the game's finest villagers, but that feels at odds with the game's otherwise extremely cozy vibes and focus on building up your little island.
However, on occasion, a truly brilliant developer will find a way to combine the two into one cohesive experience. These games aren't merely games like Animal Crossing with a little bit of progression and a sword or two, nor are they RPGs with a handful of lazily implemented life sim elements. Rather, they are full-blown RPGs with a significant chunk of their gameplay devoted to replicating the very best aspects of Animal Crossing's design. The latest title in this burgeoning genre is one of the very best and will absolutely engross you completely if you allow it.
It is very exciting to finally be getting another game that combines Animal Crossing with Zelda, as the potential for cozy RPGs remains largely untapped. As much as Nintendo attempted to fill New Horizons with as many gameplay features as possible, the general lack of things to do beyond customizing one's island becomes an increasingly unavoidable problem the longer one plays it. Throwing in RPG elements and an open world largely fixes this problem for those for whom it is an issue, and that is exactly what the aforementioned new AC-like RPG does.
Some may already be familiar with Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, a game that managed to become one of the greatest games in 2025 due to its ambitious scale and perfect merging of both Animal Crossing's town development and life sim mechanics and Breath of the Wild's combat and exploration. However, while it did release on all platforms, those who don't have access to a PC handheld, or Nintendo Switch wouldn't have been able to play it handheld.
Fortunately, that's finally changing, as developer Level-5 is putting the entire Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time experience right in your pocket. It has just launched on iOS and Android devices with all of the existing updates and free DLC included, meaning those who want to dive headfirst into its expansive settlement management gameplay, villager interactions, open-world exploration, and class customization can do so without needing to buy a whole console.
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time costs $24.99 on mobile, which is $5 more than the smaller Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. This is a fully-fledged open-world RPG experience with numerous Animal Crossing-esque mechanics that is playable on your mobile phone. Sure, it is a premium release, and $24.99 may seem steep to those accustomed to playing free-to-play games on their phone. However, for those who want to play Animal Crossing on their phone, albeit with a whole host of other incredible mechanics thrown in for good measure, this is the perfect way to do so.