The small studio’s game competes with a very well-known franchise and offers gameplay inspired by it. Paralives is a singleplayer life simulation and is funded entirely through Patreon.
Build and decorate dream houses, let your favorite characters live in them. We know this concept already: This is the kind of gameplay we are familiar with from Electronic Arts’ “The Sims” franchise. However, the remarkable thing about Paralives is that the development of this title doesn’t come from a AAA studio, and there are a few more differences.
The mastermind behind all this is Alex Massé (Twitter). After developing the prototype of the game completely on his own, his team has now grown to around 10 people in the meantime. They work strongly with the community, which financially supports the project via crowdfunding and diligently provides feedback.
How does the Paralives gameplay differ from The Sims?
What might look like a simple copy of “The Sims” at first glance, however, turns out to be a worthy competitor that wants to attract attention with innovations.
Paralives takes place in an open world, which should give you more opportunities for free development in many ways. This is also reflected in the design options for your houses and characters. Instead of equipping your house with already purchased furniture via DLCs, you can work with various in-game tools to further customize your interior. Here you can get a comprehensive impression of the build mechanics.
In addition to the very advanced build mode in Paralives, you can customize your characters (called Paras) down to the smallest detail in the so-called Paramaker – From hair color and style to freckles and the shape of the lower body. In addition, however, there is a plethora of subcategories you can play around with. Get a glimpse of the almost limitless possibilities:
The Live Mode in Paralives
Not only the outer form of your Para is important for the developer, but also its inner life because immersion has a high priority. This includes lively and realistic interaction with the environment and other Paras. Your characters will thus also have different feelings and reactions, which will be shown in realistic animations. To showcase this, the developer just released a new sneak peek video a few days ago:
The picturesque look of the game
Besides the convincing gameplay approach, the simulation also scores points, not least for its extremely likable graphics. The characters present themselves with hand-drawn textures that resemble watercolor paintings. Even the environment has hand-painted textures, which makes it look very atmospheric and coherent. This form of graphic implementation moves away from the silent, colorful sim world and breathes even more life and personal reference into the simulation.
What about the Paralives release date?
The game has been in development since January 2019 and has made steady progress since then. Being close to the community and having them heavily involved in the creative process will likely contribute significantly to the success of the title. Numerous wishes and ideas have already been incorporated into the community-backed project.
The Unity-based title is still in an early stage of development, and a release date is unfortunately not yet known. It will definitely be released for PC and macOS, and you can already add it to your wishlist on Steam. If the concept of Paralives appeals to you, feel free to support the Canadian team on Patreon.com.
Build, create and live in other great worlds
There are many great and already released open-world and crafting games waiting for you to discover. For an exquisite selection, check out these Open World Games on PC, our ranking of the Best Sandbox Games, or have a look at our favorite Survival Games for PS4/PS5.
What do you think of the new life simulator? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
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