Any sane person would be weirded out if they were to find themselves in a forest filled with talking animals, but the reverse is the case with Fantastic Forest. In this building simulation game, you find yourself in a forest with no memory of your past, and you will be helped along the way by friendly animals in order to solve the mystery of your appearance as well as other goings on within the land. You will also have to pull your weight, as there are other happenings in the forest, and you must perform tasks in order to push the story forward and finally reveal how you got there in the first place.
Gameplay
Fantastic Forest is a building simulation game that requires players to complete tasks given to them by animal friends. Most tasks will require players to plant and harvest crops, build decorations, talk to and give items to animals, and sell some of your acquired stuff to the market. Proper management of resources is integral in order to find success within the game, as inventory is limited and some items are hard to come by. Players will also have to spend some time within and away from the game as most tasks such as waiting for trees to grow or construction to complete will require a certain duration in order to be completed.
Currencies
There are two types of currencies available within Fantastic Forest, and both can be acquired and used in different ways. The basic currency is silver coins, and these can be earned by selling items such as crops or fish in the market. Silver coins can also be earned by completing quests. These can then be used to purchase items in the shop to enhance the forest as well as buy seeds to plant and lures to use when fishing.
On the other hand, Woobees, which come in the form of fireflies caught in a jar, are considered to be the prime currency within the game. Woobees are used to speed up tasks, especially for those who do not want to wait for their harvest, constructions, or harvests to complete. Woobees are rewarded when players level up, although these are of limited quantity,
Both silver coins and Woobees may also be acquired by spending real money.
Avatar
Your avatar, initially, is that of a little boy, but you may change your avatar’s gender at any time. Players can also make the avatar dance, should they feel like it. Players can line up tasks such as harvesting multiple crops by clicking at plots one at a time, and the avatar will physically go towards where you directed him or her and perform the task personally. The avatar must also physically go to the stall or near animal friends in order to interact with them.
Animals
Most of the quests included within the game will require players to interact with animal friends. This includes the friendly squirrel Rose, the grumpy Turtle Nippy, and the chatty hippo Helen, among others. More animal friends will be unlocked later in the game. Animal friends will be the ones giving tasks to the players, and players may also chat with them as well as give them gifts, either as part of quests or to get rid of unwanted items.
Farming
There are two ways of farming within Fantastic Forest, and both are used to acquire items that can be sold, used for crafting, or for completion of quests. Players can plant certain crops in farms, while others will require them to grow trees from seeds. Both will take some time before fruits or crops may be harvested, and both have different methods of producing items for the player. Crops may also be purchased from the store using silver coins.
Trees can be shaken, after which fruits will be dropped for the player to collect. Trees only have a limit on the number of times that it can be shaken, after which it will no longer bear fruit and would require players to either leave it, chop it down for wood, or place it in the inventory. On the other hand, crops can be planted on plots, after which it will multiply after a certain period of time.
Building
Along the way, players will be required to build or reconstruct buildings such as the Town Hall. In order to do this, players must find certain items either by crafting or by excavating the area. Only when all the requirements have been completed will construction commence, and this will also take some time to complete unless the players would be spending premium currency for instant completion.
Expansion
Players can expand to other areas of the forest, revealing new animal friends and buildings. In order to do this, players must meet all requirements such as have a specific level or village rank, a certain amount of coins, or others. Expansion is important especially when there is no more space to put items. Fortunately, some items can be stored in the inventory and they can also be moved around under Design Mode to free up valuable space should you not have enough resources to expand just yet.
Fishing
Fishing is also one of the main things that players can do within Fantastic Forest. Lures may be purchased in the shop, and this will be used in the river, with different types of lures allowing you to catch different kinds of fish. Fishing will require players to play a mini game where they must stop the cursor within the green line in order to successfully catch a fish. Fishes may be used as food, for crafting, for selling to Helen, or for gifting as part of quests.
Helen’s Market
Helen’s Market is the place where players can sell items in exchange for both coins and experience. Helen will post different deals which the player must satisfy before the transaction can be completed. Players can remove deals, after which new deals would appear after ten minutes. Those who would not like to wait can also spend Woobees for a new deal to instantly appear.
Inventory
Players are only provided with limited inventory slots, which will pose as a challenge especially when the player is multitasking with regards to completing quests that will require lots of items. Each item stored will consume a slot in the inventory, and players can increase their maximum capacity in increments of ten by spending silver coins. As an alternative, players may sell off items in the market or drop them for pickup and use later. However, this latter method may be risky as some friends may collect them as gifts if left alone for too long.
Feeding
Further along in the game, players will be tasked to feed their animal friends. This can be done by placing crops, fishes, and the like in the food storage. Each type of food will feed animals for a specific period of time, and players are required to not let the countdown timer reach zero, or else the animals will go hungry.
Quests
Quests are sets of tasks that are used to push the storyline forward. Tasks often entail harvesting crops a specific number of times, catching fish, gifting friends, and many more. Concentrate your efforts towards the completion of these tasks one they appear, as these would be able to reward you with coins and experience. It is also important to note that players will have to talk to the animal friend that gave you the quest in order to collect the rewards connected to the particular quest. Completing quests will open up new ones for players to do.
Crafting
Rose’s Caravan and Nippy’s Lighthouse will allow players to craft different items that may be collected as part of quests, or to sell off in the market. There are certain requirements for the number of items needed before crafting can commence. Initially, players can only craft one item at a time, but at further levels, crafting jobs can be lined up, and you can then collect the finished product after a specific period of time.
Décor
Décor are also available for purchase within the store. While they serve no functional purpose, having decorative items around will increase your village rank, which is required for expansion and oftentimes also as part of quests. Décor can be purchased in the shop for silver coins and can be placed in any area within the forest.
Social Function
Like most Facebook games, players will have the chance to connect and play with friends. Players can visit their neighbors’ respective forest and help out with tasks in exchange for experience points and other items such as silver coins. There is a limit of to how many times a player can help out a neighbor per day, but the rewards are so great that it is recommended that you maximize your number of visits.
In addition, players may also send each other items as gifts. This is also very relevant as some items, which are often required for crafting as well as the completion of tasks, may be hard to acquire unless received from friends.