Summary
Paliaentered open beta in August, bringing its vision of a cozy MMO to PC gamers. The game is supposed to launch on Switch later this year and has been gaining traction due to its unique combination of genres. While MMOs likeWorld of WarcraftandFinal Fantasy 14are popular, and cozy life sim games likeStardew Valleyare as well,Paliais a rare combination of the two. With a focus on community building and multiplayer gameplay,Paliahas introduced several new ideas to both genres, but if it hopes to have continued success, it needs to make some big changes.
The foundation ofPaliais cooperative life sim gameplay. Together, players can build homes, craft items, gather resources, hunt, and fish. Exploration is also a big part ofPalia. One of the game’s most charming features is itsFlow Trees, which require multiple players to cut down. Other tasks inPaliarequire multiple people to complete as well, encouraging players to build communities with one another contributing to the game’s cozy vibe. While these mechanics are engaging and innovative, the game is bare-bones in its current state, and developer Singularity Six needs to ensure that the game keeps growing.
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Palia Needs More Zones
One of the ways thatPaliacan grow is by expanding its open world. As of now, the game has two main zones with places to explore and gather resources. While exploration is not one of the key pillars of the game, MMOs are theoretically endless, and the game’s world isn’t large enough to keep players engaged forever. Many ofthe best MMOshave huge worlds packed with optional content, andPalianeeds to follow suit if it wants to find success. Since the game doesn’t have raiding or difficult high-level content, its world needs to be bigger and filled with more things than the average MMO.
Paliaalso needs to come to more platforms. While the PC and Switch have substantial player bases, the game is niche and would benefit from being more widely available. Additionally, the Switch is aging, and how the Switch version ofPaliawill run on it remains a mystery. After 10 years,Final Fantasy 14is coming to Xbox. WhilePaliais a much smaller game, skipping PlayStation and Xbox systems would be a mistake that could hurt the overall player base size and the game’s longevity.
Palia’s Hunting is Half Baked
While hunting is a big part ofPalia, its implementation is currently weak at best. The game features two types of huntable creatures, each with three variants. While hunts must be simple to keep things cozy, there needs to be more for players to hunt. Since players hunt for resources, the lack of different creatures means that there is little sense of scarcity. Expanding hunting inPaliawill help to make its resource management aspect more engaging as well. New huntable creatures could be localized to certain parts of zones, encouraging exploration and making the world feel more alive as well.Fishing inPaliais more intricate, and the hunting should be updated to meet the same quality standard.
Another simple change thePaliacan make is updating furniture to be interactive. While players have plenty of things to craft for their homes, it’s mostly just for show. Not being able to use furniture diminishes immersion, especially in social situations, which is a big draw for MMOs.Palianeeds to make its world and the objects that occupy it more interactive for its players. WhilePaliais still in its early days, there are plenty of lessons thatAnimal Crossingand other cozy games can learn from it.Paliastands out among other games in the genres it pulls from, so hopefully it can keep growing and innovating.
