Another Nintendo Switch 2 Launch Game Has Been Revealed (and It’s a Good One)

The launch of Nintendo Switch 2 is just over a week away, and if you haven’t decided what games to buy on day one just yet, you might want to hold off until the last minute. At least one more game has been confirmed for launch day, and it should make a lot of people happy. Level-5 confirmed this morning that Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time will be arriving alongside Nintendo’s new platform. The game was just released on other systems last week, and the overall reception has been positive thus far.

For those that purchased the Nintendo Switch version of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time, Level-5 also announced that the game will be offering a paid upgrade path. We’ve already seen that with several existing Switch games, from first-party titles such as Super Mario Party Jamboree and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, to third-party games like Hogwarts Legacy. The key difference with Fantasy Life i is that the paid upgrade is significantly cheaper than any other, costing just $2.59 for existing owners. The upgrade will include faster load times, as well as improvements to the frame rate and graphics.

As is the case with most Nintendo Switch games, Fantasy Life i will be playable on Switch 2 without paying for an upgrade; it just won’t have any of the improvements that take advantage of the new system’s abilities. It will be interesting to see what other third-party games add paid upgrade paths in the coming months. There are a lot of existing games that could benefit from the superior graphics and processing power afforded by Switch 2, and paid upgrades are a nice way to offer them to existing owners, without charging for a whole new version (which is what Sega is doing with Sonic x Shadow Generations).

So far, reception to today’s announcement has been very positive. It seems even some people that haven’t bought the game yet are now planning to do so on day one alongside their Switch 2. Chances are, most people aren’t going to go with the game over Mario Kart World, but for those looking to pick up something alongside Nintendo’s big launch game, it seems like a pretty strong candidate. Some are still lamenting the fact that Fantasy Life i isn’t getting a physical release in North America, but there’s always the option to import from Japan.

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For those unfamiliar with the game, Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is a life-sim RPG. The original Fantasy Life was released on Nintendo 3DS more than a decade ago, and Level-5 has crafted a sequel that builds on that game’s foundations. For those that played the original, or anyone looking for something big and ambitious to play with lots to do, it should be a tempting launch title.

Are you happy about the paid upgrade path for Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time? Do you plan on snagging the game at Nintendo Switch 2 launch? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!