Video Game Review: Fantasy Friends

Rob Lake & Daughter review Forever Friends on Nintendo Switch...

Fantasy Friends combines the fun (or annoyance) of an old-school Tamagotchi with the bonus of being in 3-D. 

Before we get into the details of Fantasy Friends, I would like to point out that the majority of this review is based on the opinions of my 11-year old daughter. Whilst she's above the intended age range for Fantasy Friends (PEGI 3) she does play a lot of Adopt Me on Roblox (which is essentially the same premise).

Fantasy Friends takes place in a rather flat fantasy forest. It's within this world that the fairy, Aurea tasks you with caring for 12 fantasy themed pets. It's your job to tend for these pets needs and in return, they could just become your friend for life. 

To begin with, you asked to choose a pet from a set of three eggs. Much like that seen in Pokémon - except regardless of which egg you choose, your first pet will always be a cat. This hatching progress also acts as a tutorial as such, you're shown how to hatch the egg as well as how to care for your new friend. It's basic, but considering the intended audience that's probably for the best. So eggs are hatched by periodically rubbing them until said animal bursts out - much like the Velociraptor scene in Jurassic Park. 

Once you've named your cute Kitten it's then off to create its home in the forest. It's within this home that you'll interact with the pet the most. Icons on the side of the screen will show you their current status. These range from hunger, cleanliness, and happiness. These can all be affected by spending time with your pet. The more you tend to their needs the more Mana you receive, and your pet grows. As your pet grows older your then able to select new playtime activities as well as a wardrobe if you wish to customise the colour and accessories of your pet.

Mana is a big deal in Fantasy Friends and it comes in an abundance. Every action rewards you with Mana, which is then used to buy new eggs and new cosmetics for the forest, or your pets. Our second egg hatched a rather cute looking Dragon - and then the cycle of caring, playing and dressing up our new friend repeats. The forest can also be customised with the option of placing street lamps, wells and other accessories. It's not particularly in-depth but for little gamers, I'd imagine they'd have a lot of fun making the place their own. 

If you've got a little one who's now taking an interest in video games then Fantasy Friends is a great game to introduce them to. Each animal is brightly coloured and looks extremely cute and cuddly. While the game is fairly simple in its design and gameplay, it does teach you some very basic animal welfare and helps develop motor skills through repetition. 

Rating: 7/10

Fantasy Friends is available now on Nintendo Switch and can be purchased by clicking here

A review code was kindly provided for this review.

Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow Geek Culture Reviews on Twitter and Facebook @GeekCultureRev